The holiday lights are stored away and the city has finally taken a new look and breath. If you were part of our December run, thank you for sticking around but we aren't stopping just because the calendar flipped. We are kicking off 2026 with a different kind of city energy: the quiet, crisp, and fresh start of the streets.
This mini-challenge is about the "Afterglow." It’s the time of year when the downtown noise fades and you notice the small details in the cold air. Four prompts to start your year with a new and calmer focus. no pressure just draw the city as it wakes up for a new year and beginning
Full Prompt List
- Early Bird
- Draw that first cup of coffee in a quiet shop or a "Now Open" sign glowing in the early morning fog.
- Bare Branches
- Draw the sidewalk trees without their tinsel—stark, beautiful silhouettes against the winter sky.
- Wet Pavement
- Draw the reflection of traffic lights or street lamps in a puddle after the ice melts. Focus on the colors bleeding into the asphalt.
- Library Steps
- Draw the grand, peaceful entrance of a downtown library. A place for new goals and quiet thoughts.
How to Join
- Post your drawing under the Drawaday community.
- Use the title Downtown Afterglow Doodles.
- Any medium is welcome—sketchy, clean, digital, traditional.
- You can draw one prompt or all four.
- No deadlines, no stress.
The party is over, but the inspiration is just getting started. Let’s capture the city's fresh start together.
