As the new school year settles in and everyone begins to adjust to their routines, it seems like a good time for a dose of creative stimulation. With the loss of summer’s freedom, it can be tough to find time for scribbling, but fear not! Your next scribblin’spiration is here and this time it is… autumn leaves!

What better time to embrace the change in seasons and use them for our artistic gain? The beautiful changing foliage is all around you, providing inspiration each day. You might take this inspiration literally and focus on drawing trees and leaves. Go to a local park or look in your backyard for a great landscape sketch. Collect leaves to study, press, or trace. Or use them as a starting point to create something different, abstract, or even unrelated.

photo by Pantone, via Plenty of Colour

The beauty of inspiration is that it can take you anywhere—different qualities of the leaves can stimulate your mind, perhaps even an image or association you have with them may arise.

There are so many elements within changing foliage to find inspiration; one of the most noticeable is certainly color. The rich greens, golds, reds, and oranges create a glowingly warm palette for the season. Try using these hues as a jumping off point for your project or picture.

photo by Corbis, via The Guardian

Another interesting quality of leaves is their shape—each type of tree’s leaves boasts a different figure and you can find all shapes and sizes on the ground. Experiment with the scale and design of leaves to inspire your creation. Also consider large-scale shapes, such as whole trees or forests. How are trees’ shapes affected as the leaves begin to fall?

photo via Fermilab Today

Finally, don’t overlook texture. The green leaves emerge from summer smooth and supple. As autumn advances, those leaves become dry, brittle, and crunchy. Play with surface and touch in your work to explore this element.

What images or ideas to changing leaves bring for you? See how they influence your art all season long. All you have to do is peek outside your window for a dose of inspiration!

Time for a new dose of inspiration to get your hands scribbling!

Do you have a sweet tooth? What are your favorite sweets and candies to splurge on? We all have our usual preferences, but did you ever stop and think how wildly diverse candy is? Chocolates, gummies, sour candies, bubblegum, licorice, taffy, lollipops… the list goes on and on!

Image: Wallpy

Image: Dylan’s Candy Bar

That makes it the perfect inspiration for some scribble action. Grab your pencils, crayons, markers, or paints and get ready to explore the sweet world of candy.

The fun thing about sweets is that they’re just as yummy to look at as they are to eat. With bright colors, nifty patterns, and differing shapes and sizes, this sugary snack group is a feast for the eyes as well as the tongue. So it’s no surprise that artists like Wayne Thiebaud and Margaret Morrison find it such a fascinating subject. They focus on extreme detail and texture when creating their incredible still life works.

You can follow these painters’ leads and try your hand at still life sketches of sweet treats or take the inspiration a bit more conceptually.

Three Machines (1963) by Wayne Thiebaud, Image: Wikipedia

Gummi Bears (2008) by Margaret Morrison, Image: Art Fumes

Let the rainbow of vivid colors, bevy of interesting textures, and myriad of shapes and sizes inspire and inform your scribbling! Pay attention to the labels and packaging… or just focus on what’s inside the wrappers. Perhaps you’ll want to try an extreme close-up of a sour gummy worm’s texture, or a collage of your favorite treats, or even something totally abstract yet inspired by the elements of candy. Draw what you think a certain candy tastes like. Or use the color scheme of certain brand or flavor to create a picture.

Image: Sparknotes

 Enjoy your extra-sweet scribbling treat! What’s your favorite kind of candy?

Yesterday, I went to the movies and saw To The Wonder, directed by Terrence Malick (Tree of Life, Days of Heaven). Malick is probably best known for his gorgeous cinematic poetry. He uses beautiful camerawork to showcase the natural beauty of our world (and sometimes our destruction of it). One element of nature that he seemed to really focus on in this movie was water. Oceans, puddles, rivers, indoor pools—this film was swimming in shots of water, each more beautiful than the last.

To the Wonder (2012) – photo still

As I watched this visual theme develop, I started thinking about taking it beyond the theater with me, which makes it our new Scribblin’spiration! Water can take on so many forms and appearances. Sometimes it looks blue or green or gray… other times it’s clear. From far away, it seems opaque, while up close it’s transparent and can distort whatever you’re seeing through it. It can be in a natural body, like an ocean or river, or it can be in a pool. It could be running from a faucet or waterfall, or just sitting in a glass. Sometimes it’s still and tranquil while other times it’s rough and choppy. And that’s just in its liquid state! Don’t forget ice, steam, and fog! But for now, let’s focus on liquid. While seeing water is a pretty common occurrence, it still makes a fascinating subject for art.

