When the Inner Critic Shows Up While Drawing

Let me show you how I fill a double page while sipping coffee in a café on a rainy day.  

I’ll walk you through my process: I start with some watercolor shapes to capture the warm tones of the space. Then add loose line work on top with pen, and build texture and depth with a black pencil. 

The piece gets a bit overworked and my inner critic shows up. 
When that happens: stay present. The result is less about perfection and more about mindfulness, play, and connection. 

Along the way, strangers noticed the sketch and I chatted with them, and the page becomes a lovely memory of a moment of connection.

Drawing isn’t about a perfect finished piece. It’s about mindfulness, staying in the moment, and finding joy in the act itself. 

Even when the inner critic shows up, you can choose to focus on the joy of sketching rather than the negative thoughts.

Materials I used in this video:
- Hahnemuhle Watercolor book, A6 
- Daniel Smith Watercolors
- Lamy Joy calligraphy fountain pen, nib 1.1, loaded with Grey SketchInk by Rohrer&Klingner
- Faber-Castell Pitt Oil pencil, extra soft

Want more process videos and tips? I share extra content and behind-the-scenes on Patreon.
See you next week!