Mindful pattern with depth exercise

In this mindful pattern with depth exercise, I’ll show you how you can transform a really simple pattern by adding depth.

I actually got the idea for this exercise, when I was in Copenhagen. In our hotel bathroom, they had tiles with curvy waves. Because of the light and shadows it created, this simple pattern looked extra special. I wanted to replicate this in an exercise.

A while ago, I bought a tortillon (tool to blend pencil lines) but I’d never used it. So this was the perfect excuse to try it out. And it was a lot of fun.

This exercise is a combination of focus and fun. You need focus and concentration when you draw your pencil lines directly below your wavy lines and then you have some fun smoothing out those pencil lines.

It’s also a simple exercise that you can do when you don’t have much time, but want to relax and recharge. You’ll be distracted from all the things that are stressing you out for a moment and can enjoy some creative me-time. Even if it’s only 10 minutes.

Please let me know if this mindful pattern with depth 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 marker (Winsor & Newton), pencil 4B (Bruynzeel), white acrylic marker (ohuhu), tortillon.

Alternative supply suggestions:

You can use a regular pen or a pencil to draw the lines for this exercise. If you want to add color, use whatever you have, such as crayons, markers, watercolor. 

If you don’t have a tortillon, you can also use a cotton swab to blend your pencil marks.

Instructions

1. Before you start, slowly breathe in and out a few times to get more relaxed. Pick a color that you like or fits your mood. Draw a square or rectangle on your page and fill it with your chosen color. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as you got a space to draw your pattern in.

2. Grab a pen or an acrylic marker and add wavy lines to your shape. Keep them playful.

3. Grab the softest pencil you can find (at least an HB). I used a 4B. Add a pencil line directly under your wavy lines from step 2. Make sure they follow the curves of your white line.

4. Now it’s time to smooth out the line you drew in step 3. Grab a tortillon or a cotton swab and slowly start blending your pencil lines by moving your blending tool over your lines in a downward motion. This will create a shadow effect and gives your pattern more depth.

5. If there are places you would like to add even more shadow, just grab your pencil and blending tool and do another round of pencil marks and blending.

Now you have finished the mindful pattern with depth exercise. Well done!

If you liked this exercise, you might like my Mindful circle lineart exercise as well.