100 Days of Frogs
In February through May of 2021, I challenged myself to Draw a Frog every day for 100 Days. You may have seen some of the daily updates as I worked to draw 100 Days of Frogs. Now all 100+ frogs are together as one happy family!
I wanted to share some of my motivations in starting this project and takeaways now that it’s done. Feel free to scroll past to see the frogs.
Goal #1: Make Art Everyday
This project helped me establish such a solid routine of making art daily. This has been my goal for years, with ups and downs, but never have I been so successful in sticking to it. During the project, I would often be ready for bed, realize “I have to draw a frog,” then I would go do it. It felt so good to go to sleep every day having created something.
I’m surprised that I was able to stick to it. I think it was a combination of having a big, clear goal and having the social accountability of sticking to it. People were expecting to see the frogs!
Unfortunately, the daily routine didn’t quite stick. I’ve still been painting and drawing in my sketchbook, but now more often than not, I go to bed without making art. Days fill up, and I’m no longer launching out of near-sleep, saying, “I have to draw a frog. I have to draw a frog.” I’m ok with having a bit of a break, but I’d like to get into this daily routine again. Maybe another challenge?
Goal #2: Explore Different Medium & Styles
I wanted to explore, expand, and refine my artistic style. It’s been years since I’ve done anything but oil paint, and I’d wanted to get back into drawing. I had a lot of fun feeling less pressure for everything to be good and messing around with markers, charcoal, and pencil. I’m now totally in love with soft pastels.
However, all the exploration ended up leading me back where I came from. I missed painting, and I missed landscapes. I did end up breaking the rules and adding some oil paintings to this project instead of just drawing. I typically look to landscape for inspiration, and my collection from this project, The Frog Pond, was as much about ponds as the frogs. I’m back to painting impressionist landscapes in oil—ponds, sans frogs.
Goal #3: Frogs!
One reason I choose to do a hundred frogs is that: I love frogs. Now I love them even more.
In my art practice, I think a lot about unexpected and overlooked spaces in nature. I love rocks, fungi, algae, and decay. I like messy nature; that’s a little gross or boring until you focus and realize how beautiful it is.
Frogs are considered a little bit gross, but now I don’t find that to be true. Due to their delicate, permeable skin, they easily absorb toxins in water. They are a bit like a canary in a coal mine. A healthy frog population is an indication of a healthy and clean ecosystem. I thought about this a lot as I drew them, and I tried to bring out their beauty and personality. The best thing I heard from others was that they hated frogs until they saw my drawings.
Here they are all gathered together! I love seeing how different they all are and how the colors, style, and focus shift throughout the project.
Thank you so much for following this journey, and an extra big thank you to anyone who purchased a piece. There are three pieces still available for purchase in the Frog Pond collection. But if you see a frog here that you love that wasn’t officially offered for sale, feel free to message me about it.
