Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 17 (2026) — Apr 19-25

Week 17 for 2026!

Last week, I gave some additional notes about the prompt set and the week, and some of you may have appreciated that. I think of prompts, often, as a puzzle, and sometimes a puzzle isn’t really what you want or need. I will say that puzzles give you the opportunity to find your own way in, your own response or thread. But, if they feel too opaque, this may help. This week:

• There is a penguin day on the calendar. That may feed into those w-words, but you might find that those words lead you somewhere very different, and that’s okay.

• The “diagram” one is a nudge to visually connect three things that are on your page… after the fact.

• One of the hardest prompts that I include in the weekly prompt sets is “things that made you smile” (or laugh, some weeks). Be on the lookout for them. Record them. If you can, challenge yourself to draw something from the moment or even add a comic panel. Those five things? They are concrete things from the week and help anchor the week as different from others, even if things feel similar week to week.

• Trying to relax… you can take that all kinds of directions. There is a laughable calendar connection, but it may be simply that… a nod of the head. What are you doing these days to relax?

• An unusual tree? Do you pass an odd tree or have an odd tree? Or maybe you have an odd tree in your head? Or maybe you have favorite science fiction or fantasy worlds, and a tree or type of tree comes to mind.

Some weeks, it feels like I look at the prompts later, during the week when I am tired, and my responses all feel word-driven or cerebral since I don’t draw from my head. I’m okay with that, and I respond to many prompts in words, but some nights, what I really want is something small to draw that I don’t have to solve or sort out. This week, here’s an extra prompt that is specifically a “to draw” nudge (but didn’t end up fitting in the space of the prompt image):

• Something sticking out of a jar/pencil holder

(Even if you’ve drawn it before, that’s okay. Thinking that you can’t draw something more than once is something you have to continue to set aside.)

There are actually quite a few other things on the calendar that might inspire you this week. The prompts are not simply mirrors of the calendar, so pick and choose as you fill in your pages.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 16 (2026) — Apr 12-18

Week 16 for 2026!

I like to keep things open-ended, but in case you look at these and worry you don’t have a way in:

• If you don’t play a game that has high-scoring words, then branch off to any word game or any favorite “big” word.

• I was tempted to add “in the living room” or “from the shelf” to the contours. You might find it a good challenge to narrow your focus to an area… and do a few from the same space or a few of the same item from different angles. (Try putting them in boxes for easy organization. See this week’s post on using squares; out later today for extra inspiration.)

• There is a connection on the calendar for “Your story isn’t over.” But you can easily take it a different direction. Try a 1-3-sentence summary of where you have been, where you are headed, or who you are.

• D.E.A.R. Day didn’t make the list, but including what you are reading (by title, quote, or cover) is always a good idea.

• The “wild side” prompt has an obvious connection, but don’t be afraid to mix things up. Animal crackers anyone?’

• Anime selfie? Okay, that’s not going to be for everyone. But, really, I would love anime hair. What color would you choose?

Have fun.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 15 (2026) — Apr 5-11

Week 15 for 2026! So another week and moving fully into April. I missed the full moon somehow last week, so I recorded that… I missed seeing the full moon, the one called the Pink Moon. Your illustrated journal doesn’t depend on external extremes, journeys, or a constant stream of novelty. Sometimes, the way in is easier, if you let it be.

There are a number of calendar events this week, so many that I weeded a bunch out and really debated about which ones to allude to in prompts. When viewed through the lens of the calendar list, some of these can be fun, and yet they are also open to interpretation. I tried to set these up in a way that will allow you to work into a range of different events and calendar dates, if you want to, but they do not constrain you to that.

Personally I prefer things that allow me to find my own door.

The one funny note here is that I initially was going to list safety pins as a pattern and was thinking about linking and chaining them as a meandering string. Out of curiosity, I did a quick search to see what kinds of safety pin pattern images I might find and instead hit friendship safety pins made of beads and more complex ones that involve multiple safety pins and create images. It was a rabbit hole that had nothing to do with what I was actually looking for.

The Try line is new, an alternative to patterns and icons. The circle inclusion relates specifically to this week's main post (which will be out later today). I have used safety pins as icon practice before, and you are welcome to do that instead. But, I think they offer some interesting potential as a structural element.

