Doomscrolling Prevention Program: Mixed-Media Edition

 

1/14/26 photo reference (Derwent Drawing pencil in Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook)

It must be my winter malady.

In summer when light around the horizon is still visible after 9 p.m., all my windows open to a soft evening breeze, I’m not prone to doomscrolling. I love taking golden-hour walks, and I’m energetic enough to enjoy whatever I had planned for the evening.

In winter, though, when night begins at 4:30 p.m., I catch myself listlessly killing evening time with my tablet, as if scrolling would make the sun come up earlier. I don’t like it.

A few mixed-media materials that happened to be nearby.

It’s not a new malady. I’ve tried various tactics over the years to snap myself out of it. The main issue is that by evening, I’ve run out of creative steam, but I still want to be engaged with mark-making. It’s the reason I put together my compact “downstairs studio” a few years ago to make it easier. (Back then, my issue was compounded by continual anxiety and exhaustion as a caregiver, and evenings were often my only respite time.) For a while, I tried the doodly Color Meditation Deck, but that didn’t stick.

Just as I was thinking that I needed to refresh my Doomscrolling Prevention Program, a video popped up on my YouTube feed as I was (ironically) scrolling: “Easy Sketchbook Ideas for Busy Days.” I had a few materials right there next to my comfy evening reading chair – no excuses or reasons to delay!

I used my own reference photo instead of the one Orla Stevens offered. For the pencil-only version (top of post), I used a black Derwent Drawing pencil. In my pouch of mixed-media tools were Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelles, Neocolor II crayons, and Fibralo markers (huh – you’d think I had a penchant for Caran d’Ache or something). In both cases, she encouraged viewers to vary the marks as much as possible by changing one’s hand grip on materials. Exploration of mark-making was the goal, not accurate representation.

Photo reference (Neocolor II crayons, Museum Aquarelle pencils, Fibralo markers in Beta sketchbook)

Looking at them now, my sketches don’t seem as loose and free as she encouraged us to be, but they felt loose and free compared to my usual, and that’s what counts. More importantly, the fun took me away from doomscrolling!

Fun is easy. The hard part is slapping my wrist as soon as I catch myself scrolling. Why is that so hard, even when I despise doing it? Let’s see if this sticks, at least long enough to get me past the spring equinox.