Creative prompts: Noticing the details
Are the best things easy to miss?
My art journals are full of messy marks and small scribbles. Little scraps of paper that I didn’t throw away because I promised myself they would be the perfect addition to a future page.
A6 journals (4 x 6 inches, give or take - no measuring around here!) have always been one of my favourite sizes to work in. I love that I can embrace the tiny imperfections in smaller journals. I pay more attention to every part of the page without feeling overwhelmed.
It’s often the elements that don’t stand out at first that make the most difference. The subtleties, the hints of something. A splash of tea dyeing, smudges of acrylic paint applied with a dry brush, or a layer of paper torn at just the right place.
What do you notice in your art journal pages when you slow down to look at the details?
Prompts
Every fortnight I collect snippets, elements and colours for you to use in your creative practice. I invite you to take whatever sparks curiosity back to your journal and start making art.
Our theme for this edition is noticing.
“You have to pay attention to the rhythm and cycles of your creative output and learn to be patient in the off-seasons. You have to give yourself time to change and observe your own patterns.”
— p.187, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon
Mark making
Negative space (what can we add to a page when we use less?)
Handlettering
If I’m not at my craft desk, I’m probably at a garden centre. On my last visit, the rhododendrons were in full bloom. So many shades of pink against a lush green backdrop! I picked this because I was inspired by the contrast.
And if pink isn’t your vibe, why not take photos of the flowers you notice on a walk and use those as inspiration for a colour scheme?
I hope you enjoy exploring these prompts and the theme of noticing in your art journaling (or any other creative project). Let me know what sticks out to you!
P.S. In case you missed it, you can catch up on the first set of prompts and see what I created in response:
I notice I’m drawn to circles and lines. If I paint them on tissue paper there is some transparency showing what’s underneath. I can always make collage fodder in the down times when life is challenging and creating is tough to push through. The repetitive mark making is soothing and still feels productive. The colour pallet you’ve chosen is gorgeous, Meg. Looking forward to playing with it. 🌸
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