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Welcome to a new month of the Creative Spark Challenge! Below you'll find the prompt card, ideas and inspiration, this month's extra and playlist, and details for a free postcard making virtual workshop!

If this is your first month joining in on the challenge (welcome & hello!)--here are answers to some FAQs that are helpful!

APRIL PROMPT CARD

ENVISION & EXPRESS

Here are some ideas and inspiration to help you get started! If you're having some decision fatigue, the number in the spark symbol on the prompt card can help: use the text prompt that coordinates with that number which would be fingers. 

All of the below is open to your interpretation! Feel free to adapt, change, and adjust as needed based on how you feel and what you feel inspired to do.

Click here or on the image below for this month's mood board:

FINGERS

• • Finger paint! Consider all the ways you can do this:
    • Dip all your fingers in paint, get messy, and go for it!
    • Dip one finger at a time for a more refined approach
    • Try using different mediums
    • Use your fingerprints by pressing down instead of dragging (here's some inspiration from Ed Emberley--do you remember his books??)
    • Use both hands at the same time
  • Sketch your hands and fingers. I think our hands can be some of the most beautiful and interesting subjects to capture! If you're new to sketching, here's a step-by-step video by Anne Lourayne to help get you started
  • Try this stretching video for the hands and fingers since we use them so much!

SHARP

• • Sharp edges and angles came to mind including geometric shapes like triangles as well as having sharp clean edges by using painter's tape / washi tape (to create a border that you peel off when you're done). The two can also be combined. How can you create with these elements?
  • Create a mosaic using paper. Typically mosaics are made by cutting sharper materials such as glass, tiles, and mirrors, but paper is easier to work with! You can start with a design in mind (that way you know what color and shapes you may need to use) or just see what happens after you cut out the paper and start playing with it. Here are some visual references.

EMERGE

• • Emerging words.
    • Start with a collage of words glued down as the first layer (print them out, cut them out from magazines).
    • Then add a second layer of paint on top, covering the words. Create a thin but substantial layer.
    • Quickly scrape areas of the paint off (you can use a piece of heavier weight cardstock, paint scraper, a palette knife, edge of a ruler). Create patterns and simple designs while you are scraping--then see what words emerge from it!
  • Wait by Mary Walker
    "It's not that we're abandoned, but that we demand delight at every turn.
    
    We can only stay sated so long.
    Even joy must be digested, allowed to settle and feed the body.
    
    Make space for hunger, boredom and fear, from which hollow
    something new will emerge.
    
    Wait for yearning..." read the rest here.

FUN

• What feels fun to you? Not what you're good at, not what you feel like you should be working on, not what you're seeing trending. What do you enjoy? What amuses you? What makes you feel lighthearted and happy? Use supplies, colors, and techniques that feel fun to you!
• Good Clean Fun: Diana Wood's power washer nature-inspired driveway art 
• Join me for a fun and free virtual workshop this month! Details below :)

LESS

• Use one continuous line. Take a long piece of string or thread and use that to create with! Try...starting with liquid glue, squeezing it out into the form / shape you'd like, then lay the string down. You can also dip the string in paint and see what you can create with it. Or grab a pen/marker and draw without lifting it off the paper.
• Make a blackout poem. Here's instructions from Austin Kleon.

• Subtract. Create a maximalist painting, collage, mixed media piece. Add all the colors and different elements you want--don't hold back. When you are done, begin taking away from it by: covering areas of the painting with black or white or adding pieces of paper to your collage/mixed media art to block out areas and take away.

EXPRESSIONISM

• Learn more about this art movement

COLORS ON THE PROMPT CARD:

• • Bold Pink
    • Try pairing it with: bright yellow, orange, black, lime, teal
  • Yellow
    • Try pairing it with: red and blue, light green, grey, aqua, brown

PATTERN ON THE PROMPT CARD:

• Use the pattern as a starting point and make it your own by adding more elements, using different colors, adjusting the thickness of the lines, etc.
• Use the pattern as is. Incorporate this pattern into your piece.

And don't forget to consider the opposites of all the prompts above as well as synonyms and see where that takes you!

VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: MAKE SOME ABSTRACT POSTCARDS WITH ME!

Sunday, April 13th @ 12:30PM - 1:30PM PACIFIC STANDARD TIME

April is National Letter Writing Month which I am a huge fan of and I thought it would be fun to create some abstract postcards to send out into the world!

I'll be incorporating some of our prompts in the exercises I will be taking you through. (You can also do these exercises in your sketchbook instead of making postcards if you'd like!)

This is a no pressure, take action, have fun, maybe get a little messy, super casual kind of thing! It will be completely guided (think an art version of Simon says) so just come hang out and let's make some marks together!

No experience needed, kids and teens are welcome!

RSVP FOR THE FREE WORKSHOP HERE

THIS MONTH'S EXTRA:
POSTCARD TEMPLATE PDF

If you'd like to make postcards, here's a template for the back of the postcard. I recommend printing the postcard template out on THE BACK SIDE of 140 lb watercolor or mixed media paper to be able to paint and decorate it without the paper being too thin.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF

CSC PLAYLIST #4

Happy creating this month!