Lines Going Straight….Bah humbug!

Untitled ART BOOK 101 Chapter 1.1 (This will be an ongoing work in progress.)

chapter 1 Straight Lines and Stick Figures, Oh My

Lines Going Straight….Bah humbug!

How many times have you said to yourself, I can’t even draw a straight line or stick figure? How am I suppose to create…..(fill in the blank). What is holding you back? Lack of confidence? Fear? Discouragement? It couldn’t be laziness, could it?

First of all, let us dispel the belief that your lines need to be straight and exact. Very few creative projects require precision unless you are constructing a house or a bridge. Now, pick up your favorite writing/drawing tool. Get out a scrap piece of paper. In fact, go ahead and gather as much scrap paper as you can find. Let’s has some fun creating lines.

I am going to have you close your eyes and create lines for at least 60 seconds (yes, a whole minute). Set up your space so you are sitting comfortably. Have your tools in place: paper and pen/pencil/any other art material you would like. Get ready, get set, GO! Now, take a look at your creation. Never mind passing judgment on your creation, focus on how it felt to just put your pen or pencil to paper and allow yourself to freely create lines? This is one of many ways you can express yourself. It is quite liberating.

I challenge you to try this at least once a day!

©AKOrobko

Follow the development of this book on BLISSFUL ART…my other fabulous WordPress blog dedicated to my artwork.

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Harmony and Happiness

 

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~~ Mahatma Gandhi

Happiness truly begins with our thoughts and when these thoughts are aligned with what we say and do, badda-boom-badda-bing, happiness. How can you not be happy when all three things are in harmony. Reflect upon and examine those times when you have been the happiest. Were your thoughts, words and actions in harmony?

Here is a simple example, when I am working on a piece of artwork or writing, I am thinking to myself this is going to be wonderful…I say to myself, “this is my best work, yet,” as I am working on my project. I am engaged in creating and it evolves into a really wonderful piece, whether it is writing or art. The positive thinking got me to my wonderfully produced piece. The bliss that evolved was from the combination of the thoughts, oral expression and action in alignment. It seems like magic, doesn’t it? “Thoughts become things, make them good ones” (the Universe aka Mike Dooley).

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Gifts of Love Update 14

This weekend I spent much of the time painting more Gifts of Love. I was able to finish a dozen Gifts of Love. Below are the images.

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Another drawing winner will be picked tonight; and, announced tomorrow. If you comment before midnight (I will extend it to Pacific Time), you will make it in this week’s drawing for a Gift of Love bag. ♥ 

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Art with Edie…Again!

I had an amazing day! I was able to guest-host on Edie’s show again today. Click here for the replay: Life By the Seat of my Pants – Positive Message STOP Sign. Edie also has a phenomenal blog with the same name: Life by the Seat of my Pants.

Today I demonstrated how to doodle using patterns inspired by Mother Nature. I started by explaining the 5 basic element families of shapes. Every shape is made from dots, circles, lines, curved lines and/or angled lines. This is instruction that comes from Mona Brookes’ book Art With Children. (For more information go to this link: Art Makes Kids Smart) Then, I started a doodle (in Zentangle style) on a 4-by-6 blank index card.  I shared a couple of objects from nature, a seashell and a whelk egg case on the show to show how patterns can be found in them. This inspired the spiral pattern and a repeated irregular rectangular pattern in the doodles I demonstrated on Edie’s show today. I then started a larger art pieces, a portrait with doodling around it.

Edie demonstrated creating a “You are AMAZING just the way you Are” sign as inspired by www.operationbeautiful .com that she plans to post on her neighborhood corner stop sign. The purpose of this Operation Beautiful campaign is to remind people how wonderful, beautiful and amazing they are by placing sticky notes and/or signs in conspicuous places that would grab people’s attentions. It is a fabulous idea; furthermore, it helps promote positive thinking. (Picture below shows the sign Edie made on the stop sign in her neighborhood.)

Sadly enough, too many of us put our own selves down daily with negative self-talk from the moment we get up and look in the mirror to start our daily routines. Instead of saying or thinking, “oh, gee! I look like “poop” this morning”; how about having a sticky note to remind us of how amazing, wonderful, beautiful and even sexy we are! Why not! Getting up in the morning would be a zillion times more fun if we greeted ourselves with “HEL-LO, sexy!” or “good morning  sunshine / bright eyes/beautiful!” I have a tickle in my heart just thinking about it. I love this idea Edie found and it has me thinking now of creative ways to bring positive attention to people. How about you, does this inspire some ideas? I would love to hear some feedback on this!

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Imaginary Creatures

A fun way to enhance your imagination is to imagine a create, any type of creature or organism. It can be realistic or unrealistic or even fanciful. Do you remember Sesame Street with Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover and Elmo, and so many more wonderful imaginary creatures? Jim Henson and his Muppets stole the hearts of many children and adults.  Do you recall Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood that fabulous program on PBS that featured Trolley and the Land of Make Believe? Many of the children’s programs we grew up with engaged our imagination and taught invaluable lessons of caring and compassion. 

Today, you are invited to imagine and make a creature. To get the most out of this activity, it is recommended that you have paper, paint (or at least markers or crayons) and scissors. In the above image, Creatology­™ Non-Toxic Glitter Paint and a standard sheet of blank printer paper were used. A few dots of paint were randomly placed on the paper, then the paper was folded in half, top to bottom.

The paint was spread from the fold toward the edges using a hand or a stiff plastic card. Then the paper was gently opened and rotated until an image that looked like a creature emerged. If paint is not an available, use your scissors to cut along the fold in any pattern. When you open it you will see a symmetrical shape. Use your markers or crayons to make a creature.

If you are a savvy artist or a writer, you can simply draw or write about whatever fanciful creature that comes to mind. Consider the following questions: How large is your creature? Will your creature have an internal skeleton (like a dog or human) or external skeleton (like an insect or shellfish)? What outer covering will your creature have: skin, fur, feathers, scales, warts, hair, slime, etc.? How many eyes, legs, arms, etc. will your creature have? What does it eat? Where does it live? Could it live in out space? Is it equipped to withstand different temperatures? Can your creature transform into a gas or liquid or another form? Does your creature have sharp teeth? Does your creature have its own language? Does your creature have its own technologies? Is your creature friendly?

This is your imaginary creature, so it can be anything you wish. You have the choice to make it unique/one-of-a-kind or give it a family or society. You may even wish to create a story around your creature. You can do this exercise anytime you want to expand your imagination and creativity. This imagination activity help to develop one’s ability to problem solve as one seeks new ways of thinking about creatures and how diverse and unique they can be. Is that not great? Enjoy this activity as you pretend to be a child again in the land of make-believe. 

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