With those W words, go beyond the ones that are already in the prompt set. What are your W words? Letter them. Illustrate them. Add a small icon. Tell a story. Write a poem. Make a tongue twister. There are so many ways you can use even a simple prompt like that. Have fun.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 14 (2026) — Mar 29 -Apr 4

Week 14 for 2026! The full moon this week is known as the Pink Moon. It won’t appear pink. The name is a nod to spring, but it feels like one to be aware of. As you close out March and enter the new month, take time to reflect on how things are going and what you are looking ahead to in April. A few minutes a day in your illustrated journal can be a powerful balancing agent when things feel chaotic.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 13 (2026) — Mar 22-28

Week 13 for 2026! Welcome to spring. The year continues to tick away. I hope you are finding your journal an inviting space to record footholds from each day.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 12 (2026) — Mar 15-21

Week 12 for 2026! The season changes at the end of the week with the spring equinox. There are lots of ways to nod to spring or shifting days or the balance of things this week. It’s not in the official prompt set, but I encourage you to give a thought to forests, too. Tuck a fact or two into your pages to honor the day. There are quite a few other calendar connections in the list—and a few prompts I lined up that didn’t make it to the image, including “Hops or flies” and “To people or not to people.”

As always, I encourage you to find your own melding of prompts and allusions that fit the feel you want in your pages and blend with the details of your days.

You will find that some weeks, you don’t even need prompts. That’s okay! You might decide you like to use a few of them each week as a personal challenge, or you might only use them when you are feeling the need for an outside nudge.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 11 (2026) — Mar 8-14

Week 11 for 2026! What will you record this week? Are you seeing signs of spring? Are you reading something gripping? Are you tracking another project that might fit in your journal as a log? There are all kinds of ways to add notes to your pages. Don’t be afraid to mix things up!

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 10 (2026) — Mar 1-7

Week 10 for 2026! Today is the first day of a new month. Maybe you see it as a month of new beginnings. I hope you are enjoying the time you spend in your journal and find the prompts helpful when you have a small space to fill.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 9 (2026) — Feb 22-28

Week 9 for 2026! It’s the last week in February. I hope you had a good month and that this week brings you something calm or a small breeze of inspiration. There is a good mix on the calendar if you need scaffolding, whether you gravitate to foods or to fairy tales. Use the prompts in ways that support your recording and help you fill space in ways that feel meaningful to you. Chili is just chili. But your chili? That is something unique. That has history. That might connect to a family member or a community event or something you have held close since you were a child. Finding these personal inroads is the key to making an illustrated journal your own.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 8 (2026) — Feb 15-21

Week 8 for 2026! Not every week is exciting, which is exactly when the consistent practice of opening my journal helps most. Even when inspiration is low, the practice itself carries you forward.

The prompts are here if you need them, little invitations to fill space. But sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is jot down a sentence or two about your day, even the ordinary ones. The notes all add up to something over time.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 7 (2026) — Feb 8-14

Week 7 for 2026! Well, we lost day 7 for February. It went missing when I convinced myself I had wrongly included it last week and so removed it. Sorry!

I hope your February is flowing nicely. I never even caught a news report about last week’s groundhog verdict. I do need to look that up to see whether it was six of one or half dozen of the other. This week, friendship and romance are both on the calendar, if you enjoy one of the ___entine’s Days. But there are plenty of other tie-ins around which to anchor a week. The Super Bowl, too, opens up things to record.

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter.

Six more cozy weeks to track in your journals. Sounds good!

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 6 (2026) — Feb 1-6

Week 6 for 2026! It’s cosmically nice when the start of a new month lines up with a new week in your journal. (You’ll be treated to this again in March.) Happy February 1. If you are of the “rabbit, rabbit” persuasion, then “rabbit, rabbit.”

The start of a month opens all kinds of things you might record, from highlights of last month to plans for the month ahead. I hope the prompts give you some simple things to document in and around what life offers this week. Have fun!

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 5 (2026) — Jan 25-31

Week 5 for 2026! I am still wandering in some slow-motion haze through January — perfect timing as the month reaches its end. My time in my journal has been good though… consistent, habitual, and comfortable. That’s a good start for January.

Keep in mind that you never have to use any of the prompts. If you are filling your pages without looking for things to fill space, that’s wonderful. The prompts are there as nudges, if they are helpful, or as a way of gamifying the space, if you like that approach. Never feel bad if you don’t get to prompts you hoped to use or if they just don’t resonate with where you are in heart and mind.

Happy end-of-the-month week!

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 4 (2026) — Jan 18-24

Week 4 for 2026! It feels hard to believe we are entering week four of the year already. I haven’t gotten my sea legs in the year, but I am grateful for the grounding space the illustrated journal offers. I love seeing the work many of you are sharing. It is exciting to see people starting this practice for the first time — and others continuing for another year.

