Why and how I started a personal month-long themed sketchbook challenge
31 days, 33 drawings, 1 sketchbook, and the endless satisfaction of staying consistent while filling up the pages. Just for that reason alone, it’s worth doing this kind of challenge for yourself. “The Sketchbook of Trees” is a very dear project to my heart that ended a decade of silence between the pages. Hopefully, it’ll inspire and light a little bit of your way, too
How it all began? I needed to restart my sketchbook practice.
At the end of June, I finished my first sketchbook in a decade—this was a rare attempt to revisit it. But I wasn’t totally satisfied. It felt disjointed. I pushed myself every day to draw. After a 6-month journey, it didn’t feel like me.
So naturally, I had to continue exploring, but with a new perspective. I had to dig deeper to find evidence of my creativity. Why hadn’t I enjoyed it so far? I knew I had to find answers quickly or I’d quit before I even started—no hesitation, no doubts, just keep moving forward.
Then I started framing the whole thing as a brief. I wanted to enjoy the process and make it more personal. The main rule was that I had to do it just for myself. No quick social media uploads, no behind-the-scenes clips, no filming while working at my table. I wasn’t even sure if I’d share the final result.
That’s how the brief came about:
⭐ Duration: 1 month—this was July for me.
⭐ Materials: 1 dedicated sketchbook—the first one I grabbed. I had to ask myself questions like “What materials do I enjoy using?”, “What techniques?”, “Do I prefer working in color or black and white?” I needed clear answers, so I experimented with different options.
⭐ Rhythm: I felt the need to break the 31 days into smaller chunks—I’d skip a day or two, then on the third day, I’d dive deep and do 2-3 sketches in a row. One would always be a bit sloppy. One you’d feel great about.
⭐ Theme: Trees
Why trees? Because they’re one of my favorite things to draw! I love walking through forests just to admire them, and yes, I do hug trees sometimes! You could say I’m a little obsessed, which is exactly why I chose them as the focus for this project.
Why this rhythm? It gave me space to rest and reflect. Step by step, I built a process where I’d mix watered-down gouache with pencils and markers on top. From the middle to the end of the sketchbook, that became my go-to approach.
This experience helped me shift focus and dive deeper into what I enjoy—trends, numbers, and likes were set aside. I had the chance to explore more of my practice in a way that’s real, raw, and authentic.
My top three lessons learned:
⭐ The most obvious yet not-so-obvious takeaway is: everything evolves over time. If you work on something for a short period, you might not see much change. But if you stretch it to a month, or two, a hundred days, or even a year—this is when real growth and change become visible.
⭐ Ride the wave of uncertainty and hesitation. It will always be there—whether just for a moment or all the time, it doesn’t matter. Recognize it, accept it, but don’t give it power. If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never start.
⭐ Trust the process. Give yourself permission to try. Honestly, I used to hate hearing that advice. But it’s true. Letting go of controlling thoughts and that inner critic opens the door to new levels of self-discovery, expression, and problem-solving.
In conclusion, starting a sketchbook and consistently filling it can help develop your skills. It also captures your thoughts, feelings, perspectives on various topics, and your skills timeline. It’s like a series of photos representing your inner world at a specific moment in time. And that’s valuable!
📽️ You can see a short flip-through of my “Sketchbook of Trees” here.