Now it’s your turn. Try out your own artistic interpretations of water by observing a couple different examples. Go out to nearby river or pond. Take along a sketchbook on a trip to the beach. Check out some puddles after a rainstorm or just fill up a glass of water. Try working with pencil, pastels, paint, and watercolors. See how each medium changes the way the water looks and the mood of your picture.

Here are some artists’ own interpretations to give you an idea of how different water can look from one painting to the next. Have fun experimenting and don’t forget to share a link to your work with us!

Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888), Vincent Van Gogh

Portrait of Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1971), David Hockney

Lemon Water (2010), Debbie Becks Cooper

Who’s ready for another dose of Scribblinspiration (get it?)?! Last time, we looked at some jellyfish to get the creativity flowing. Now for a change of pace, let’s try something a little more open-ended to prove inspiration can truly come from anything! Even something as simple as a pattern or type of fabric. Try brocade for example.

Brocade is a kind of fabric that dates back as far as the Early Middle Ages. It’s woven on a shuttle and is generally made with silk and gold or silver thread (it doesn’t technically have to have gold or silver, but it often does). What’s fun about brocade is it doesn’t always look the same as it’s managed to make its way around the world.  You can trace it all the way back to Byzantium and it was originally worn only by nobility, but many parts of the world put their spin on it, from China and Japan to Greece, France, and Italy.

Today, brocade is used for upholstery and drapes, formal clothing and costumes. Let your imagination run and see what this pattern inspires for you. Maybe the gorgeous flourishes take you somewhere abstract. Perhaps it brings to mind royalty from another time or a lavish ball with everyone dressed in their finest. Maybe all the silver and gold or rich jewel tones get you going—remember, even just the color scheme can serve as inspiration. I see flowers in many of the designs and that makes me thing of a fabulous garden. Since it’s a fabric, maybe it makes you want design your own costumes or modern outfits or even rooms inspired by brocade. For those of you crafty sewers out there, feel free to take the inspiration literally and try using brocade or something similar like damask or brocatelle to actually create something.

See? There really are a lot of possibilities, even with something as simple as fabric. Give your imagination the royal treatment and see what happens!

Scribblin’ Inspiration

Inspiration is a funny thing– it can really come from anywhere. And while inspiration is all around us, sometimes it feels like there’s just a big roadblock between your head and your hands.

Creative prompts can be a great way to get the imagination rolling (see here, here, and here), but maybe they’re too specific for the mood you’re in. There are times when you could use a jumpstart, but want something broad that you can take and run with in your own way. Well, we’ve got you covered here, too!

Every so often, we’ll throw out an image or idea to get the ball rolling. Any part of it can pique your interest– texture, color, topic, associations, whatever! Let the idea take you wherever you want.

Now without further ado, I give you today’s inspiration. (Drumroll please)

Photo via The Jellyfish Lovers Blog

The jellyfish is a most elusive creature. Feared for its sting, it can easily ruin a day at the beach, yet it is so beautiful and elegant in its movement. Its transparency and long flowing tentacles give it an unlikely grace. Shape-wise, though, it reminds me of a mushroom. Its variations in color and its ghost-like quality make it a great subject for such mediums as watercolors, colored pencils, and tissue paper. But feel free to try anything! Again, these are just some thoughts and images to get you started.

Photo via Fine Art America                                                   Photo via Jellyfish!

Where did the jellyfish take your imagination? We’d love to see what you came up with! Share a link in our comments or post a picture to our !

Happy New Years everybody! Did you make any resolutions for 2013? I’m not one to make a ton of resolutions, but I do think the beginning of a new year is a great built-in checkpoint in life—a time to ask, “Am I happy?” “Am I living the life I want?” “What can I do to make it better?” For me, I’m usually looking for more ways I can incorporate creativity into my everyday schedule. Below are some ideas to lead a more creative and artistic life this year. They don’t have to be concrete resolutions, but rather some fun goals or guidelines to give a try!

