This project is inspired by American painter Morris Louis, whose works feature large expanses of dripped paint.
This binder clip project can be inspired by any of our collection works. Our example was inspired by Claes Oldeburg.
Repairs can be beautiful if you try this Japanese traditional craft.
Decorative arts, unlike sculptures, are meant to be useful and beautiful. These lantern projects are a perfect way to keep your creative output close by.
What do you need? Compile as many non-paintbrush tools as you can. Add paper, watercolors, and water. You can also compile as many non-paper surfaces to paint on. Add brushes, watercolors, and water. Try this? Painting without a brush can help you explore abstract painting. You can get a better feel for pattern and texture.
Challenge yourself to turn regular household materials into a sculpture. Make something you find beautiful. What do you need? Pick just one media, like a plastic folder. Try this? Use your imagination to manipulate it to create a 3-D form. Or, put together only two forms, like paper straws and pipe cleaners. As you work, think about how your sculpture looks from all angles. Pick up your sculpture so you look at the forms from a different angle.
Animals are a perennial source of inspiration. While drawing is one way to depict creatures, collage or sculpture can expand your creativity. What do you need? Scissors, glue, paper, and/or cardboard. Try this? Cut shapes from paper and/or cardboard. Challenge yourself to create an abstracted figure from these pieces. Glue your shapes onto a background. You can add a few details with a marker at the end.
Bookmaking can be easy. Handmade books are perfect for pocket sketchbooks. Try This? This book is one of the easiest books to make. You need paper, scissors, and yarn. You can use a ruler to make you work neat and even. As with most books, you trim the pages to size, prepare for binding, and then bind the pages together. You can add panache to your books by using interesting colors for the yarn binding, for the cover, and for the paper.