My 2016 is going to be absolutely jam-packed with creative challenges if everything goes to plan and I manage to keep on schedule with everything. I really want to push myself and increase my skill level, hone my own style, and increase my artistic output. Brace yourselves, dear readers, for lots of art posts.
My first arty activity for 2016 was to create an art journal page. As busy as I will be with art courses and my own art projects, I want to keep art journaling as it is useful experimentation and is quick and relaxing. This year, I am responding to prompts that form the Colour Me Positive project hosted on the Lulu Art blog. The first prompt was a quotation and a suggestion that we construct a page about “gratitude”. Since I was both pushed for time and aware of the need to practice typography, I opted to write out the quotation on my page. Trouble was that when I finally sat down to put pen to paper, I was so tired that I could not motivate myself to try a specific style of hand lettering so I just defaulted to my own handwriting. Oops. I then surrounded the words with a ring of watercolour paint which I blew with a straw to create more interest. Quick and simple.
A Pict in PA 
Oooooh this is interesting. I love challenges. 😊
Do check it out! I like the fact the prompts are open to interpretation. It gives me the nudge I need to play in my art journal every week without me feeling constrained by a specific brief or criteria. Thanks for stopping by.
I don’t really know what prompts are. Could you link me to one? Or explain?
Sure. It’s only the first week of this challenge but the idea seems to be that each week there will be a broad prompt – like this week’s word gratitude or maybe yellow or something like that – and then a more specific prompt such as a quotation. You can use either or both as a jumping off point for creating something that week or you can take your inspiration from an example art journal page or just do your own thing. You can respond in whatever format you wish. I’m using an art journal but one of my friends is, for instance, altering one card from a deck of cards each week. I regard weekly prompts as a nudge to get creating something and maybe to try something I wouldn’t have otherwise thought about. Here’s the link to the Introduction page of the project that will explain it better than I can:
http://blog.luluart.com.au/2015/12/30/colour-me-positive-introduction/
Oh thanks!! I’ll check it out!
Oh and I should have added that it’s free to join.
Oh good! Thanks!!!!
Love the blown out watercolors in this page Laura. I am excited to watch your typography bloom this year. Also with your many online and personal projects lined up this year, I know I will be learning a lot from you and grow more in my art. I am glad we will be doing Colour Me Positive together. There is no greater joy than to share a project with a dear friend.
Thank you. I just hope I can keep on top of it all. Yes, it will be great to be doing the art journal prompts alongside you again.
I wish I had handwriting as pretty (and as legible) as yours. I look forward to following your artistic adventures this year and love the quotation which which you started the year.
Thanks, Mike. Yes, I guess having good handwriting makes it easier for me to be lazy and not try other styles.