For any demanding process, be it sports, piano, or programming, warming up is necessary! It transitions our brain from the tasks of daily life to something more focused. It conditions the muscles we want to use so we don’t cramp up. Art is no different. Warm up your hands, and warm up your brain, by giving these exercises a try!
"Quarter Doodles" -Fill it in, in 30 seconds!
"Artist Copy" -When you don't know what to draw!
"Handwriting" -Pick a font, any font! Words are pictures, too!
"Handwriting" -Pick a font, any font! Words are pictures, too!
 "Continuous Contour" -Don't pick up your pen! "Blind Contour" -No peeking at the paper! |  "Still Life with Wrong Hand" -Feel like a 4 yr-old again! "Your Name in Tree Rings" -The old-school stand by! |
"The Squiggle Game" -Your friend makes a squiggle, and you turn it into something!
"Gestures" -Draw something moving!
"Gestures" -Draw something moving!
This last one is my favorite--the squiggle game. It was our favorite way to entertain each other in the car, on long road trips (this was before you could turn on a movie, after all). My sister and I would get specific in our categories sometimes: draw only mammals, sea creatures, pokemon, etc. Good times.
There is another benefit to a quick 2 minute warm-up: It gets you going! Let me explain...sometimes, you know you should do something creative or at least constructive, instead of scouring Facebook or Pinterest. This is only my own problem, I'm sure. ;-) The thought of getting set up to do art for an hour or so is enough to keep me lazy. But the thought of a 2 minute sketch? Sure, I can do that! I tell myself that's all I have to do. After that, I can go back to pinning to my dream home board! But you know what? Once I make the decision and begin to draw, I'm out of the lazy zone and feel better about working on my current project. So remember, the real commitment is the warm-up. Make it a ritual. Any work that gets done after that is just a plus!
If you have any other exercises that you enjoy, comment and share what works best for you.
There is another benefit to a quick 2 minute warm-up: It gets you going! Let me explain...sometimes, you know you should do something creative or at least constructive, instead of scouring Facebook or Pinterest. This is only my own problem, I'm sure. ;-) The thought of getting set up to do art for an hour or so is enough to keep me lazy. But the thought of a 2 minute sketch? Sure, I can do that! I tell myself that's all I have to do. After that, I can go back to pinning to my dream home board! But you know what? Once I make the decision and begin to draw, I'm out of the lazy zone and feel better about working on my current project. So remember, the real commitment is the warm-up. Make it a ritual. Any work that gets done after that is just a plus!
If you have any other exercises that you enjoy, comment and share what works best for you.
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