In this mindful waves and lines exercise, we’ll create a beautifully blended background and add a wavy pattern on top.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a planner. I love to plan things in advance and know precisely what will happen. Sudden changes are something I struggle with. Luckily, I’m learning more and more to let things flow and how to handle unpredictable things that come up.
This exercise was actually a moment where I let go. I had planned a completely different exercise, but during the creation process, I suddenly had a feeling that I needed to draw something else.
All the paint was already on my paper and I was waiting for it to dry when I got the urge to grab a sponge and dab my paint dry. There was a moment of hesitation and then I decided to just go with it.
I had no idea what I would end up with, but I trusted the process and let my feelings guide me. The outcome was not important to me, only what felt right at that moment. And it was so relaxing not to think ahead, but just create.
Suddenly, I had a colorful blended background and those colors inspired me to draw waves and lines, and I also had fun in the process.
If you are creating, for example, one of my exercises, and you’re suddenly inspired to do something completely different, go with it. My exercises are there to give you some direction and help you get to that place when you’re in a nice and relaxed flow. Following your own feelings in the process is part of that. Try to let go sometimes when you’re creating. It will help you relax and give you renewed energy at the same time.
Have fun with this mindful waves and lines 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 (Fabriano), watercolor (Kuretake Gansai Tambi), paintbrush (Prima Marketing), cheap makeup sponge (Max & More Cosmetics), fineliner 1.0 (Copic), Fineliner 0.05 (Winsor & Newton) palette, washi tape, and a paper towel.
Alternative supply suggestions:
Use whatever sponge you have or just use a paper towel to absorb the water.
It is also possible to use other kinds of paint, such as gouache or acrylic. Or just borrow some of your kids’ paints. You can even try to blend with crayons or colored pencils. Just experiment.
If you only have regular paper, try to tape it down. Regular paper can’t handle that much water and will warp. Taping it down will help a bit.
If you don’t have fineliners, use a pencil. You can use a blunt one for your thick lines and a sharp one for the thin ones.
Instructions:
Step 1
Before you start, slowly breathe in and out a few times to clear your head and get more relaxed. Put washi tape around the edges of your paper. This will create a nice border around your painting.
We’ll start by picking some colors. Choose ones you like or make you feel calm. Start with the first color and paint a freeform line on your page. Just let your brush flow and try not to think too much.
Step 2
Don’t wait for the first color to dry, but continue with your other colors immediately. Let them blend together.
Step 3
Now, we’ll grab a sponge or a paper towel and slowly dab this on our paint to absorb the water. Continue until all the water is gone and your paint is nearly dry.
Step 4
Grab a large-tipped fineliner or a blunt pencil and draw some sections on your page with wavy lines. Just let your hand flow.
Step 5
Lastly, we’ll add parallel lines to our different wavy sections. We’ll do this with a small-tipped fineliner or a sharp pencil. Follow the curves of your thick lines and continue until your entire section is filled. Do this for all your sections.
Slowly remove your washi tape when you’re done. Keep the tape parallel to your paper when you remove it, this will prevent your paper from tearing.
Now you’re done with this mindful waves and lines exercise! I hope you had fun.
If you liked this exercise, you might like my mindful blending patterns exercise as well.