Summer Sketchbook Project - stages 1, 2 and 3

Join in the Distant Stitch Summer Sketchbook Project and get into the habit of enjoying drawing to record interesting things for our designing. Most people find this difficult, as I do, as it's difficult to establish a habit of something you feel you're not good at. But you know what they say.........the reason you're not good at it is that you don't do it........! So join the club and get started this weekend. Melanie and I are already committed.

First stage - find a small sketchbook - about A6 (postcard size or less) so its not too intimidating a size.
Second stage - make yourself a strong cup of tea and save the tea bag. Walk around house, garden, street to find a few objects you'd like to draw - a small stone, a leaf, a piece of 'litter', a flower, a cup, a stick, a shell, a bottle.
Third stage - Squeeze tea bag out and use it to add a stained colour to the first few of your pages. This takes the blankness off the page and adds interest in an easy, incidental sort of way. You can sponge smoothly or with texture; you could add a bit of surface interest too by adding this before your dab the tea bag over -  small scraps of tissue paper, ripped strips of masking tape, dabs of white emulsion paint, dabs of glue. Let these surfaces dry while you're drinking your tea and then sponge with tea bag. Have another cup of tea and admire your work. Drawing starts tomorrow when your pages are dry.