Chelsea Ward - Your Year in Art: A Project for Every Week of the Year to Overcome Blank-Page Anxiety and Inspire Creative Exploration

Committing to creativity

Shapes, marks & point of view

Color & ink

Regardless of what time of year you actually begin, start fresh and get ready for a full year of art-making! As with any new year, its always fun to set goals and resolutions (notice that solutions forms the word resolutions). In week one, youll make your Art-solutions for the year.

ASSIGNMENT

What do you want to improve on this year? Is it your accuracy? Your speed? Or to just make drawing part of your weekly routine? Make a list of your goals; then start doodling!

Using pencil, lightly sketch some doodles and illustrations that symbolize your goals for the year. These can be playful and simple basic line drawings. You can even give your drawings a frame and a fun background.

Once youre satisfied with your sketches, trace over them with a waterproof pen. By using a waterproof pen, you can incorporate splashes of color with a variety of mediums without worrying about your ink bleeding. Markers, watercolors, and colored pencils are all great options, as well.

Take some time to review and contemplate your Art-solutions and then commit to making them a priority for the year.

TRY THIS!

If youre breaking in a brand new sketchbook, make it your own by embellishing the cover with your artwork to give it some personality. This will set the tone for your year of creativity.

When battling artists block, it can be hard finding the inspiration to get started. Select a word or phrase as your theme for the week! It can be a simple word, such as focus or fun or prioritize, or it can be a more complex phrase that represents a bigger goal. For example, do you want to focus more on drawing from life or playing with art?

ASSIGNMENT

Jot the word or phrase down on a sticky note. As the week progresses and you continue to draw, move the note to each new page of your sketchbook. This will remind you of your theme while you work.

Surround the word with drawings or illustrations of other words that will help you accomplish your art goal for the week.

Take a photo of your work and make it your cell phone or tablet screen saver so that you will be reminded daily of your goal.

TRY THIS!

Repeat this exercise any time you start feeling uninspired during the year, choosing new words or phrases that match your goals at that time.

TIP

YOUR WORD SHOULD BE YOUR CATALYST FOR THE WEEK, INSPIRING YOU TO CREATE, BE BOLD, AND TAKE CHANCES!

Shape-findingbreaking down complex objects into their simplest formsis a basic principle of drawing thats often dismissed. Although it seems like a simple exercise, shape-finding keeps your eye sharp and helps refine your skills. The more you practice shape-finding, the more it will become second nature in your drawings.