52 Weeks of Art

Hello artists, apologies for the late post.

Go outside, paint en plein air. Or paint something that’s outside. You do you.

Go forth and create.

Hello artists,

Pretty self-explanatory prompt. Create an image of an extraterrestrial. I guess you could carve a sculpture out of moon rock if you have it.

Go forth and create.

Hello artists,

This prompt was planned for spring for a reason.

This would also be a great time to practice using hatch marks. We usually associate that with drawing, but you can do it in painting as well.

Go forth and create.

Hello artists,

Visual art inspired by music has been around for a long time.

Modern artists have found inspiration there as well.

Is there a song that creates vivid images for you? You could try to recreate that. Or you could create fan art of a favorite musician.

Chris Loud Art has a short tutorial on using music to inspire abstract painting.

You could listen to a playlist that’s made to inspire creativity. I know Spotify has some available.

Do you usually listen to music while you create? Please drop your favorite songs/soundtracks in the comments.

Go forth and create.

Colored pencil on paper.

Wasn't able to paint this week, and brain fog resulted in the bottom fish right-side up, when I'd intended upside-down

Hello artists,

This is a great article on seven types of symmetry in art:

1. Reflectional Symmetry
2. Radial Symmetry
3. Translational Symmetry
4. Inverted Symmetry
5. Biaxial Symmetry
6. Near Symmetry
7. Asymmetry

Note that Asymmetry will be its own prompt in July. If you want to learn more about these and see some examples, check out the article.

Mandalas are almost always symmetrical and can be fun and relaxing to draw/color.

Also check out master of symmetry M.C. Escher’s work.

Go forth and create.

Gouache on paper.

My street is always covered in trash. People can't be bothered to throw their bags in the bin, or even bag their trash at all, so it blows everywhere. I was walking out one night and saw the moon, looking like it was cradled in the branches of this tree. The juxtaposition of the dumpster stuck with me.

He's maybe a bit crooked, but he's a nice fellow

Acryllic paint and netting on canvas.

I save my acryllic skins (the dried paint on your palette or paint bottles) and mod podged them onto this. Didn't quite come out the way I hoped.

Hello artists,

I can think of several interpretations for this prompt.

• Seeing the beauty in something ugly. Like this video where Albert finds beauty in rotting wood, moldy bricks, and the mud on his trash can.
• Something beautiful depicted in an ugly way, like this way of making portraits
• Using something ugly to create something beautiful, like these works made from trash.
• Something that depicts an ugly concept, like this anti-war painting.
• Something that is just straight up ugly. Art can be used to make us sit with discomfort and examine our own biases. This is one of my favorites.

Go forth and create.

Hello artists,

Texture can be created in a myriad of ways.

Traditionally, artists have created thick textured paintings with the impasto technique.

You can make a collage in the style of Alberto Burri.

You can add paint to a surface by using something other than a paintbrush, like a sponge, plastic wrap, or bubble wrap.

You can try drawing to create the illusion of texture.

This could also be a cool week to take up sculpture.

Go forth and create.

Acryllic and ink on paper.

I suck at lettering.

Hello artists,

This week we’re playing with scale. You can illustrate/make something that is:

• really tiny

• tiny irl, like a microchip, an insect, or a single-celled organism

• tiny in comparison to something else, like a kitten next to a mastiff.

Go forth and create.

Acryllic paint on black canvas.

My first time doing a squeegee painting. If you haven't tried it, I recommend it. Fun and satisfying.

Untitled acryllic and marker on paper. I don't love it, but I'm glad I attempted it. There comes a point where I know it can be better, but I'm tired of working on it and want to do something else.

Hello artists,

This week we are playing with fire. Figuratively. Or literally. You can try wood-burning, firing clay pots, or melting down metal for sculpting. Those sound like they require a lot of effort and money, so I’m probably going to stick to paint.

Here’s a video on how to render fire and glowing objects in acrylic paint.

Here’s how to render fire in black and white pencil.

You can also tweak the topic: fireworks, firefighters, smoke (because where there’s smoke . . .), candles, cannons/guns, dragon fire, someone getting fired, or an abstract representation of fire.

Go forth and create.

Hello artists,

This week we’re experimenting with abstract art, which “does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead uses shapes, colors, forms and gestural marks to achieve its effect.”

There are so many variations to this. I’m just going to share some youtube inspirations that I like, and it would be awesome if you guys could share some inspirations you like.

How to Capture Creative Sparks of Inspiration for Abstract Paintings with Chris Loud Art

2 Easy Abstract Techniques with Imperfect Paintings

7 Satisfying Ways to Fill Your Sketchbook with Creative Paula

Go forth and create.

My painting from the white prompt reminded me of owl feathers, so i wanted to add an owl eye. Just one though, to keep it abstract.

SVG source

Hello artists,

This week’s inspiration was brought to you by the fact that I just really friggin' like birds. Some ideas:

• Illustrate a bird.
• Add a bird into a piece you’re already working on.
• Put an image of a bird, faux bird, or real bird on something and share a photograph of it.
• In college, I did a self-portrait of myself flipping the bird.

For anyone unfamiliar with the prompt, it's from Portlandia.

For the love of all that is good, someone please give me a damn bird.

Go forth and create.

Sorry it’s a bit late, but I wanted to share. I enjoyed making this and will continue learning!

Acryllic on paper. Started with a layer of unbleached titanium, then played around with textures in white.

Hello artists,

This week we are exploring white as a color and/or concept. Some ideas:

You can make an abstract white painting ala Robert Ryman.

Or use color to paint white objects.

Or use dark pencil tones to create light the perspective of light.

Go forth and create.