Cover Image: My Day in Small Drawings

My Day in Small Drawings

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

The author is obviously very passionate about drawing, and as a fellow journaler, I completely see the benefit in chronicling her life through these small doodles. However, the book unfortunately turned out to be more a selection of prompts for the reader to try out, and as a decidedly UNcreative person, it wasn't anything I felt ready to tackle.

So this was a miss for me, but that was more because of a lack of understanding what the book was about, rather than a fault of the book itself.

Was this review helpful?

I aspire to journaling though my days wouldn't be of any interest to anyone but me, I'm afraid. So, I was keen to get a look at this book and see if it would motivate and/or teach me how to keep a journal. Alas, I do not think my poor artistic skills would be up to it, but I can appreciate the value of this book for the right person. And that person would no doubt be thrilled to receive it as a gift, so I recommend it for that purpose.

Was this review helpful?

My Day in Small Drawings is all about creating your own diary comic. You are encouraged to discover how to practice observation and active listening and use narrative and storytelling techniques to weave drawings and ideas together to craft a unique and delightful visual diary. There are 52 prompts to inspire you and the author uses plenty of examples from her own life to encourage you. The style is along the Quentin Blake lines and I enjoyed reading through it. However I did feel the examples were a bit flat and uninspiring and I didn't find much to relate to. It could have been so much more interesting. Overall a book with a great idea but with a very specific style that might not appeal to everyone.

Was this review helpful?

This was a cute and helpful book and the illustrations were charming, but I think I expected something else from it...

Was this review helpful?

"My Day in Small Drawings" is a cute little book that offers an approach similar to guided journalling. The difference is, that Matilda Tristram encourages the user to draw instead of writing.

Interacting with this book reminded me of "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. In a similar way, it proves that people are natural born creatives and artists. Personally, I *can't* draw to save my life, I know nothing about composition and perspective, but this book proved that I don't have to to feel the actual benefits of drawing daily comics. And art is such a powerful tool for wellbeing.

I enjoyed "My Day in Small Drawings" and I will be recommending it to my clients who may struggle with more traditional forms of journalling.

Was this review helpful?

I quite like artsy books, especially those with prompts and spaces to fill out, which this one has. That being said, this was just, okay? I don’t know. I didn’t really vibe with the art style that was used for the examples or the prompts that were given. If you’re really into comics and have absolutely no art background maybe you’ll enjoy this more than I did.

Was this review helpful?

Fun little book I used to pass the time away. A good alternative to staring at screens for sure! Recommend to art and doodle lovers everywhere!

Was this review helpful?

A great way to get started drawing, turning sketches into a daily journal reflection piece. Great for anyone looking at mindfulness and reflection.

Was this review helpful?

If you’re looking for an easy comic workbook, this book is for you!
At the beginning the author shares her experience emphasizing that comics don’t have to be fancy, your characters can even be a square and a circle!
Then she gives you prompts of things you can illustrate with both examples of what she would do and blank pages where you can draw.

Was this review helpful?

An interesting book about drawing comic strips. There is an introduction in which the author talks of her passion, style and motivation for making comics. There then follows sections divided thematically that provide prompts and examples. Each prompt is follow by spaces for you to practise your own doodles and comic strips.
The prompts were fun and very varied. There wasn't much in the way of technical instruction and the book assumes that you have some drawing skills. Overall this is a fun, inspiring book.

Was this review helpful?

This book is wonderful to help those starting out with journaling ! The concept of it is so unique and fun and the drawings are super cute.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the prompts and found some new ideas. It was interesting reading Matilda’s perspective on ordinary moments throughout the day. It made me want to pay attention more to small moments. I also liked that she included a list of resources at the end of the book.

Was this review helpful?

A lot of people have picked up a hobby or two while staying home more during the pandemic. To me, art journaling or diary comics is possibly one of the best ones to start on because not only is it fun, it’s therapeutic and makes for a great memory keepsake.

I like Melissa Tristram’s My Day in Small Drawings as it provides a ton of prompts so you never run out of ideas what to journal about. The prompts are accompanied by her own drawings as a guide on how you could do yours. Her comics are really simple and basic, showing that you don’t have to be an artist to keep a diary comic. In fact, you can draw stick figures if you want to!

Space is provided after each prompt for you to doodle on so you don’t have to get a separate sketchbook if you don’t want to.

This would make a great gift for yourself or anyone!

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a cute book!

This book breaks down journaling, drawing, and reflecting through little drawings. Tristram gives advice and prompts on drawing as a part of journaling and documenting experiences and feelings. There are cute comics and drawings throughout the book as examples. There's prompts followed by pages to do your own drawing, which isn't as useful in the ebook version.

It's a thoughtful book that talks about the importance of things like your favorite items, the weather, and how to express yourself. It's a great book to help you reflect, draw, and journal regularly.

Was this review helpful?

This is a unique book that talks about documenting your life, but through small drawings almost like a comic book. It was really cool, because not everyone like writing about their life or keeping a journal but wants to find someway to document their day to day.

Was this review helpful?

Really helpful book and many cute drawings! I am definitely going to reread this book soon! And I like how it is formulated.

Was this review helpful?

The author of this title feels passionately about the ways in which writing comics can be helpful to the one doing the drawing and captioning. It may also be helpful or inspiring or humorous or…to others if shared. The comic offers a visual way of thinking that can be augmented with text. The cartoon can make a point, evoke emotion, provide catharsis or more.

Ms. Tristram began making comics when she was diagnosed with cancer. Expressing herself with this form was important to her and she shares why this is so.

After a detailed introduction, there are a number of prompts. These are followed by pages where the owner of the book can make their own comics. She shares her own on each subject and these help to put budding artists in the spirit to create.

For those who are looking for ways to express themselves, this book may be quite intriguing. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing it. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?