This mindful invisible drawing exercise is perfect for letting go of perfectionism.
Let’s draw something you can’t see. You have to let go because you can’t control what you can’t see, right?
This exercise is mindful and relaxing because it removes the pressure of creating a masterpiece and instead focuses on the process of creating itself.
Normally you probably already have an idea in your head about how your drawing or artwork has to look. Usually, people set really high standards for themselves. Because of these high standards, you can only fail. This can hold you back from even starting.
That would be a shame because creating can bring so much joy and can serve as a way to relieve stress. It helps if you can stop focusing on the outcome and just enjoy the process.
In this exercise, the outcome is mostly out of your control and you just have to let it happen and have fun. Hopefully, this exercise can help you let go of your perfectionism and start creating.
Have fun with this mindful invisible drawing exercise! Please let me know if you’ve tried this one, I would love to see it.
You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown
Supplies used:
Watercolor paper 300gr (Winsor & Newton), watercolor (Kuretake Gansai Tambi), paintbrush no. 16 (CreArt), drawing gum pen (Pebeo), washi tape, jar, paper towel.
Alternative supply suggestions:
You can use your kids’ watercolor paints. They may not have as much pigment as the ones in the art stores, but it’s definitely something you can start with at the beginning.
If you only have regular paper, please be aware that your paper cannot hold that much water and will probably warp. Try taping it down to prevent it from warping too much.
If you don’t have masking fluid, you can use a white wax crayon or rubber cement as well.
Instructions:
Step 1
Before you start, breathe slowly in and out a few times to clear your head. Grab your masking fluid and slowly start making flowy lines on your paper. It’s important that you don’t move too fast and continuously move your hand in another direction. Try not to guide your hand, but let your hand guide you and see where it ends up. Continue until your page is filled with lines. Don’t overthink and just relax and focus on drawing your lines.
Step 2
Wait until your masking fluid is dry. Now it’s time to see what you’ve created in step 1. Grab your watercolor and start painting over your drawing. You can use one or more colors. It’s up to you. Slowly your drawing will be revealed. Take your time and continue until your whole page is covered in watercolor and your complete drawing is visible.
Step 3
Let the paint dry. Let’s remove your masking fluid. The easiest way to remove it is by slowly rubbing it off with your finger. Take your time and make sure there is no masking fluid left. (After a week, it’s much harder to remove). Remove all the masking fluid crumbs from your paper and table.
Step 4
If you’ve used washi tape to tape down your page, you can remove it now. Go slow and keep the tape parallel to the page to prevent tearing.
Now you’re done with this mindful invisible drawing exercise. Well done!
Were you able to let go of your perfectionism for this exercise? Did you have fun?
If you liked this exercise, you might like my mindful neurographic drawing exercise as well.