For this inquiry post, I wanted to explore how time constraints can influence my drawing process. So to do this, I chose two simple objects: an ice cream cone and a turtle. I then drew each one twice, once with a one minute time limit and again with a five minute time limit.
Right away, I noticed a huge difference between the two experiences. When I only had one minute, I felt rushed and pressured to get something on the page as fast as possible. The first lines I put down were what I had to stick with since I didn’t have time to go back and fix anything, which made the drawings feel messy. Instead of being able to fully focus on the drawing process, I was constantly aware of the timer counting down.
In contrast, the five minute drawings felt much more intentional. I had time to adjust lines, add small details and actually enjoy the process instead of just trying to finish it as fast as possible. Having more time made a huge difference in how confident I felt while drawing and I found the final results were noticeably better. However, I can see how quick sketches could be good for practicing spontaneity and getting ideas down without overthinking.
Here are the reference photos I used to give you a better understanding of what I was drawing.
This was a really fun way to challenge myself and it made me think about how time affects creativity. While I definitely prefer having more time to perfect my work, it would be interesting to see how giving an even shorter time limit may affect the outcome.