I’m jumping on the popular bandwagon of attempting a creative activity every day of January in order to somehow free up my creativity at the same time as forcing it out.

Depending on the day, it may be a quick sketch, or it may be a snapshot on my iPhone, or it may be a quick sculpt in whatever comes to hand. I suppose I will know if I am successful if I feel somehow developed by the end of the process.

Well, here are my results for the first nine days of the month:

1 January

We went on a lovely New Year’s walk along the beach at Sandbanks, following the sand as far as it would take us until it ran out at the Haven Hotel. Here is an overly manipulated photo of the beach.

2 January

Back to the grindstone – my first day back at work, so creative juices were running low. Here is a sketch I made at work while I was waiting for the Outlook to open. I have a slow computer.

3 January

Thinking more along the lines of sketching in 3D here is a quick face I did inspired by Commedia Del’Arte masks, using SuperSculpey. Perhaps this will develop into a larger future project – another marionette perhaps.

4 January

Another face in sculpey, this time intended to end up as Father Christmas eventually. After all, we are still within the 12 Days of Christmas. Not quite finished, and not yet baked.

5 January

Continuing the sculpey theme, I tried a gnarly old-person’s face. Part of the problem is that I am sculpting in the evenings in the semi dark, and it’s quite hard to see exactly what I’m doing.

6 January

This sombre little penguin is an attempt to be a bit less ambitious, with simpler shapes and features. Being Epiphany, I feel like I’m running out of opportunities for Christmas-themed sculpts, and what could be more Christmassy than a penguin looking sorrowfully back on a happy festive time that has now drawn to an end.

7 January

Today’s creation is also the latest in my new range of plaintive skyward-looking winter animals. I like to imagine that this little fox is gazing up at the Northern Lights, appreciating the fleeting beauty of the world.

8 January

I wanted to diversify from the sculpey theme today but was stuck for inspiration so somehow found myself sculpting once again – this time a sad snowman, contemplating his own fragile mortality.

9 January

I thought I’d break the modelling cycle today with a sketch and I kind of wish I hadn’t as it’s not brilliant, but that’s partly what this whole process is about.

More to follow soon…