I’m really excited to announce that Marc Taro Holmes and I are hosting another One Week 100 People challenge this year starting 3 March 2025.

The goal is to sketch as many people as you can from life or from photos and see if you can reach 100. You can do this any way you like – simple pencil/pen drawings are totally fine  – and you can take more time if you need! Marc and I originally did the challenge in 5 days which meant a goal of 20 per day – but you can take extra days if you like.

The idea is simply to push yourself to do more people sketching than you would normally do.  There is something special about striving for a big goal of 100 people sketches! Find out more about the challenge on Marc’s blog here. Marc is aiming to do the challenge in a single day again! 🙂

If you post your work to Instagram please use the hashtags #OneWeek100People and #OneWeek100People2025

Here are some tips for doing this challenge:

• Hitting 100 is not that important – the goal is simply to push yourself to sketch more than you would normally. But if you want to try for the 100 consider including some simple line drawings in the mix.
• As mentioned above, the challenge has always officially been for 5 days (making a nice goal of 20 per day), but if you need to extend the period or start early, that is completely fine.
• Sketches can be done from photos and do not need to be done on location – though the scavenger hunt list is for sketches done out on the streets 🙂 And of course, if you are part of an Urban Sketchers group make sure your sketches comply with their guidelines before posting your work to the group.
• Your sketches don’t need to be done in colour or include the full figure. You could even consider doing some blind contour drawings as warm-up on the first day.
• Working small helps, as does drawing with a pencil.
• Drawing people on location is hard! Don’t be discouraged by the results on the first day. Just keep going, and you’ll be surprised by the work you’re doing at the end of the week. Your overall collection of sketches will be impressive!
• The goal is to have fun! Sketching people on location can be a little scary at times, but I always find that doing this challenge (and having my pages filled with lots of people sketches) boosts my confidence. If anyone stops to talk to you, tell them about the challenge, and chances are that they will cheer you on!

Last year, I didn’t have much time to focus on the challenge. I was super busy, having just moved and was in the crazy stage of unpacking and sorting things in my new home. But I still managed to hit 100  – I started the week with a few simple ink and watercolour pencil sketches outside my local supermarket and then hit 100 thanks to a late-night visit to the airport to pick up friends.

A few years ago I did 100 people in one sitting (it only took just over 1 hour!) by doing small drawings with my fude pen (under 1 minute per person including waiting time).

I’d like to do more sketches in colour this year!

Do what you can, think about the simplest (and fastest) way that you can draw people,  get a small separate sketchbook and then see how much you can fit into your week (on your commute, while waiting in line etc).

I also recommend you do a trial run beforehand. Work out your approach and get an idea of how many people you can draw within a certain timeframe. This will help you set realistic expectations for the actual challenge.

Don’t stress about achieving 100 and please take more time (or adjust the dates) if that suits you better!

This challenge is meant to be fun but at the same time push you a little outside your comfort zone.

Will you be joining us this year?