Art Expression Techniques!
Hello my creative friends!! This week we are exploring ways to Express yourself with Art!!
Learn more about your inner creative by making shapes in scribbles, writing your feelings then painting over them, and learn a new game to help grow your creative self!!
Check out the full video here:
This is one of my Favorite doodle games!!
Start with any piece of paper and any pen, pencil, or marker! Scribble your heart out in any random shapes and patterns!! Take a step back and look for shapes, characters, and ideas to float to the surface!
Try using different colors, pens, and angles to find more and more ideas!
When you feel good about your piece, take a look at what you’ve created! Do these shapes mean anything special to you? Did you find yourself using any particular color scheme or pattern?
These are great things to notice about your creative self- maybe you’ll learn something new about yourself while you play this!
You could even grab a doodle buddy and trade scribbles to make together-art!!
With this exercise, you’ll need a piece of paper to write on and another to paint upon.
Start by writing a letter, a journal entry, or even a love note to yourself!! Let those big feelings out and on to the page!! Even if you consider yourself more of a visual artist, this alone is a great time to put feelings into words and let them free from your mind.
Once you’re finished writing… Rip It Up!!!! Tear the page into as many pieces, as big or small, as you’d like!
Now use your paint to collage these pieces onto the other paper! Use any colors that call to your heart and paint a scene that calms your mind. This could relate to what you wrote about or be something totally different! Whatever it is you paint, allow yourself to feel the feelings that rise up and let them go into the art.
Notice how you feel as you paint- do you feel lighter? Inspired?
Ready for the next Creative Game? Let’s Go!
This is a Very Fun Game to play with yourself and friends: the ”What’s it Mean?” Mystery Art Game!!
Take any number of similar shaped papers and write a word that means something to you! Elli chose 3 papers and wrote “Artist”, “Business”, and “Relationships” on each.
Then you flip the papers over and shuffle them until you can’t tell which paper has what word. Use any colors, lines, shapes, and ideas that come to mind and fill each paper in with art!!
When you feel satisfied with each piece of art you’ve made, flip them over and read the word that was on the page!! What colors did you use and how do they make you feel? Notice any themes? Did any shapes come forward that relate to the word?
Elli noticed that in her “Artist” piece she had a lot of different colors and hearts starting from the same place and rising up to the top of the page. She relates this to her many faceted artistic self- she has so many things that inspire her art and is learning to let them all grow together!
Similarly, on the “Business” page, she felt compelled to use green and draw a swirl that grows bigger on the page! She relates this to her growing business that is vibrant and has more to grow into yet!!
How fun is that!?! You can learn more about yourself and your creative journey just by playing a doodle game!!
Wow, that was a lot of fun!! You might be asking yourself- those look great but how do I start?? What paper do I use? What pens? How?!?
The great answer is- you can use anything!! From markers to paint to pens- whatever makes you happy!
Making art and be expressive isn’t about the tools you use or the techniques you practice- it’s about letting yourself be free to create! You are naturally creative, naturally expressive, and naturally magical!
These techniques are simple ways to help you get into the habit of Playing with your art!
Art is fun and the more you let yourself feel freely while you create- the easier it will be to do it again!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and feel inspired to try one of these Expression Exercises!
We would LOVE to see what you’re making, talk with you about your creative self, and help you with any project you’re stuck on.
See you soon, my creative friends! Thank you for making art today!
~Jae
Art and Happiness
2004 James St
Bellingham, WA 98225
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Sunday
Noon-5pm
(360) 206-0389