Working from a print of a Van Gogh, I taught a step-by-step drawing and painting class to senior citizens. A few days later I created this sketch (#25) from memory that followed the steps I used to teach the senior students mentioned above.
I often teach to memory care residents of a local health care facility as a part of the outreach efforts of my employer. Wanting to challenge my own memory, I like to try "new" types of sketches; drawing from memory has always been difficult for me. I typically work from life (things in front of me) or photos, or anything I can look at. It was a new direction creating this sketch to acoustic guitar music.
Sketchbook #26 was another challenge for me. I used sketch #25, and created a mirror image drawing. Once the black ink "concentration" part was done, I "colored it in" using oil pastels. The process was more difficult than I expected, but still enjoyable as I "colored" to the music of Needtobreathe.
Sketchbook exercises:
Challenge yourself by trying one or both of the sketches explained above.
This link will take you to an article that explains how art can help seniors with their memory as they age:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11522730/Painting-drawing-and-sculpting-in-old-age-may-protect-against-dementia.html