Remember, the foundation is in your own daily notes. Filling in the space around your notes, or adding drawings to the notes, gives you the chance to bridge text and illustration. The whole process is flexible, and you can go whatever direction you are pulled each week.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 3 (2026) — Jan 11-17

Week 3 for 2026!

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online.

Subscribe now

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 2 (2026) — Jan 4-10

Week 2 for 2026! Happy New Year! I hope your January has gotten off to a good start, and that you are approaching the new year with optimism, hope, and a bit of excitement. The calendar items this week lend themselves to some concrete fill-in, if you find that helpful.

If your January is already full, you may not need the scaffolding. If you are feeling more relaxed, and the month remains a bit of a sprawl, you may find these an easy way in. Enjoy!

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. These calendar items are often reflected in the prompts themselves. You can also find this information other places online.

Subscribe now

This Week—Calendar Connections

The weekly calendar connections give a bit of random context that might inspire you to think about or notice something specific. Maybe they spark memory. Maybe they nudge you to draw something you wouldn’t normally draw or give you an idea for something to draw when you want to draw but don’t want to figure out “what” to draw. Many of these are very informal observances, but they can be fun starting points and add a bit of variety to your week.

Here are some of the calendar notes that made my radar for Week 2:

• National Trivia Day (4)

• National Spaghetti Day (4)

• World Hypnotism Day (4)

• World Braille Day (4)

• National Bird Day (5)

• Apple Tree Day (6)

• National Bobblehead Day (7)

• Typing Day (8)

• National English Toffee Day (8)

• Argyle Day (8)

• Peculiar People Day (10)

• Houseplant Appreciation Day (10)

Something is Missing on the Calendar List

There are lots of dates on the calendar each week. I pick and choose, always aiming for a list I hope will inspire you to draw or reflect. Because this challenge has continued over a number of years, I often rotate and shuffle the mix of calendar dates I include. You might have other days that are of particular note for you—birthdays, anniversaries, and other markers and milestones. We shouldn’t all be recording exactly the same things in our journals!

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 1 (2026) — Jan 1-3

Week 1 for 2026! It’s a new year and a short week for Illustrate Your Week. This is still a full prompt set that can take you the whole week, or pick and choose from whatever your starting point is. Happy New Year!

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art. Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia. Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

📌Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. These posts may be helpful.

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

Daily Notes

Include notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

General calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) that can help you “fill in” or anchor pages are behind the paywall below. You can also find this information other places online. Discounted subscriptions are available through Dec 31, 2025.

Special Offers!—Final Days

If you’ve considered a paid subscription before or are looking to commit to Illustrate Your Week for 2026, these discounts may help:

• $25/one year — Wind-Down 2025 (offer available through December 31, 2025) — just over two dollars a month, about fifty cents a week

• $30/one year — 50% Off Annual Subscription — (offer available through December 31, 2025) for readers who want to give a little extra support

• Regular one-year annual subscription

(Note: Pricing is for one year. Each of these offers works only with the specific link given. You can cancel at any time to prevent any auto-renewal.)

Read more

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 52 (2025) — Dec 21-31

Week 52 for 2025! You’ve made it to the final stretch of days in your illustrated journal for the year. I hope you look back at what you have accomplished with satisfaction and a bit of quiet wonder, whether you’ve been keeping your journal for years or for just a few weeks.

Every week you capture is a bit of magic in its own way, something quietly observed and tucked between the covers in case you decide to look back at any point. In the recording itself, there is mindfulness, processing, and attention to the details of the week.

This week is a long one. For clarity, this week stretches through the end of the calendar year. I will start fresh with Week 1 next week for 2026 dates for anyone who may be starting or continuing an illustrated journal in the new year.

Are there things you especially enjoy in the prompts? Feel free to let me know as I think through any changes I will be making for 2026. As a project that has been around for many years, there is often some degree of repetition, days, weeks, and years being what they are. But are there elements you enjoy most? Are there types of prompts you like best? Is there something you would like to see more of week to week? Would you prefer less prompts so that you have “just a few” nudges to accompany your week? Or do you like the typical range of 7-8, knowing they are always optional? Are you continuing? Are you starting? Are you making changes to how you approach your journal?

I look forward to hearing from you.

👉 Calendar connections

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art.

Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

Special Offers!

