​Sketching: The Art of Staying With What I Notice

When I started Wisdom for Wannabes, I started sketching for five minutes a day, simply to make more room for creativity in my life.

What began as a daily practice became something much more meaningful: A way to slow down, pay attention, experiment, and remember.

I sketch the things that catch my eye: Flowers, animals, landscapes, people, places, family. Little moments that might otherwise pass by.

​Sometimes I'm drawing something I've seen. Sometimes I'm drawing something I've imagined. And sometimes I'm simply curious to see what happens when I put pastel to paper.
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Each sketch becomes a kind of souvenir. Not just of what I saw, but of what I learned while trying to capture it.

I'm not trying to make a perfect copy of the world. I'm trying to see it a little more closely.

Hope you enjoy the sketches below, as much as I enjoy making them! Hope it inspires you to start creating!
​- Jackie

September 2026 Sketches

I am so excited to start September off with plein air landscapes, flowers and food drawn live, in our new Wisdom Wednesday live art series, and new children's book characters - more to come!

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​August 2026 Sketches

This month is about imagination through the sights and sounds of summer. Watch each pastel drawing come to life in a time-lapse video by clicking on the image below. 

There's so much art this month, that I'm splitting it into plein air landscapes, and animals, people, and objects I love, in the galleries below.

Plein Air Landscapes by Jackie Morreale (click to watch it being created):

Animals, People, and Objects I love (click to watch it being created):

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July 2026 Sketches

I kicked off the month with timelapse videos, showing how I draw in pastel! This month has been sunshine through trees, cat in the mountains, la vie in rose, patriotic poodle, World Cup trophy, and mango salsa (so far!). I'm loving sharing the process behind the piece, which is easily the best part. It's an amazing 'souvenir' for me; lessons learned while seeking new ways to improve and expand into new forms of visual storytelling.

Click on any of the images below to watch how it was sketched!

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June 2026 Sketches

This month was about natural beauty found in flowers, animals, and landscapes. About a world coming together through sport (FIFA World Cup, first time ever hosted in my country!) and summer travel to once familiar shores.

Click on the first three images below to watch how it was sketched!

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May 2026 Sketches

May was about taking a project idea and making it come to life as my first children's book with pastel illustrations, inspired by a year of sketching in pastel for five minutes a day, my beautiful little dog with a big voice, and the beautiful yin-yang symbol to represent balance. These drawings can be seen in Yin-Yang the Brave: A Puppy's Tale of Finding Home, now on Amazon in paperback and ebook.

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April 2026 Sketches

Preparing for a new project! More to come soon.

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March 2026 Sketches

This month was about family. Celebrating the time we have together. Sketching furbabies alongside your father-in-law. Sketching while listening to a philosophical debate. Remembering loved ones on a heavenly 100th birthday.

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February 2026 Sketches

Sketches of love for animals and their whimsical nature. Simple reminders to share how lucky we already are.

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January 2026 Sketches

With gratitude, extending the joy of the holidays with a new Christmas story, illustrated with the help of my daughter, debut illustrator Natalia Morreale.

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December 2025 Sketches

Snapshots of warmth and togetherness for the holidays, from our house to yours.

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November 2025 Sketches

Inspired, as always, by family and nature. Objects picked by family members for cards, toys, flowers, and fruits.

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October 2025 Sketches

Inspired by Halloween and the harvest season, and all the fun times together at this time of year.

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September 2025 Sketches

Inspired by freedom, in remembrance of September 11, 2001, already 24 years have come and gone, but never forgotten.

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August 2025 Sketches

This month is about drawing to make words and new worlds come to life. It's about opening up old projects and breathing new life into them. It's about special places and people. It's about new artistic mediums and bringing it all together. Plus, I WROTE AND ILLUSTRATED MY FIRST BOOK! And painted a portrait with oils.

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July 2025 Sketches

This month is about exploration and experimentation. The month is about blue skies and blue water. It's about summer freedom and finding yourself. It's about finding inspiration in animals around us. 

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June 2025 Sketches

This month was about starting something new. The Wisdom for Wannabes podcast transcended the audio and written mediums with philosophy group gatherings, noticing the beauty in nature, and a high point in spirituality on Pentecost Sunday. The daily sketches were made in a complete state of flow, inspired by the first month of summer in Florida.