Never Experience the Dreaded ‘Artist’s Block’ Again

Simple drawing--geometrics by Bert Dodson
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Simple Drawing Prompts That Assure You Jump Right In

I wish none of you ever get a case of artist’s block. When the blankness of your paper or canvas is like a screaming accusation. You get frozen in place and time is ticking and you just can’t find the flow. Yipes! It’s a bummer just describing it! But you never have to experience it again if you get started with a few simple drawing prompts. All of a sudden, you are active and engaged and in the moment. Bliss!

If you’ve got the time, open your sketchbook or grab a sheet of paper and do these drawing prompts with me right now–given to us by best-seller artist-author (don’t you love a hybrid?) Bert Dodson, from his book Keys to Drawing with Imagination. Let’s do this!

Doodle

simpledrawing2 Bert Dodson

Start by letting your pencil go in any direction it wants but make sure you end up where you started so the line encloses a shape. Make a few of these.

 

Noodle

Take your doodle and amp it up. That’s noodling! It is a deliberate and controlled alteration of your first doodle.

simpledrawing3 Bert Dodson

Add patches of straight, parallel, evenly spaced lines.

Bring in lines that are parallel to the outer edge and create smaller concentric shapes.

Incorporate undulating lines, dots, pinwheel curves, or “cactus” dashes that are just a series of short parallel strokes.

Shade along the edge of your line.

Add a stretched checkerboard design with semiparallel lines (vertical and horizontal) that curve in rows with alternating squares filled in with black.

 

Another Doodle–Loopy

simpledrawing4 Bert Dodson

 

Make a series of shapes using just repeated spirals. Turn it into a noodle by adding a few twists and turns and overlapping the lines to give the drawing instant depth.

Geometrics

Simple drawing--geometrics by Bert Dodson

Take your pen and practice geometric doodles and noodles. Make zigzag lines that keep an even space between them. Make parallel lines that progressively get closer to each other to suggest depth. Plenty of ways to use geometry to prompt your creative side.

Waves

Also known as curving lines! You can do these several ways to get your fingers, wrist, arm, and shoulder warmed up and feeling the motion of the ocean!

Simple drawing--waves by Bert Dodson

Practice wave lines that are curling evenly and consistently.

Add variety giving each wave a bit of foam.

Make the troughs and crests of the waves irregular for a stylized visual rhythm.

Semi-parallel lines can also widen across the top and converge along the sides. You could turn each branch into a smaller form that grows out into something else. A noodle is born!

 

Achieving Drawing Nirvana

So that’s how you can do a complete switch from artist’s block to artist’s nirvana. Pretty easy to obtain enlightenment in that sense, right? If you want to continue on the path, don’t stop now. Keys to Drawing with Imagination from best-selling author Bert Dodson is what will keep you going. The book shows you how to engage your creativity and, most importantly, get it to grow.

The exercises are incredibly unique and the author shares his confidences so that you almost feel like you have a life coach, artistically speaking, guiding you through one of the most fun, engaging ways of making art I’ve ever experienced. That is a lot to promise but, if you want my take on it, Keys to Drawing with Imagination delivers. Get your copy now and enjoy!

Courtney 

 

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