If you’ve considered a paid subscription before or are looking to commit to Illustrate Your Week for 2026, these discounts may help:

• $25/one year — Wind-Down 2025 (offer available through December 31, 2025) — just over two dollars a month, about fifty cents a week

• $30/one year — 50% Off Annual Subscription — (offer available through December 31, 2025) for readers who want to give a little extra support

• Regular one-year annual subscription

(Note: Pricing is for one year. Each of these offers works only with the specific link given. You can cancel at any time to prevent any auto-renewal.)

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. You may also find these earlier posts helpful:

• General information about Illustrate Your Week

• 13 Reasons to Keep an Illustrated Journal

• 12 Things to Include in Your Illustrated Journal

• 12 Things to "Letter" In Your Illustrated Journal

• 100+ Lists for Your Journal

• 12 Ways to Keep Your Journal Private

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

The time you spend documenting the details of your life can help reinforce and strengthen your memory.

Daily Notes

Make plenty of notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

While I don’t believe in rules for personal art projects, I do think the personal notes, stories, lists, and tidbits are an important foundation.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

The general calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) are behind the paywall this year.

Paywall removed for the final week of the year. If you are considering keeping an illustrated journal in the new year, this gives a look at how the weekly calendar can be a source of inspiration.

Calendar Connections

The calendar connections each week give a bit of random context that might inspire you to think about or notice something specific. Maybe they spark memory. Maybe they nudge you to draw something you wouldn’t normally draw or give you an idea for something to draw when you want to draw but don’t want to figure out “what” to draw. Many of these are very informal observances, but they can be fun starting points.

Here are some of the calendar notes that made my radar for Week 52:

• National Crossword Puzzle Day (21)

• Humbug Day (21)

• Look On The Bright Side Day (21)

• Winter Solstice (21)

• Mathematics Day (22)

• National Eggnog Day (24)

• Christmas Eve (24)

• Christmas (25)

• National Candy Cane Day (26)

• Kwanzaa (26)

• Boxing Day (26)

• National Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day (27)

• National Fruitcake Day (27)

• Card Playing Day (28)

• National Call a Friend Day (28)

• National Bacon Day (30)

• New Year’s Eve (31)

Something is Missing on the Calendar List

There are lots of dates on the calendar each week. I pick and choose, always aiming for a list I hope will inspire you to draw or reflect. Your journal has the space for any and all of the days that are important to you. What you value and want to record comes first. Prompts are always best thought of as filler, not as a prescription. You might have other days that are of particular note for you—birthdays, anniversaries, and other markers and milestones. We shouldn’t all be recording exactly the same things in our journals!

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Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 51 (2025) — Dec 14-20

Week 51 for 2025! I hope you enjoy a soft and peaceful week as we move towards the solstice and the shortest day of the year. The prompts this week feel fairly concrete. Sometimes that is helpful when things are busy or chaotic. Feel free to slow things down with reflection in whatever way best fits your mood, time, and mind frame. One of my favorite words is on the calendar this week.

👉 Calendar connections

Special offer! $25/one year — Wind-Down 2025 (offer available through December 31, 2025)

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Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art.

Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. You may also find these earlier posts helpful:

• General information about Illustrate Your Week

• 13 Reasons to Keep an Illustrated Journal

• 12 Things to Include in Your Illustrated Journal

• 12 Things to "Letter" In Your Illustrated Journal

• 100+ Lists for Your Journal

• 12 Ways to Keep Your Journal Private

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

The time you spend documenting the details of your life can help reinforce and strengthen your memory.

Daily Notes

Make plenty of notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

While I don’t believe in rules for personal art projects, I do think the personal notes, stories, lists, and tidbits are an important foundation.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

The general calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) are behind the paywall this year.

Paywall removed this week.

Calendar Connections

The calendar connections each week give a bit of random context that might inspire you to think about or notice something specific. Maybe they spark memory. Maybe they nudge you to draw something you wouldn’t normally draw or give you an idea for something to draw when you want to draw but don’t want to figure out “what” to draw. Many of these are very informal observances, but they can be fun starting points.

Here are some of the calendar notes that made my radar for Week 51:

• Hanukkah (14-22)

• Christmas Bird Count Week (14)

• Monkey Day (14)

• Halcyon Days (14)

• National Lemon Cupcake Day (15)

• National Wear Your Pearls Day (15)

• International Tea Day (15)

• Stupid Toy Day (16)

• Bake Cookies Day (18)

• National Hard Candy Day (19)

• National Ugly Sweater Day (19)

• National Hard Candy Day (19)

• National Oatmeal Muffin Day (19)

• Go Caroling Day (20)

• Games Day (20)

Something is Missing on the Calendar List

There are lots of dates on the calendar each week. I pick and choose, always aiming for a list I hope will inspire you to draw or reflect. Your journal has the space for any and all of the days that are important to you. What you value and want to record comes first. Prompts are always best thought of as filler, not as a prescription. You might have other days that are of particular note for you—birthdays, anniversaries, and other markers and milestones. We shouldn’t all be recording exactly the same things in our journals!

