August 9....Micro Art "I" Mini Challenge

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done.  Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.  While they are deciding, make even more art.” Andy Warhol 

Today's Project: "I"  Create your own icon

1. Design your own icon. Picture it as your business or calling card, using only an image. If you were to represent yourself as a picture of some kind, what would it be? Which of your unique qualities would be communicated to others in that image?
2. After selecting your image, sketch it onto your 3x3 card. 
3. Use your favorite materials to add color and details.

                                                         

Icon Mugshot

August 8.....Micro Art "H" Mini Challenge

                                                                  

All About the Heart

Every person is creative. Discovering that is the challenge 


“If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” Marc Chagall 

                                                                               

Today's Project: "H" Put Your Heart into It

1. Think of something you love...could be a food, a person, an animal, a place, an experience, music, etc. Really feel into what appeals most to you about that subject
2. Make an image of a heart on your 3x3 card using pens, pencils, paint or whatever else you have. I used oil pastels
3. Add details. Write down the name of what inspired you on the back of the card. 
4. Keep your eye out for any heart images that might show up for you today

Heart Mugshot

 

August 7...Micro Art "G" Mini Challenge

Grumpiness

The other day, I felt grumpy for some reason. I wasn't able to pinpoint the exact cause of it (very annoying at the time) but simply felt irritated at just about everything. I stewed in it for a while before I caught hold of my thoughts and chose to derail them. I figured out the high humidity was the reason I was walking around making snarky faces and wanting to snap at people. I wanted things to be other than they were.

Human, but not very helpful or useful.

I made a few scribbles and decided to go with the way things were, weather wise. The grumpiness melted away when I decided to put my focus elsewhere.

A few words from someone known to be grumpy and cantankerous at times:
                                                 

From Emily Temple's article in Flavorwire

Roth: There once was this photographer from New York. “Smile,” she always said. “Smile!” I couldn’t stand her or the whole phenomenon. Why smile into a camera? It makes no human sense. So I got rid of both her and the smile.

Martin Krasnik: Do you ever smile at all?

Roth: Yes, when I’m hiding in a corner and no one sees it.
— as related in the Guardian

Today's Project:  "G"  Grumpy Toon

1. Think, very briefly, of some situation where you felt a serious case of grumpiness headed your way. Sometimes it helps to visualize a person who "inspires" you to feel this emotion
2. Turn the grumpy feeling you felt into a pocket sized character. Give it a body, face and attitude. Picture it standing on a table near you, showing you how upset it is. It might even be on the verge of a tantrum.
3. Sketch this character on your 3x3 paper. Add details to express how it feels. Allow it to embody the feeling of Grumpiness.
4. Add color if you like
5. Write in the date and name. The next time you feel grumpy, see your little character looking at you, expressing itself. See if this doesn't lighten your mood.

                                                      

Grumpy Mugshot

August 6.....Micro Art "F" Mini Challenge

Fish

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

I've always liked watching fish. I remember seeing them in Chinese restaurants when my parents would take us out to eat. The fish kept my attention while my parents paid the bill.

I read somewhere that having water features in a business brings good fortune. Lately, I've seen more of them in banks and offices. While standing in line, it's easy to feel relaxed watching those fish swim around.

Today's Project:  "F"  Watercolor Fish

1. On your 3x3 paper, use watercolor to make simple fish shapes. Picture your paper as a miniature fish tank. Vary locations of fish, overlap and play with color.
2. Think of these as quick sketches, show movement in the fins and tails
3. When it's dry, add a few details with a pen 

                                                         

Fish Mugshot

 

August 5....Micro Art "E" Mini Challenge

                                                              

The Lucky Eleven

Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.

Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959)

Focusing on the letter E, the first thing that comes to my mind is the number 11. It's always been my lucky number. When I'm having a particularly good day, it shows up again and again; at the gas pump, the supermarket, when I look at the time. The more I notice it, the more it appears. It's almost like a game.

                                                        

My Lucky Eleven

Today's Project:  "E"   Eleven

1. On your 3x3 board or paper, draw or paint 11 tiny versions of something you like. Could be anything form geometric shapes to objects like flowers, food, or animals or something else.
2. Add as much detail as you can possibly squeeze in
3. Put on the date, name it and see if the number 11 shows up anywhere for you today.

                                                           

Mugshot

 

August 4...Micro Art "D"

                                                             

Divide and Doodle

Working as a sub this year, I've watched kids grind their way through enormous piles of schoolwork. Many at top speed so they could avoid having to take it with them as homework.

When there were a few minutes between scheduled activities, I encouraged them to draw. They knew exactly what they wanted to do and used everything from lined notebook paper to post-it notes. I saw amazing things, adventure stories, wild creatures, colorful designs.

I saw an article recently that said people listening to a talk actually retain more of what was said, if they doodled or sketched while listening. A designer friend told me he was reprimanded in a meeting for drawing. Seems the boss thought he wasn't paying attention. Drawing was the one thing that made those awful meetings more bearable. In fact, he began looking forward to more meetings because it meant more time drawing.

Today's Project:  "D"   Divide and Doodle

1. Drawing a line, dividing your 3 x 3 into 2 sections. Post-its work well for this 
2. Draw a design on one side. I used curved lines only to create patterns
3. Next, fill in the other half with designs using different kinds of marks. I did straight lines in this part. Keep it simple or go all out with intricate, elaborate patterns. Small scale zentangle?
4. Add little details until your page is filled. 

Sometimes when I need clarity, doing a few minutes of drawing releases the intense focus on the issue and reveals some new insight.  Enjoy playing with the designs and release yourself from thinking about anything else for a few minutes. 
                                                   

Micro Doodle Mugshot

August 3....Micro Art "C"

                                                                          

Mixed Media Micro Collage (3"x 3")

Sometimes I feel like I must have been a magpie in another life. I tend to save bits and pieces of things with unusual colors or textures I find appealing. People are used to my scrounging, I mean collecting, things they'd likely toss out. There are also lots of little things I've picked up on nature walks. All those little bits go into boxes for later use in some creative project. They come in handy when I assemble a collage or mixed media piece. It's like having a treasure chest full of goodies. Do you have a small assortment of special objects?

For a few minutes, be a short term magpie and gather up a few materials for today's project.

Today's project:   "C"  for cutting and collage

                                                  

Materials and tools for collage making

1. Gather an assortment of items that you might consider using for a micro collage. This could include things like various kinds of paper, foils, netting, pieces of metal, buttons, wire, fabric, etc. 
2. Assemble a pleasing arrangement on the little board. Keep moving the pieces around and rearrange as needed. Your picture might resemble something familiar or be more abstract in design. Look at it from different directions and tweak it until you are happy with the placement. Take only a few minutes to do this. Keep it light and fun
3. Glue all elements in place 
4. Add the date on the back and give it a name

                                                       

Set your finished collage aside and enjoy looking at it for a few minutes.
How many different kinds of things can you squeeze into your micro collage?