Mindful neurographic drawing exercise

This neurographic drawing exercise is the perfect way to start this new year creatively. Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to be more creative this year or have more me-time? Then I have the perfect exercise for you.

No creative experience or special skills are necessary. You’re good to go as long as you can hold a pen.

Neurographic art, developed by Russian psychologist and creative entrepreneur Pavel Piskarev, can turn your stress and worries into something more calm and peaceful.

You can find out more info about Neurographica on their website.

There is a whole theory behind it, but I find drawing these freeform lines and adding colors enough to make me relax and be mindful.

As always, do what feels good; pick colors that speak to you or have a calming effect. Let your hand guide you, and try not to think ahead.

Just enjoy the process and try to focus on what you’re doing. Allow yourself a moment just for yourself.

Please let me know if this neurographic drawing exercise helped you relax, I’d love to know. 

You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown

Supplies used:

Bristol paper (Hahnemüle), alcohol markers (Winsor & Newton), fineliner no. 0.3, 0.5 (Winsor & Newton)

Alternative supply suggestions:

You can draw the lines for this exercise with a regular pen or pencil. If you want to add color, use whatever you have, such as crayons, markers, and watercolor. Even if you have a pencil, just try it. You can simulate different colors by using different shades of grey.

Instructions

1. Before you start, slowly breathe in and out a few times to get more relaxed. Then grab your pen and begin to draw freeform lines across the page. Let your hand guide you, and try not to think ahead. Just see what comes out. 

2. Now, we will make the drawing a bit softer by “hiding” all the sharp corners. This is usually where your lines cross. Just round off the corners and fill them in with your pen.

3. The next step is adding color to all your sections. Use colors that speak to you or have a calming effect. How you do it is up to you. Do you want to give every section a different color, do you want to use different colors within one section, or have multiple sections with the same color? Do what feels good; let that guide you. I used different shades of the same color to fill my sections. 

4. As far as I know, this last step is optional and not an official step in neurographic art. But I love patterns and just had to add them. Pattern drawing is a mindful experience, and combining these two in this exercise worked for me. You can add other things as well if you like. It’s your drawing; you’re the boss.

Now you have finished the mindful neurographic drawing exercise. Well done!

If you liked this exercise, you might like the perfect exercise to let go of perfectionism as well.