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week Prompts for Week 50 (2025) — Dec 7-13

Week 50 for 2025! It feels almost impossible that we are already at this point of the year and already looking ahead to a new year.

December can feel chaotic, no matter how much we try to slow things down. The time you spend recording your days can help you hold on to moments that matter.

👉 Calendar connections (free to everyone this week to see how they work)

Leave a comment

Illustrate Your Week is a flexible project. Each week, I share weekly prompts and calendar notes that can be used as fill-in or fodder for documenting your life with a combination of words and art.

Your illustrated journal might be a sketchnote of your week. It might be more like a diary with doodles, or it might be a sketchbook with marginalia.

I encourage you to find your own approach, and don’t be afraid to change week to week as you experiment to find the combination and balance that is most comfortable and satisfying to you. The illustrated journal is a record of your life. Only you can record this story in your unique voice and style.

Write or draw as much as you want! You can draw anything on your pages and fill in with your daily notes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for how to keep an illustrated journal or for what counts.

I leave the information below week to week so that anyone finding the prompts will have some guidance no matter what week it is.

Illustrated Journal Basics, Background Information, & How to Get Started

You can start your illustrated journal at any time of the week. Just pick up and start where you are with whatever the current week is. You may also find these earlier posts helpful:

• General information about Illustrate Your Week

• 13 Reasons to Keep an Illustrated Journal

• 12 Things to Include in Your Illustrated Journal

• 12 Things to "Letter" In Your Illustrated Journal

• 100+ Lists for Your Journal

• 12 Ways to Keep Your Journal Private

There Are a Lot of Prompts

Should you do them all? Probably not! Prompts are always just ideas for things you might include in your journal. Your immediate life is really where your journal starts — and it may be that your memory life has an equal role. Observances can be a conduit to memory, an excuse to buy and draw (or Google) something simple (like a Twinkie), or simply fun to write down for context in terms of the passage of time.

The time you spend documenting the details of your life can help reinforce and strengthen your memory.

Daily Notes

Make plenty of notes in your pages! As an illustrated journal, the format invites an implicit mix of drawings and words. For me, the project is always a journal, not simply a sketchbook. Even though I draw lots of random things (especially portraits), the book as a whole is a “journal” — an illustrated journal of my life. My daily notes help keep the journal anchored in my life.

While I don’t believe in rules for personal art projects, I do think the personal notes, stories, lists, and tidbits are an important foundation.

Use the Prompts that Speak to You

As always, the prompts are provided simply as optional nudges you may want to mix in with the recording you do of your day-to-day life. If you do Illustrate Your Week for a while, you will find that some prompts recur. (This is a good thing and true to the process of keeping a journal based on your life.) The weekly prompts give you options if you find yourself, pen in hand, and not sure what to draw, paint, write, or record in your journal.

Weekly Calendar Connections

The general calendar connections (a short list of unofficial “observances” and holidays) are behind the paywall this year. — Free to everyone this week.

Calendar Connections

The calendar connections each week give a bit of random context that might inspire you to think about or notice something specific. Maybe they spark memory. Maybe they nudge you to draw something you wouldn’t normally draw or give you an idea for something to draw when you want to draw but don’t want to figure out “what” to draw. Many of these are very informal observances, but they can be fun starting points.

Here are some of the calendar notes that made my radar for Week 50:

• National Cotton Candy Day (7)

• National Letter Writing Day (7)

• National Brownie Day (8)

• National Llama Day (9)

• Lost and Found Day (9)

• Christmas Card Day (9)

• Dewey Decimal System Day (10)

• Worldwide Candle Lighting Day (10)

• Nobel Prize Day (10)

• Gingerbread House Day (12)

• National Violin Day (13)

• National Cocoa Day (13)

Something is Missing on the Calendar List

There are lots of dates on the calendar each week. I pick and choose, always aiming for a list I hope will inspire you to draw or reflect. Your journal has the space for any and all of the days that are important to you. What you value and want to record comes first. Prompts are always best thought of as filler, not as a prescription. You might have other days that are of particular note for you—birthdays, anniversaries, and other markers and milestones. We shouldn’t all be recording exactly the same things in our journals!

Leave a comment