1. Scribble something every day… a doodle, a whole picture, a silly note… anything! This ensures time for a little creativity in your daily routine.

2. Keep an art journal. This could take the place of your daily scribble session.

3. Try a new medium you’ve never worked in before. Always wanted to try pastels or watercolors? Now’s the time!

4. Organize your arts and crafts area. Clear out any dried up or empty markers and containers, separate your supplies into categories… perhaps put them in bins or baskets. This helps keep your space clean and makes it easier to find things.

5. Try to use what you already have. Instead of accumulating tons of half-empty containers of glitter or glue and just buying new ones, see if you can find a way or create a project to use up any leftover craft supplies.

6. Try creating something out of only recycled materials—newspapers, cardboard, cans, bottles, etc.

7. Sign up for an art class in something you’ve wanted to try. Perhaps pottery, oil painting, sewing, or figure drawing. It’s always a good time to learn something new!

8. Instead of buying something for your room or house… see if you can DIY it first! Is your dresser looking shabby or you want a different color? Repaint it!

9. Once a week, take a little time to learn about a new artist. It can even be just a few minutes. Go on the internet or grab a book and learn a bit about the work of someone who interests you. It’ll really add up!

10. See more art! Every so often, go to a museum, local gallery, or crafts fair. It’s great for inspiration.

Are you going to try any of these this year? Do you have your own fun goals for a more creative 2013? Please share them here!

And from the whole Scribble team, we wish you a happy, healthy, and creative new year!

I really like a cartoon called Adventure Time so I draw a lot of that.

Adventure Time drawing by Chase, 12 years old

This is one of my recent realistic ones.

Realistic Drawing from Life by Chase, 12 years old

My realistic drawings usually take awhile. This one maybe took thirty minutes. I really like drawing little cute colorful drawings because that’s really what my personality is.

I’ll be drawing more realistic drawings soon and I’ll be sure to send some pictures to Scribble Town, so maybe you’ll see them here.

A few of my drawings are on the page.  You can share your drawings there too!

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There are days when I get an overwhelming urge to draw. I feel that distant tingling sensation in my fingertips longing to grasp a pencil or marker. But as soon as I get my sketchbook out, my mind goes blank. Suddenly the white page is my Everest! Pencil in hand, I freeze up. Does that mean I shouldn’t draw then? Of course not! Any good Scribbler knows to push through the creative block and see what your brain and hand come up with. Sometimes a great way to kick start the imagination is to try out a creative prompt. If you’re feeling stuck staring at a blank page… or just want to try something different… give these fun prompts a whirl!

If Autumn was a person, what would he/she look like?

Splatter some paint or ink on the page. Now create a picture from it.

What would your dream home be? A cottage? A castle? A yert? Draw it!

Create a new animal species. Don’t forget to name it and show its habitat!

Use the whole page to design a billboard advertisement against your least favorite food.

Design a new cover for your favorite book.

Draw the most beautiful bouquet you can imagine. Is it in a vase? Wrapped in paper? Still in the garden?

What will people dress like 100 years from now?

Look out the window. Draw what you see without lifting your pencil from the page.

Create your own superhero. What are his/her special powers?

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How’d it go? Do you have any favorite prompts of your own or surefire ways to beat a bad case of the blank page blues? Leave a comment and let us know!

So while I was surfing though the internet today, I came across one the CUTEST things I’ve seen in a long time. Now, what could be so cute you ask? How about a crafted treat that someone put a lot of thought and effort into to present breakfast to their loved one?

Check out this adorable Rice Teddy Bear wrapped in an egg blanket.

Isn’t that adorable?!

I found this on Light Flows In, who reblogged it from youpouch.com

I’m not sure what this will inspire me to create yet, but it definitely inspired the urge to get creative with my food!

What kinds of creative things do you make with your food?

Hi Scribblers,

It’s another rainy day in Scribble Town!

How is the weather out by you? Rainy days are perfect for working on crafts for you or with the kids! I used to love coming home from school and sitting with Mom to work on little activities! We would color together, make friendship bracelets or sometimes made gifts for friends!

Not sure what to do with your kids? Check out the inspiration pages on Scribbleshop.com!