Journal Prompts 

art journal course

Every artist has come face to face with the terrifying blank page of a sketchbook. Procrastination, doubt, fear, worry whatever the emotion that is keeping us back from creating, the only solution is to jump right in!

I have found that when I take the pressure off creating a “great” artwork and just create for my sake, draw what makes me happy, or just see it as practice, it helps me get out of a rut. I may or may not like what I make. And it is important to not like everything you make! That is how we grow and start discovering our own style.

A good way to prevent the fear of a blank page is to have some prompts ready. Sometimes creating out of the blue or practicing for practice sake can be difficult. Having a list of fun prompts will take away the pressure of “what” to draw and focus more on the “how.” You choose if you want to limit your materials or challenge yourself to something new.

You can create your own or follow some artists that publish drawing challenges and make them your own. One of the most famous ones is Inktober. For the entire month of October artists and illustrators participate in a drawing challenge of creating a drawing a day.



 

Drawing prompts

A drawing prompt is a suggestion or a starting point for anybody that needs a little help or push to create a drawing. Sometimes it is great to have a list nearby because you may want to create in your journal but you may not have an idea ready. This makes it easier on you and makes it more likely that you will actually create rather than freeze and quit before starting.

I have made a checklist of my favorite 50+ prompts for you to have and use. Hopefully, these prompts can help you when you feel stuck or unsure. They are in no particular order, just choose the one you’d like to do that day and mark it off. To download click: Art Journal Prompts

You can also have more skill-building prompts like:

  • A monochromatic landscape

  • A hallway with a one-point perspective

  • Same object 10 different ways

  • 2 objects, flipping the size proportions

If you would like to start working on some skill-building prompts, then you want to learn and create with the Elements and Principles of Art in mind. You can click the image below to download them.