Drawing and Painting Ideas
Sometimes when you look at a blank page, your mind goes blank too. You want to draw or paint, but what? Here are six sources of inspiration to get you started drawing, painting, or even scrapbooking. Once you get started, you'll find that one idea leads to another. Try picking one theme to explore consistently over several days or even weeks, adding written notes about your thoughts and feelings to your sketchbook.
Everyday Objects
Some of the most beautiful works of art focus on the everyday. A simple mug, or a piece of fruit can be inspiration for a simple and beautiful drawing. You can concentrate on accurate shapes and values, or explore expressive line and atmospheric tone. Try drawing and painting one object in various ways and with different mediums. Do a scrapbook or sketchbook page with a sketch of your favorite mug on your kitchen table, a photo and a note about why you love it.
Yourself, Family and Friends
Forget trying to draw portraits from washed-out, glossy-magazine celebrity photos. Draw real people. People you care about. Self portraits guarantee you a willing model, and are a time-honored way for artists to express their deepest feelings. Friends and family can be sketched as they go about their day, or drawn in detail posing. These drawings can become treasured mementoes, even family heirlooms.
Inspiration from the Garden and Nature
Complex natural forms can offer pleasantly forgiving subjects for drawing and painting -nobody knows if its a wobbly line or the shape of the leaf. And they can also be challenging and complex. Its up to you. You can explore nature up close, drawing leaves and pinecones, or on a grand scale, sketching scenes.
