Drawing Activities
We designed these activities with people who are looking for some creative inspiration in mind! They focus on utilising what's around you. Grab your sketchbook and have a try!
This card is all about looking in a different way, look out of your window or find an interesting area inside and really observe the colours that you can see. It also gives you the opportunity to create something abstract from observation.
Divide your page into a square grid with a pencil. Then, in each square, add a colour to represent an area of your view, there's no need to draw objects just the colours and patterns if you like. When you have completed this cut the squares into any shape you like and re-arrange as a collage. The collage does not have to be square it can be any shape you wish. There are no rules, just your imagination.
Remember it's all about trying out ideas
and new ways of seeing. Have fun!
If you like doodling, then you will love this.
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You start out by adding colour to your page to give you a background.
You can use watercolour, felt tips or even tea bags to stain the paper. Make random shapes, it doesent have to be circles or pebbles it could be anything you like. Try blending different colours together to create an interesting effect and let it dry.
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Next start to add pattern within the colourful shapes you have created. These can be repetitive or totally random. They can be figurative or abstract. Let your hand do the talking.
This activity is all about using angles and lines to create a drawing. It helps to relax you into the drawing process by concentrating on the shapes rather than drawing something perfectly.
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Draw the view outside your window in angles, shapes and lines. Trees might be triangles, circles or a collection of lines for branches. Cars could be box shaped. You might use lots of shapes to make up one object. It's OK if the drawing doesn't look like your view, this is an experiment and is about enjoying the process. By the end you will have an abstract drawing which you can add colour, pattern, lines, dots or collage to. Either make the image more abstract or add a bit of reality.
Have you ever seen shapes in the curtains or carpets that you recognise as being a face or an animal? This is what this card is all about, be experimental and have some fun.
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For this activity you will need a teabag. Wet it in a small bowl so that you can use the water to stain the paper in different areas, let it dry. Then use the teabag again over the top in different areas, overlapping the first marks to create an interesting surface can you see anything emerging?
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Often you can see faces or animals in the patterns that the marks make. See if you can create something from these marks using paints, pens or pencils over the top. Or if not use the surface to draw an object of your choice.
Using this technique helps you to be selective about what you are looking at. It can make choosing what you want to draw easier and not as daunting.
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Make a small viewfinder. You can fold a piece of paper in half and cut a square out from the folded edge or use something like an envelope window. Use it to look at details around your house and choose something to focus on. Some ideas are; wood grain, book covers, or a pattern on a cushion. You can create your own view using wrappers or a collection of objects.
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Focus on the details inside your frame. Use colour or black pen/pencil. It's amazing what you see when you restrict your view. It can inspire all sorts of new ideas for a drawing!
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You don't need to stick with the colour you see either, try and experiment.
It can be hard to start a new drawing. This is all about putting pen to paper and helping you to relax into your drawing. Not looking at your drawing allows you the freedom to make marks.
Look out of your window, or around you, what can you see? Try and draw without looking at the paper and let your pen go for a walk!
Take it all around the page looking at everything whilst you draw, don’t take your pen off the paper. See what marks you have made they will surprise you!
This is really fun if you are honest and don’t look, you can also add colour to make an abstract drawing if you wish!
Collect some leaves, flowers, weeds or indoor plants from around your home. Arrange them in a group to trace around them or draw their shapes from observation.
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Now it's time to add colour, this can be pen, pencils or paint, don't worry if the colours merge it all adds to the effect! Complete by adding details on top of the colour. You might like to use different coloured fine liners, pens or coloured pencils over the top. White on top of dark colours can look really effective.
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You could add many more items and cover the page to make a forest floor.
This card gives you permission to draw over the top of the drawing you have just done, allowing an observation to become something else.
Draw a simple line drawing every hour or so on the same page during the day. They can be over the top of the last one and use different colours to create the feeling of depth of space. You can take this drawing further by filling sections with colour or pattern to create an abstract effect.
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See how far you can take it.
It could become completely abstract to make a vibrant line and colour design!
