Dear Wonderful, Creative You:
If you’ve been hanging around in the Mindful Art Studio community for any period of time, you know about my passion for dots. I’ve enjoyed doing simple patterns for some time, but since discovering high flow liquid acrylic paints, it’s gone to a new level.
Drawing on tiny works of art has become an essential part of my daily art and creative self-care practice. Once I start making dots, it’s hard to stop. Making dots has become a meditative activity for me. I can tune into the staccato of the pen hitting the page, the sound of my breathing, and the colors and images emerging before me.
Take for example, the image below. I chose a painted circle with a nice sense of movement and some interesting shapes. Using a white gel pen, and without any plan or pre-conceived notions, I began making dots, some big, some small. I let my intuition guide me, and after a while, I saw a penguin emerge at the bottom of the page. Art surprises are the best, aren’t they?
What I love about simple art techniques like dots is that they make art accessible to everyone. In my new class, Fluid Art, we use high flow paints to make tiny paintings with organic washes of color. We then develop these into mini masterpieces using simple patterns like dots, lines, and circles. Whether or not you take the class, there are some principles that I hope you try out.
Simple Art Techniques:
- Keep it simple: Make dots, lines, circles, or triangles, and repeat them to make patterns.
- Work small: I like to keep my small art work 4 – 5 inches or less.
- Create with abandon: I frequently get the best results when I pretend I don’t care what my art looks like. When I try too hard I get stuck.
- Let it flow: Use fluid art materials that take advantage of the natural properties of water and let them work their magic. Consider watercolors, alcohol inks, or high flow liquid acrylics.
I’m having a great time mixing and matching all the mini masterpieces I produce. Below is a pic from what I call my “percolation station.” I keep some of these little pieces on my table and then play with putting them together in different combinations. It’s kind of like an art game. I play frequently throughout the day. If you work at a desk in an office, these are tiny enough to bring to work and keep to the side, ready to provide you with a mental break when you need one.
Fluid Art is on available now! You’ll get lifetime access to this self-paced class.
Here’s one of the little books you’ll learn to make in the class. I love playing with all these different elements!
What are some of your simple art techniques that help you get creative? How do you take advantage of simplicity in your art? Tell us about it in the comments. Drop by and say hello on social media @AmyMaricle, and if you like this post, please share it with someone who could use an infusion of inspiration today.
Creatively Yours,
Amy
This art technique is simple, beautiful, and fun. Why didn't I start using it sooner? #mindfulartstudio #artjournaling #fluidart Click To Tweet*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you choose to click and purchase something, at no extra cost to you, you will be supporting the work of Mindful Art Studio to empower the artist in all of us. Thank you!