I can't believe we are already on week 5--it goes by so quickly! Our final prompt was inspired by a few things: Color Field Painting which is part of our February art movement, Abstract Expressionism, and my own relationship and journey with color.

Here's what SABRINA created for Mythical & Color: “I wanted to do something colorful because I can't wait for spring to be here. Tried to make the wings 3D with stickers and foam. Just fairies, dusting the young flowers with magic dust to make spring come sooner.” 

 

“Oh to be a golden cat taking a nap on a rainbow. I've been meaning to work more with colored pencils and this topic seemed the perfect way to try. Color is such a broad topic, I can think on a million things, colorful bouquets, sunsets, meadows, crystals, energy, the universe and life....and a cat napping on a rainbow." 

This is what KAREN made for Mystic: "So many things came to mind for me in this but tried something more abstract using plastic wrap and coloring in the dried spaces with shimmers. Not thrilled where I landed as it looks like two ideas that didn’t merge and not loving color scheme but hey, this is my 4th painting, lol no need to beat myself up. My real goal here with the #creativesparknl is to identify my preferred style. I figure that will take awhile. Hoping to finish a second try at ‘mystic’ today.

 

My second attempt at Mystic. My thought was to create a misty, mysterious forest with a big bright moon. I’m apparently more comfortable with landscapes than abstract, lol. At least for now. Can’t wait to start my next painting."

"Watercolor and acrylic. I had trouble with this one. I had several ideas that appealed to me, as myths, legends, and symbols have long appealed to me. (My middle name is a Greek goddess.) But, I lack the skill to execute the ideas I had in my head. So I moved away from those and decided I just needed to finish and move on.

I started with watercolors and a crescent moon. Then added some acrylic paint to make the color more saturated. It was at this point that I pivoted and reverted back to this widowpane technique I've used before. The doodles mostly relate to the prompt. When I removed the tape, the paper ripped in several places. I added more paint in an effort to repair the torn areas, but sort of like the damaged look in the end.”. - MITZI

“Mythical” was actually inspired by the Year of the Dragon so it seemed appropriate for me to make one :) I happened to see @lilybubbletea’s amazing dragon she made out of fruit and it inspired me to make one out of paper!

The collages I’ve made in the past have all been more abstract so this was new for me and I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would end up resembling some type of dragon! Here's a short process video.

I used the colored paper I had on hand and started cutting and arranging. I decided not to use templates or draw the shapes first—even though it’s not perfectly symmetrical, I like the hand made quality of it. My favorite are the two tiny blue pieces I added to the eyes—they are so small but I felt like it made a big impact! It was really fun putting it all together! Happy Year of the Dragon! 

"This week’s prompt is color..which you’ll notice is lacking in these small paintings.

I’m not afraid of color, it’s my comfort to mix and layer colors..a lot.

But the lack of color is where I have to lean into discomfort.

The things that came to mind as I was creating these..

I don’t quite know how to express without color. Like the colors I use signify something from my soul.

And I really don’t know how to express without layers, which you can’t really layer too much using only one color. I need the depth and the layers of expression. I need to let my subconscious work around to the point, to get there in it’s own time. With a single color, you’ve got to get to the point quick..you need to know what you’re going to say.

And if I’m being honest, I don’t think I have the technical skills for black and white. It’s hard for me to work in detail, to get the right amount of paint on the brush, to know which brush to use. Not knocking myself, but just something I sometimes think I’d like to learn more about while keeping my loose style.

So here are my very sloppy colorless paintings 🖤" - MELISSA

And that's a wrap for the Creative Kickstart Series! We made it through 5 weeks of prompts which is a lot! If you are still working on them (I'm still working on color) it's OK, keep at it!

 

We'll have a short break before we start our March prompts so that there's some time to rest, catch up, or keep on creating. Here's what the next 2 months will look like (the grey boxes indicate break days):

If you'd like to continue creating during this time, here are a few ideas:

Please continue to share your work (whether it's a prompt or one of the ideas above) and I'll add it to the next check-in. I say this all the time but I love seeing all the different ways a single word can be interpreted! It always amazes me and it's so fun and inspiring to see all the different ways these blank sketchbook pages are being transformed!

 

Have a great few weeks ahead, take time to do what's best for you, and I will talk to you soon!