When creating intuitive, abstract art from scratch, it can be hard to know where to start. If you’re not going to create a representation of an actual, real life *thing*, then what are you painting exactly? This is why abstract art can be so hard, because sometimes you have to look beyond the more obvious, surface level of an object or a concept and get down to a more personal level which can sometimes feel uncomfortable.
When it comes to finding a starting point for intuitive/abstract art, I find that there are two main types of inspiration.
Visual
You can be inspired by something like a shape, a texture, color, pattern, image, or even an established art form like fluid art or thick oil painting. It’s something you can look at, it makes your brain come alive with ideas. You think how you might interpret that visual idea, and you’re itching to just start experimenting with it.
Intuitive
The other source of inspiration is more “touchy/feely” – it’s a thought, a memory, a person, an event, or anything that invokes a feeling in you. It can be a negative or positive feeling, or maybe it’s not entirely bad or good but it’s complex. It’s something inspires an emotional response from you, and I call that intuitive inspiration.
Both of these types of inspiration – visual and intuitive – can bring out different things in each person. Your magic is what YOU see or feel, in that inspiration, not what you think you are supposed to. This is how you will discover your own style and your own artistic voice.
Create with Intuition Series
I’d like to introduce you to my new series of intuitive art prompts. From October 2022, each month I will provide –
- An intuitive art prompt in the form of a word or concept.
- A visual cue as a framework to interpret that prompt.
- A photo collection that corresponds with the visual cue, for inspiration.
- 1-2 videos walking you through my own interpretations of those prompts, to help inspire you.
So how will this help you create abstract art?
The idea is to explore your emotional response to the intuitive prompt, using the questions I will provide, and then to use the visual cue as a framework to turn those emotions into your artwork.
The two different prompts are not necessarily related, and you don’t have to use both. If you only feel inspired by one or the other – explore that! There are no designated tools or specific outcome required – it doesn’t have to be “pretty.” The point is to flex the intuitive muscle so that we can learn to express and explore feelings through art.
Digital vs Analogue
I should also mention that I am primarily a digital artist using the Procreate iPad app, and while this series of prompts can be relevant for intuitive artists using any medium whether analogue or digital, my own videos and most of the artwork from the community will likely be digital art. I want to make it clear that I believe digital art can be just as impactful and legitimate as traditional art, and if you have an intense dislike of digital art, this is probably not for you.
How do I get started?
- Sign up to my email newsletter, where I will be sending out these new art prompts every month, along with other video tutorials weekly.
- Check out the archives where you can view past month’s art prompts.
- You can also join my Free Resource Library, where you can access the prompts along with all the other free resources I provide for digital artists, in a course format so that you can mark each lesson complete when done.
- Join the free facebook group where you can join other artists in sharing your artwork.
- You can also share your artwork on social media using the #createwithintuition hashtag!
Thanks for watching, and I hope that you will join us!
