AbigailsArtwork

Hello fellow artists and craft addicts,

The time has come, spring has sprung! And with it, has come a whole host of inspiration. My aim today is to give you a list of ways that will help you get your inspiration bubbling.

I’m going to dive right into this list and I’d love it if you could let me know if it has helped you to kick-start your arts and craft work and what has been your outcome in the comments below.

First thing’s first;

1. The Sunshine

This glowing ball of fire is going to be a great addition to help lift your mood and spring clean the cobwebs off of that idea machine in your head. 

Take a stroll outside, feel the warmth on your skin. 

1. What colours do you associate with the feeling of the fresh outdoors, is it spring greens and pops of vibrant flowery colours or is it the cozy oranges and yellows of the sun? 
2. With your eyes closed and the sunshine on your eyelids, do you see whirls and patterns of light or do you see blocks and patches of contrast?
3. What noises do you hear around you? Do you hear animals or people? Does it sound relaxed or rushed? 
4. How can you incorporate these colours, patterns and speeds into your own work?

Colour matching the skies.

1. What colours do you see in the skies and how does is vary throughout the day?
2. Over the course of a few days, are these colours consistent or do they have big variations?
3. How does the light and hue of the sky affect the shadows and highlights on objects throughout the day?
4. Do you want beams of light in your work?

Colour matching what you see by mixing paints or even using digital means to match it will give you a greater understanding of lighting in your work over time. It’s a great exercise to do regularly and it will improve your work giving you more depth.

2. Greenery

Obviously, it wouldn’t be spring without the first daffodil and tulip sprouts worming their way up out of the ground making this is an excellent time to play with colour and numbers in your work. 

Look at local wildflower areas, fields, meadows or woodland. 

1. What is the level of contrast between the colours you see? 
2. Do you want your work to be filled with loud speckles of bright colours or do you prefer multiple shades of one colour?
3. Look in detail at the flora. When looking at plants, it’s common to find ones that have odd numbers of petals, leaves and stems. It’s worth considering this when looking at patterns and groupings or when working from imagination and memory with floral subjects. Even in abstract work, odd numbered patterns can appear more pleasing to the eye usually. 
4. How would you use this in your work, would you create abstract patterns or draw like for like? 
5. Do you want the viewer to perceive your work as visually pleasing or do you prefer to have a structured edge to your work?

3. Rain

We can’t have spring without a few spring showers.

Observe rain and rain clouds.

1. Rain comes hand in hand with clouds, take a moment to look at the shadowing and colours of the clouds and surrounding sky. 
2. Do you want to evoke a specific mood in your work?
3. Do you want any trace of precipitation to feature in your work (puddles, rain, snow, frost even dew)?  
4. Do you want movement in your work such as rain hitting puddles or streaking down from the sky? 
5. How many reflections can you spot?

This will train your eyes to look at details to replicate within your work that might have once seemed really daunting, but with practice and time will become second nature. 

6. Some spring themed things you can practice recreating in your work are water droplets, rain, dew, puddles, windows, greenhouses and metal watering cans.
7. Listen to the spring showers.
8. If you’re struggling to go outdoors, you can listen to the rain and use it as a meditative art tool. Refocus, unwind and do your arts and crafts. Sometimes our brains need a break from learning, and we also need to remember why we love art… it isn’t all just about practicing and being precise. Mark making and zoning out can actually create really great work as well as being highly therapeutic.

I hope you manage to make the most of this season and I really do hope that these little tricks can help motivate and inspire at least one person to have a great art session!

Let me know in the comments if you have managed to embrace the start of spring with your crafts or if you have any other little tips and tricks to help fellow arts and craters too.

Happy Spring!

Abigail xo