Okokimup

Hello artists,

Visual art inspired by music has been around for a long time.

Modern artists have found inspiration there as well.

Is there a song that creates vivid images for you? You could try to recreate that. Or you could create fan art of a favorite musician.

Chris Loud Art has a short tutorial on using music to inspire abstract painting.

You could listen to a playlist that’s made to inspire creativity. I know Spotify has some available.

Do you usually listen to music while you create? Please drop your favorite songs/soundtracks in the comments.

Go forth and create.

Colored pencil on paper.

Wasn't able to paint this week, and brain fog resulted in the bottom fish right-side up, when I'd intended upside-down

Hello artists,

This is a great article on seven types of symmetry in art:

1. Reflectional Symmetry
2. Radial Symmetry
3. Translational Symmetry
4. Inverted Symmetry
5. Biaxial Symmetry
6. Near Symmetry
7. Asymmetry

Note that Asymmetry will be its own prompt in July. If you want to learn more about these and see some examples, check out the article.

Mandalas are almost always symmetrical and can be fun and relaxing to draw/color.

Also check out master of symmetry M.C. Escher’s work.

Go forth and create.

Gouache on paper.

My street is always covered in trash. People can't be bothered to throw their bags in the bin, or even bag their trash at all, so it blows everywhere. I was walking out one night and saw the moon, looking like it was cradled in the branches of this tree. The juxtaposition of the dumpster stuck with me.

Acryllic paint and netting on canvas.

I save my acryllic skins (the dried paint on your palette or paint bottles) and mod podged them onto this. Didn't quite come out the way I hoped.

Hello artists,

I can think of several interpretations for this prompt.

• Seeing the beauty in something ugly. Like this video where Albert finds beauty in rotting wood, moldy bricks, and the mud on his trash can.
• Something beautiful depicted in an ugly way, like this way of making portraits
• Using something ugly to create something beautiful, like these works made from trash.
• Something that depicts an ugly concept, like this anti-war painting.
• Something that is just straight up ugly. Art can be used to make us sit with discomfort and examine our own biases. This is one of my favorites.

Go forth and create.

Hello artists,

Texture can be created in a myriad of ways.

Traditionally, artists have created thick textured paintings with the impasto technique.

You can make a collage in the style of Alberto Burri.

You can add paint to a surface by using something other than a paintbrush, like a sponge, plastic wrap, or bubble wrap.

You can try drawing to create the illusion of texture.

This could also be a cool week to take up sculpture.

Go forth and create.

Acryllic and ink on paper.

I suck at lettering.

Hello artists,

This week we’re playing with scale. You can illustrate/make something that is:

• really tiny

• tiny irl, like a microchip, an insect, or a single-celled organism

• tiny in comparison to something else, like a kitten next to a mastiff.

Go forth and create.

Acryllic paint on black canvas.

My first time doing a squeegee painting. If you haven't tried it, I recommend it. Fun and satisfying.