Exploring Animals in Art: My 100 Day Project Challenge

Tackling the 100 Day Project: A Challenge to Draw Daily

Every artist faces moments of creative stagnation, and sometimes, the best way to push through is with a challenge. That’s why I decided to take on the 100 Day Project—a global creative challenge where artists, designers, and makers commit to creating something every day for 100 days. It’s an opportunity to explore, refine skills, and develop a cohesive body of work over time.

Why I’m Doing the 100 Day Project

A goal I have for 2025 is, I want to build a pattern collection, and I saw the 100 Day Project as the perfect way to develop a style of drawing, while creating potential motifs. Not to mention staying accountable. My theme? Animals! It’s no surprise to anyone that knows me, that I would choose to focus on animals, but this challenge is also a way for me to explore my cross-hatching/shading drawing style, that I hope to carry over into my pattern making.

A black and white image of an elepahant standing face on. On top of the elephants head are two small birds. The text at the top of the image reads "Not everyone is meant to stay, but I'm grateful for the chapter we shared."

An image of a mason jar laying on its side, inside the jar was a lush pond with lily pads, a waterfall, and in the center of the pond are three green turtles sitting on a log together. Outside the jar is a single black and white turtle looking at the beautiful pond. At the top of the image the text reads "The hardest part of being left out is realizing no one noticed you were missing."

My Process and Approach

I’m working digitally for this project, which allows me to stay flexible and maintain consistency. Each day, I sketch a different animal, using a mix of line work to capture textures and movement. So far, I’ve completed:

Day 1: An Elephant
Day 2: A lonely Turtle
Day 3: A Rabbit & Hedgehog
Day 4: Two Penguins
Day 5: Tribute to Baby Chicks
Day 6: A Chicken
Day 7: A Crow
Day 8: A Squirrel
Day 9: A Baby and Mommy Fox
Day 10: A Jumping Spider

I’ve been incorporating text with some of the images as well. The first few had heavier, more emotional tones, however I’ve switched to more humorous and light heart messages. There are also some drawings that I’ve made the decision to not include text at all.

On the left is a rabbit standing up tall, resting on his hind legs and looking off into the distance. Behind him is a tiny hedgehog looking slightly worried, but protected by his friend. On the far right are two large mushrooms offering shelter to both animals. The text above them says Bravery is easier when you're not alone.

A black and white drawing of a chicken, who is in mid stride. It creates the feeling that the chicken is on a mission of some sort with a determined look in its eye.

What I’m Learning So Far

Just nine days in, I’m already noticing how this challenge is shaping my creative process. Here are a few key takeaways:

Consistency builds confidence. Committing to drawing every day has helped me trust my instincts more, and with that drawing has started to come easier.
Themes evolve naturally. Initially, I had a rigid idea of my direction, but I’m allowing room for spontaneity, and some of my favorites so far have been just because I felt it in the moment.
Community matters. Sharing my progress on Instagram and Tik Tok has led to engaging conversations and encouragement from others.

A mother fox standing with her eyes closed. Her fox pup is in front of her standing on his hind legs so that he can kiss his mothers face. They are standing in little patches of grass. Above them is the text "A Mother's love is felt in every hug, every sacrifice, ever quiet moment."

A black and white sketch style drawing of a crow looking to the right, over it's shoulder. At the crows feet is a peanut ready to be eaten.

Looking Ahead

As I continue this journey, I plan to introduce some of these drawings as prints in my store for purchase. So if you have a request, make sure to leave it in the comments below. I’m also excited to see how my style evolves and how these individual pieces might come together in a larger pattern collection. Beyond that, I hope this challenge strengthens my daily creative practice and helps me push my artistic boundaries.

If you’re thinking about doing your own version of the 100 Day Project, I highly encourage it! Whether it’s drawing, writing, photography, or any creative endeavor, there’s something incredibly rewarding about showing up every day for your craft.

Follow my progress on Instagram @kmaloneydesign and let me know—what animal would you love to see next in this series?