One of our most successful programme that we KL Sketchnation are well known around the globe since our existence was our online campaign, the #ramadhansketchchallenge. The campaign encourage sketchers and those who aspired to be a sketcher to have a whole month of intensive practice to sharpen their sketching skill.

We are using the timeframe of the Ramadhan month of the Islamic calendar because during this whole month all of us the muslims will be fasting and not eating and drink during the day, so we can replace our lunch and breakfast time with a beneficial activity to improve our own skills in sketching and drawing.

Heres how it works;

Rules:

1. Draw one sketch each day of Ramadhan based on the word given (Starting on Thursday 17th May 2018)
2. Upload to Instagram/Twitter with the hashtag #ramadhansketchchallenge2018 and #klsketchnation
3. The challenge is not restricted to any medium and style. Be it pencil on paper, watercolor, twigs, stones, digital painting, doodle, cartoons, all will be accepted :) refer to previous years for inspirations
4. We will be choosing 5 to be reposted daily. So do your best to get your artwork featured (make sure your profile is public!)
5. See your artworks improve day by day!
   Remember that we appreciate your effort rather than the quality of the artworks. So your caption may also add some bonus to your posts :)
   Don’t forget to repost and tag your friends!

These are the shoutout that we share through our instagram.

We asked those who would like to join the challenge to post this poster to their own page;

And we have also came out with a prompt list to guide our sketchers with some ideas to sketch every day for 29 days. They can choose to follow the list or come out with their own as long as they bound by the rules of sketching one drawing a day for 29 consecutive days.

This is this year's prompt list that our team had came out with. :)

The previous years.

The numbers of participation increase every year, more sketchers joined the campaign and become better sketchers.

What can you expect after completing this campaign?

• You will definitely improve your sketching skills, as you will no longer feel awkward to start sketching.

• You will build your networks among other sketchers joining the campaign.

• You will discover your own sketching style because of the consistent practice.

• You will have a series collection of your own artwork that can be use for publication, exhibition, etc.

My journey.

---

2011 - The idea was coined by my classmate when i first started architecture school. They came out with an idea to do a 20 days of illustration throughout the Ramadhan month to improve our sketching skills for our studies. They were just about 5 of us in our class who took it.

Trying hard to find a theme for my attempt, It was my first time ever trying out urban sketching. I dont even know the existence of that term, but i love sketching outside looking at a real thing/building/view to be sketched cuz i find it so hard to sketch without reference and to sketch from a photo does not give me the excitement. As far as i can remember, i was one of the only few completed the challenge and i continued after the 20 illustration to complete the whole month.

We shared each drawing everyday and tag each other on facebook. Day by day, people start to know me through my live sketching. Thats when i sparked my interest in urban sketching.

2012 - I did continue doing the same the next year but this time number of people joining grew as they already seen i did it the previous year. This time my friends from different university joined and more people get towards finishing the 30 days series.

2013 - We happened to have our fasting month when i was still in manchester. I started to expand the setting towards travelling to other places away from home.

2014 - Was our first time ever to have the challenge under KL Sketchnation as the group were just founded in this year. we had more than 100 participant joined us sketching everyday for a month.

2015 - Ive got used to sketch n public and i continue doing so while exploring on my own style.

2016 - Was my final year in Manchester and its the year that i fast fully in Manchester and celebrate Eid there as well. This series i covered 30 significant places in manchester that i will always remember.

2017 - For last year i stepping up my game by using the practice to sharpen up my acrylic painting skill where i explored acrylic medium to do paintings every day for 29 days. And i did finished them. :)

---

...and for 2018?

I will personally be answering the challenge again this year for my 7th year. I am planning to polish and learn more on digital medium for this year. Im looking at the kind of digital concept drawing of landscape, city, town, etc. I will be fully utilizing my new ipadpro and apple pencil and try to rise up to its true potential. So you can expect me posting my daily digital painting and its' process. :)

So...i'm in! How about you? ;)