In an effort to improve my drawing skill, of which I have none, I started a drawing challenge.

I visit Random Generator’s Random Things to Draw. The first drawing challenge I used the first image that came up. It was a sunflower. I feel pretty good about the results. I screen recorded the drawing process and made a video, which I posted on my YouTube Channel.

At the end of that video, I shared three options for the next drawing challenge. And of course the one and only person who ever comments on any of my YT videos chose the next Drawing Challenge subject.

TLDR

Long story short I’m in the middle of the fourth one of these, and the soul reason I’m doing it is because she wants me too. Am I a good aunt or what? So here’s a list of steps to completing a drawing challenge from start to finish.

Drawing Challenge

• Have niece choose next subject.
• Contemplate not doing it
• Open safari and Google subject (ie: sword)
• Look at pics of swords
• Ask a question my Facebook which no one will answer
• Get really good ideas
• Don’t draw anything for at least a month
• Remember you need to work on it every day for said month
• Open Procreate, regret life choices.
• Draw… something.
• Start over
• Cheat. Just a little (take the lazy way out. Not cheat on your significant other that’s wrong)
• Doubt yourself. It’s part of the process.
• Put on a podcast and eventually zone out while working, complete forgetting to record.
• Don’t work on it for a month. Minimum.
• Niece keeps asking about it. Make up excuses.
• Wallow in self pity. Everything is going wrong, you’ll suck at this too.
• Schedule a time to work on the thing. Make yourself do it.
• Actually work on it, manage to finish the drawing fairly happy with it. Don’t look at it too hard though, you’ll find the flaws.
• Put all videos in a folder on iPad so they’re in one place and easily accessible. This is responsible. Remember not to delete the videos until everything is complete. Trust me on this. I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE.
• Create Video intro: basically just update the last one to the number of the challenge and subject. Upload to VideoLeap app.
• Upload videos. Probably one at a time since your iPad is five years old and has to think about it for a minute.
• Edit videos for length and content. We don’t want a 30 minute video.
• After editing is complete, research and write script for voiceover.
• Record voice over
• Add background music where needed. Note title and artist. (You will get copyrighted, but the video won’t get taken down. At least they haven’t yet.)
• Remember: don’t touch anything. If you add in stuff then change the video, YOU. WILL. HAVE. TO. MOVE. EVERYTHING. AGAIN.
• Once you think you are done watch it through. AGAIN.
• When you’re finally happy or just content or about to throw the iPad across the room with vigor, upload to the ‘Tubes.
• Schedule it to premier so The Niece has a countdown to watch.
• Profit. Wait.

The editing process will take several hours, if not days. I’ve gotten migraines. I’d hate to be a popular creator and have to have quality videos.

Honestly I dread it.

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