Creative Gym - Exercise #4

Hello Mixed Media Friends!

We are more than thrilled to be seeing such a wonderful response to our Creative Gym challenges!

There are more and more of you at our Gym which makes our hearts sing and...
...well, we hope your creative muscles are warmed up enough at this point as our new Exercises is really really special. :)

This month we are going to follow Kasia's instructions and invite you to try

Intuitive Painting!

Do not be afraid! Kasia prepared step by step instructions to help you have some creative fun. :)
So please, send your inner critic away and just enjoy splashing some paint around.

Here's what to do:

Kasia: I'm so happy to share with you one of my favorite ways to wake up my creativity. It's quick and easy but it can really help you start creating if you're stuck. So just grab three or four colours of your favourite acrylic paint and be prepared for great fun.

Here's our exercise:

1. Prepare a few pages or tags, you are going to work on more than one project at once. 
2. Spread acrylic paint on your papers. Start with the lightest color and then add two or three darker ones.  Don't think too much and work as fast as you can.

Use a paintbrush, a brayer, your fingers, an old credit card or anything you want. Just paint. It should take you less than 3 minutes. Don't be afraid to get your fingers dirty.

The important thing is - try not to think about shapes or any final result you'd like to achieve. Simply paint, enjoy the colors, just relax!

3. Dry it and grab a pen or a pencil. Try to find some shapes on your painting. Maybe some flowers,  figures, animals will appear? It's time to wake up your imagination. Doodle and sketch. If you can't find any shape just create it.

4. Emphasize and define the shapes you've drawn by painting with white acrylic paint around them. Add some more colors or papers if you want - just have fun.

Please remember that this time it's not about the effect. Share your drawings with us but don't be afraid that someone will judge your skills now. It's only an exercise! So show your creativity, play with your imagination, take a picture and create one more. :)

And here are the examples of intuitive painting by some of our Design Team members - we hope they will spark your imagination and that you will join us in this month's Exercise!

This time our challenge was quite an experience for me. :) In a very good way and also in a very hard way! Don't get me wrong - I love experimenting with different media. The only "problem" is that the composition is a very important thing for me. Even with sprays or splashes - I always try to achieve a certain effect. And here - that was pure coincidence!

I was very lucky to create this page in a great company - spending a weekend with Kasia and Agnieszka Anna. And that was something really great. If you have a chance to meet with your creative friends - our Creative Gym is a great way to have fun with. When you are with other people - talking, laughing, having fun - it's just so much easier to let go of your usual way to create. :)

Give this challenge a try! The results may surprise you. And even if you're not completely happy with the final effect - it's a great exercise! :)

Materials used:

My 3 tags were done very quickly. All with paint but all with a very different final look. All tags were prepped first with gesso.

Tag #1 was made with Distress Paints (yellow and teal) applied to a craft mat, spritzed with water and then the tag dragged through. Heat dried. Add more paint in a different colour (blue) onto a craft mat, roll through it with a sponge roller and apply to tag. Lastly apply paint in another colour (green) to craft mat, add some water, dip in an old toothbrush and use to add splatters.

Tag #2 is made with full bodied acrylic paint applied with a plastic card.

Tag #3 is made with fluid acrylic inks, dripped directly onto the tag, then spritzed with water and allowed to just flow and spread out.

Three different types of paint, applied quickly and randomly in very different ways.

To finish off tag #1, just add some tapes. To finish off tag #2, add some tissue images. To finish off tag #3 add some doodling with a Sharpie pen.

Playing with paint. So quick and so much fun !

Materials used:

 

I followed the steps for the challenge and created an art journal spread.

I used different hues of blue together with white and just smeared the paints around using a brayer and my fingers.

The first thing I saw in the paints was a head of a bull and I guess that set my mind to Spanish mode as I saw next a matador and the spectators and carnival characters.

 

This project was a really fun exercise and I think I might do it again occasionally when in need of a creative break!

Materials used:

For me Kasia's challenge became a creative exercise - I didn't care for the outcome - I just digged into my creativity, stopped thinking and started spreading acrylic paints. It was only about the pleasure of adding colors.

When the acrylic paint dried, I found out, that there were some tulips and a quirky bird. :) So I took black and white pens and started drawing without thinking about the final effects. It was a very refreshing exercise! Just creating, without pushing or trying to achieve any particular effects. It helped me to gain a new point of view on my creative process.

Materials used:

Are you feeling inspired? Remember! It's not about creating a super masterpiece, it's not about the final effect at all. The whole beauty of this exercise lies in the process itself...

And now it's time for a very pleasant part of our challenge posts - announcing the winner of our Gym Exercise #3. We know we say it's a difficult choice every time but it truly is.
Just imagine choosing just one artwork among so many sent in... But we had to make a decision and this month the winner is...

... Fran...

with this absolutely gorgeous journal cover:

Congratulations, Fran!

Please, contact us to claim your price at: store(at)mixedmediaplace.com

So, dear artists, will you try Intuitive Painting with us? :)
We just can't wait to see all your beautiful exercises!
You have time until February 16th. Simply add a link to your work using the inlinkz tool below.
Our Design Team will then choose their favorite piece and its author will win a discount coupon to be used in our Mixed Media Place Store.