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I did it! Drawing for relaxation

3.4.2024

Translation: Elicia Payne

Slow Drawing is said to provide mental relaxation and artistic results. For an entire week I gave it a go and was surprised by my drawings and the inner peace I felt.

This trial week came about spontaneously and started before I’d even thought about it. I was standing in a book shop in the middle of the creative section when this book caught my eye: «Strich für Strich: Zur kreativen Entspannung mit Slow Drawing» («Stroke by Stroke: For Creative Relaxation with Slow Drawing» in English).

Guidebooks

Strich für Strich zur kreativen Entspannung mit Slow Drawing

German, Amy Maricle, 2023

I leafed through the book a little and was immediately hooked. It shows simple patterns inspired by nature but they look very artistic. I took the book with me and make my first attempt a few hours later.

Day 1: an unexpected result in more ways than one

It’s Saturday and I have plenty of time to immerse myself in the art of Slow Drawing. I give the first few pages a read to start with: the introduction is about what Slow Drawing actually is, which utensils are best for it and how you can integrate it into everyday life.

Then I begin. With a black [gel pen](/search?q=gel pen) and a few sheets of [paper](/search?q=drawing paper), I find a cosy spot by the water and doodled the first, still somewhat scribbly lines onto the page. Even though my first strokes don’t exactly impress me, I just keep going. With a bit of swing, line after line sit parallel next to each other. After a few minutes I’m so deep in drawing, I completely forget where I am. The first realisation I have is that slow, precise drawing is a wonderful way to clear your head. After just a few minutes, I’ve decompressed and feel more relaxed than I did a few minutes earlier.

The first slowly drawn lines – not much to see yet.
Source: Anna Sandner

After a good half hour, my fingers start to freeze. Although the first days of spring have arrived, the temperatures are still too low for outdoor drawing. I slowly emerge again from the world of black lines I’d got completely lost in. For the first time, I’m looking at my work as a whole; before, my focus was entirely on the individual lines. I’m truly amazed. I’ve created a small work of art from individual wavy lines. They appear three-dimensional and look a bit like seaweed leaves on the beach or scraps of fabric blowing in the wind.

My first work’s almost finished. I’m more relaxed than when I started and I’m delighted with the result.
Source: Anna Sandner

Day 2: I carry on first thing in the morning

Drawing yesterday did me so much good and relaxed me that much, I can’t wait to continue today. I venture into the next patterns from the book.

The flock of birds looks more like a swarm of mosquitoes to me. The further away, the more realistic it seems.
Source: Anna Sandner

The dandelion could be more rounded, but overall I’m really pleased with the results again. — The flock of birds looks more like a swarm of mosquitoes to me. The further away, the more realistic it seems.
Source: Anna Sandner

Day 3: time for some colour

I seem to have developed a taste for this because even today I wake up excited for some Slow Drawing. But I have to be patient. It’s only on an evening that I find time to get my pens out.

The pictures were charming even without colour...
Source: Anna Sandner

... but I like them more when they’re coloured in. — The pictures were charming even without colour...
Source: Anna Sandner

Day 4: Slow Drawing only works slowly

You might be surprised but Slow Drawing really only works slowly. Relaxed drawing doesn’t work under time pressure or with external distractions. I tried to draw on the side today, to keep me occupied during a long phone call and a work appointment. The result was humbling. On the one hand, the drawings were much more scribbly, the lines weren’t parallel or accurately positioned and the patterns didn’t work well together. On the other hand, the act of drawing made me more stressed than relaxed.

When there’s distraction and external chaos, the result looks less artistic...
Source: Anna Sandner

I realise I really have to concentrate hard on drawing to get the result I want. If something else is going on at the same time, even if I’m just listening, I can’t calm down while drawing. I draw a line under this attempt and decide to completely devote myself to pen and paper again in future – without any distractions.

Day 5: my mind’s relaxing and it’s wonderful

Today I completed my most lengthy work to date. I spent almost two hours drawing at a leisurely pace, absorbed in my thoughts. I combine the patterns I like best so far and don’t even notice the time flying by. Afterwards I feel calm, similar to when I’ve meditated. Slow Drawing definitely works for me as a mental relaxation technique.

I try things out a little, combine different patterns and am once again delighted with the result, but above all with the calm and inner peace I’ve achieved.
Source: Anna Sandner

Day 6: nature and the rest of the world as a template

In the instructions for the book, author Amy Maricle also encourages us to look for patterns in nature: stones in a riverbed, landscapes, plants by the wayside ... I start to look more closely and start to discover patterns I could trace all around me. But the book still offers enough templates I want to try out My favourites among the previous patterns begin to solidify themselves, which I can fuse together with other patterns or easily adapt.

Who’d have thought that a perforated piece of fabric could make a small work of art - and on top of that be easy to draw.
Source: Anna Sandner

Day 7: learn a new art quickly and easily

My conclusion is definitely positive. In just a few days I’ve learned a new drawing technique that’s also suitable as a relaxation exercise. Even though the week’s over now, I’m certainly not going to stop drawing slowly. I carry on, develop new patterns, combine and elevate them. I didn’t need any previous knowledge and I’m not exceptionally talented when it comes to drawing – yet the results are still impressive.

This pattern is described in the book as ribbon formation. Lined up, they form waves which I’ve placed a small ship on.
Source: Anna Sandner

In a nutshell:

great results
relaxes your mind
just a pen and paper required
no previous knowledge or great talent needed
can be done almost anywhere

You can also use the technique on small greetings cards.
Source: Anna Sandner

You can find more of the healthy habits I tried in my «I did it!» series here:

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I did it! Healthy habits put to the test
by Anna Sandner

Header image: Anna Sandner

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Anna Sandner

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Anna.Sandner@galaxus.de

Science editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always the outdoors - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.

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