This morning I saw my sketchbook on the kitchen counter. I thought that I would love to practice my basic shape drawings BUT I had too much work to do. Then I remembered the drawing assignment. The requirement for the drawing practice was 18 minutes and I could spare 18 minutes before I went off to work. I set the timer on my smartphone for 19 minutes, grabbed a pencil and looked out my window for something to draw.

Doing the drawing was actually stress free because I remembered I only had to practice seeing and drawing the basic shapes. Usually I have a zillion drawing techniques running through my head when I draw and don't remember the basic steps to drawing and use them as building blocks to a finished drawing.

While I was drawing a little bird landed on the rim of the pot. Usually, I would think, I draw lousy birds. Today, I shut up my inner art critic and said, I can draw a birds basic shapes. Success, from the tyranny of that omnipresent art critic!

The timer went off just as I was finishing the drawing. I think being able to set the timer on my phone could have been crucial to my making time to draw. I knew the timer chime would remind me to stop. Without it, I would have lost track of time.

If you have a timer on your phone, use it for your drawing practice sessions. If not, use your oven timer or one of those kitchen timers. Let me know if modern technology helps you find time to practice your drawing.