Creative Art Challenges for Inspiration

 With the Covid-19 pandemic that is happening worldwide, sometimes it is hard to get to the easel and start a painting. With social distancing in effect these days, we don't get to meet our artsy friends like before for inspiration . So I decided to put together some of my favorite online  artists resources offering art challenges which helps artists to stay inspired and get creating art during these difficult times. And the best part of all these challenges is that you can use what you have whether it is colored pencils, or  watercolors or markers or something as simple as a ballpoint pen to get you started. 

  Here are my top four  favorite artist  resources:  

1) Doodlewash-- https://doodlewash.com

 It is a watercolor painting & sketching social community for artists of all skill levels, with over 500 stories from featured artists all over the world! This art community was started by Charlie O’Shields from Kansas City in 2015. The Art Challenges in this group are fun to do and it is my most favorite part of this group.  I also  enjoy reading about the featured  guest artists and  the various blog posts in this art community. 

2) Inktober-- https://inktober.com

Inktober is a month long Art challenge where artists create an ink drawing each day during October; creating thirty-one drawings in thirty-one days. Jake Parker started the challenge back in 2009 as a way to improve his own inking skills. Since then the challenge has grown into a massive event with people participating all over the world. Starting this year  artists can also participate in their new art challenge  called "One Drawing A Week  All Year Long Art Challenge"( Inktober52). Back in 2015 I participated in their Inktober Classic Art Challenge  and back then I did not have ink art supplies. I used my colored pencils,  ballpoint pens and my moleskin journal for all of these challenges.   I had a blast of a time and totally enjoyed  working on these challenges  and the best part was we get to share it on Instagram  with other artists from all over the world!

3) They Draw and Cook-- https://www.theydrawandcook.com

They Draw & Cook (TDAC) was founded in 2010 and is the internet's largest collection of illustrated recipes created by artists from around the world.The founders of this site are Nate Padavick and Salli S. Swindell are a brother/sister design and illustration team known as Studio SSS. They have created hundreds of magazine and book illustrations, thousands of greeting card designs, and, of course, many super tasty illustrated recipes! They Draw & Cook (TDAC) is a big happy creative community  where creative people share their love of food and art through illustration. In order to participate in their Handpicked Design Challenges, artists need to sign up to their free and beautifully illustrated newsletter to get access to their Creative Art Prompts. I would love to participate in their future Design Art Challenges.

4) Doodle Addicts -- https://www.doodleaddicts.com

Doodle Addicts is an art community and platform dedicated to celebrating the incessant need to draw, sketch, and doodle with anything and everything we can get our hands on. Whether it be in a sketchbook, on a napkin, with your stylus and tablet, or on a giant wall, artists of all types are welcome here. It is their growing community for like-minded creatives to share and inspire one another through their portfolio of artwork, quirky drawing challenges and insightful interaction. This community offers tons of drawing challenges and art prompts  that is guaranteed to get out of your comfort zone while helping you sharpen your artistic skills. To get notified to their next drawing challenges all you need to do is sign up for free  with your name and email in the website's "Drawing Challenges " webpage. 

So here is my list of favorite artist resources to help you stay inspired. Do you have a favorite artist community that you would like to share? If yes,  I would love to hear from you which is your favorite artist community in the comments below.  

Thank you!

The Five Elements of Shading

To draw realistically, you must understand how lighting affects form. There are five elements of shading to achieve a realistic look to your object form. If any of these elements are missing your artwork will appear flat. But with correct placement of light and dark tones, you can draw just about anything.

But how can you tell how dark is dark and light is light? Using a simple five- box value scale can help you decide on depth of tone. Each tone on the scale represents one of the five elements of shading.

The Five Elements of Shading in a Sphere

Compare the Tones in the Value Scale to the Tones in the Sphere: Notice how the five elements of shading on the sphere correspond to the tones on the value scale. Look at the five elements of shading in everything you draw.

1) Cast Shadow: This is the darkest tone on your drawing. It is always opposite to the light source. In case of the sphere, it is underneath where the sphere meets the surface. This area has no light because, as the sphere protrudes, it blocks light and casts a shadow.

2) Shadow Edge: This dark gray  is not at the very edge of the object. It is opposite the light source where the sphere curves away from you.

3) Halftone: This is medium gray. It is the area of the sphere that is in neither direct light nor shadows.

4) Reflected Light: This is a light gray. Reflected light is always found along the edge of an object and separates the darkness of the shadow edge from the darkness of the cast shadow.

5) Full Light: This is the white area, where the light source is hitting the sphere at full strength.

I hope that you found  this article  useful. Please  let me know your thoughts on this topic in the comments below .  Thank you for reading.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -- Winston Churchill

Basics-- Composition

 Composition involves working with spatial concepts to create a pleasing layout. Some rules are classically simple. The first thing you need to decide is if you want to use a vertical (portrait) or a horizontal (landscape) format. Sometimes that decision can be simple but not always.  Consider the fact that horizontal compositions tend to be restful, and vertical compositions are more energizing. So if you are making a sketch of cattle lying in a field in a vertical format you might want to reconsider your decision. Also where you place your center of interest will determine its importance. Experiment with different arrangements and formats until you are pleased with the visual weight of your center of interest. 

CENTER OF INTEREST: The center of interest is the most important visual element of a picture. In most realistic works of art, the center of interest is the subject of the painting. 

Divide the Composition into Thirds

Divide your working area into thirds, top to bottom and from side to side as shown in the picture below. The center of interest will be most pleasing, in a traditional manner, if you place it at one of the intersections of those lines. This works well, whether you choose a horizontal or a vertical format. 

Infographic  below shows eye-tracking  studies  to show  where will the viewer look first  when looking at a picture/painting/photographs. This  will aid in designing your own compositions in the future. 

Off Balance

It is not always necessary or even desirable to stick with the classical mode of composition, of course. Explore an off-balance, unusual composition by placing your subject off to one side for a lively sense of motion--  like  the picture below.

 *** Quick Tip ***

USE VARIETY-- Don't make everything the same size or spaced the same distance apart in your composition. That can be boring and static. By using variety in sizes or spacing can add visual interest to the composition. 

 So, do you have a Composition tip or hack that you would like to share? Let me know in the comments below.