Creative explorations Vol #11: Pop
A sketchbook/art journal prompt to support your art and creative practice.
Creative Explorations are themed around a prompt that you can explore in your own art/creative practice over the coming weeks. Prompts will be sent out on the first Friday of every month. I hope this month’s prompt sparks your creativity!
When I sat down to put together this month’s sketchbook prompt, I had a completely different idea in mind. Before I could start fleshing it out, though, I heard the most beautiful birdsong. Mesmerized by its lilting beauty, I stepped out onto the balcony to see if I could identify the bird, which turned out to be a rather futile attempt, because while I did spot it, I didn’t recognize it.
This month’s prompt is a homage to that gorgeous little bird, my way of thanking her {him?} for filling my afternoon with its beautiful song. The only reason I could spot it between the dark green leaves was because of its pop of white breast feathers. So this month, let’s explore POP in our sketchbooks!
Resources + ideas
Color pop collage: Gather up all your neutral papers {think brown paper, book paper, black and white collage paper}; choose a color that you’d like to use as your pop element, and create a color pop collage! You can also create a large sheet of black and white collage paper and cut that down to make your collage. In the video below, I demonstrate how to make a black and white collage with a pop of color. I originally filmed this last year for an e-course, but the project hit a roadblock and I scrapped the course. I’m happy to share this video with you, though! I hope it inspires your own sketchbook explorations!
Pop of color: Consider different ways of adding a pop of color to your sketchbook pages; or put another way, making your colors pop off the page. You could try using a largely neutral color palette, or use a monochromatic or analogous color scheme with a pop of contrasting color.
Start with black: Another way to really make your colors pop is to start with a black background. Just make sure that the colors you use over it are opaque, otherwise they simply won’t stand out. You can also use a white pen on black paper to doodle or make a zentangle; a great way to combine last month’s prompt with this one!
Grid journal: Grid journaling is another fun way to create a real sense of pop in your journal. Seeing all of those tiny thumbnail pieces surrounded by white space can make almost anything pop!
Use masking tape to divide your page up into grids. Paint, make marks, doodle, draw, write. You can work across all the grids as though it was a single painting and see what you get once you take the tape off. Or you can treat each little grid like a mini canvas and paint a grid a day — perfect for the days when you don’t have much time to devote to your art!
Pop art: Try your hand at some pop art inspired by Andy Warhol, or try mixing some pop art elements with your own art journaling style and see what you come up with!
Pop-ups: Another fun way to interpret this month’s prompt is by making pop-ups! Who doesn’t love interactive elements in their journals, and pop-ups bring a smile to everyone’s face, regardless of age! There are plenty of ways to make pop-ups — take a look at this antiquarian fold-out and this pop-up planner bunny.
More inspiration: Speaking of planners, these simple techniques to make your journal pages pop are perfect for both written and junk journals; this is a quick and easy way to add a pop of color to your art journal pages; and this abstract pop art using acrylics and masking tape could be a fun technique to try!
I look forward to seeing your take on this prompt! You can email your finished pieces to me on shinjinim@substack.com or share them on Notes if you use the Substack app. If you share on Instagram, tag me @moderngypsy.in
Like this prompt? Share it with your friends and invite them into our virtual studio. If you’re on the Substack app, you can tap on the like button or restack to Notes to let me know you enjoyed this post.