A Drawing Game for Your Next Artist Meetup

Although I conduct so much of my work life online, I try to meet people in person whenever I can.

This winter, I suggested an in-person artist retreat in Maine to a small group of artists I knew mainly from Zoom gatherings. I knew it was a big ask so I didn’t expect them to actually agree, let alone follow through, but they all did!

What I love about meeting in person is that often the best things that come out of it are unplanned: seeing how another person holds their pencil, trying new materials, color combinations, brainstorming, and getting to know each other in deeper ways. None of these things can really happen on hour long Zoom calls.

I especially love the happy accidents that occur. For example, we inadvertently created a drawing game mainly because we wanted to give our hosts a collaborative drawing as a gift.

We set ourselves up in front of some stunning rhododendrons at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and got to work.

1. Each person starts with their own piece of paper and their own supplies.

2. They draw and color whatever they choose from the environment around them (6 minutes).

3. After the timer goes off, each artist leaves their art and supplies and goes clockwise to pick up the art and supplies from another artist. (The transition usually takes a couple minutes)

4. The artist then draws or paints on the previous artist’s sheet of paper using the supplies the previous person left. They can add to the art in any way they want and add new materials too (6 minutes).

5. Repeat until each artist has worked on every piece of art once.

In the end you have the same number of pieces as people in the group.

It’s pretty simple, but it was quite exhilarating with the movement and time pressure.

I liked it because it encouraged happy accidents and experimentation. Since none of the art was really our individual piece of art, it felt more freeing to try new things.

For example, I used gouache for the first time. And some new colors I liked from Nicole Kelner.

I tried working with a different line style in order to match the art that was already on the page which was fun to do and resulted in more unified looking art.

All of us loved a white line that Kelcey Ervick made because she’d grabbed the wrong material.

On the final round, when Beth Spencer got a piece of art she hadn’t yet worked on, she declared it was already done and she didn’t want to touch it. She didn’t think the art needed anything more.

Knowing when to stop is often the most important thing.

For someone like me, who often wants to just try that one more thing, I now hear Beth’s voice in my head saying, “Don’t touch it. It’s done.” This is something I needed to internalize and it wouldn’t have happened if we stuck to our Zoom calls instead of meeting up in person.

What about you? Are there any fun serendipitous activities you’ve had recently? And what lessons have you learned because you were there in person with a friend or coworker instead of just digitally on a phone or computer? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Thursday, June 25 at 4pm CST / 5pm EST on Zoom (recording available too)

I’ve been on a diary comic kick recently and if you’re interested in learning more about them, join me for a 75-minute workshop. We’ll talk through styles, format, and what to do if you “can’t draw,” then spend the rest of the time making comics together. Open to all levels.

Register here ($15) · Free for Paid Subscribers (use discount code on this page)

New to diary comics? Start here: What Diary Comics Are and Why I Love Them and How I Make Diary Comics

I was excited to learn that my graphic novel adaptation of Tuck Everlasting was named a best book of the year from Bank Street College of Education.

While we’re in Maine, Leif is with his beloved dog sitter in Minnesota. And when we return, Leif is in for a big surprise. Stay tuned for the new furry friend we’ll be welcoming into our family hopefully next week.

Take care and keep creating,

Katharine