Drawing

People often get gray hair from the word drawing and they almost all say with an anxious look that they ‘cannot’. But drawing is not about beautiful drawing. Drawing is about lines, shapes and colors that reflect what you feel inside. So if you have to draw ‘something’, it is just drawing what you see in line, shape and color. It doesn’t matter whether it looks like it or not.

Drawing

1. Divide your magazine into 4 sections. A drawing will be placed in each box.
2. Draw something from your environment in the first box in drawing pencil. Does not matter what. Something on the table or a little further from where you sit. It’s not about beautiful drawing! It’s about the contours, shapes and some color.
3. Now draw the same drawing in the second box, but use a different medium, such as oilpastel. (And yes, you are not going to have the same nice result!)
4. Now do the same for the other two boxes. Always use a different medium: softpastel, watercolor … or others that you have in your materials.
5. What effect does that have on you? Which medium do you like best / least?
6. Write with your drawings what the object means to you. Write about 5 minutes about this (What do you use it for? Do you like it? What does it remind you of?)

“A drawing is simply a line going for a walk.” – Paul Klee

What if … you think you can’t draw? This is not about drawing something beautiful. This is about using material and feeling which you like to use.

TIP: Use a different material for each box to get a good feel for how each material draws. Do you have more than 4 options? Then expand to more squares.

Would you like to get in touch with others? In Facebook you find a page where participants connect.

Important to know:

Working in a Creative Diary is NOT about results, it’s about expressing you inner self. It is NOT about techniques, techniques only help you to express yourself in more different ways. The exercises I give are an INVITATION, not an obligation. You can do the exercise, or not, you can do it differently, it’s at your choosing. The most important thing to remember is that you’re putting yourself and your (inner) world on paper, you are NOT making art. So feel inspired by images, but don’t compare yourself ! Fun and self-expression come first.

What do you need?

• markers
• coloured pencils
• writing materials
• scissors
• glue
• watercolour
• soft pastels
• oil pastels
• some magazines

And of course: a journal/diary. I recommend an 8,3 inches x 11,7 inches notebook (A4 format) with blank paper, but take whatever you find in your house. Blank papier is good too.

More information:

The exercises used in this Creative Diary are based on a method described by Lucia Capacchione, American art-therapist and author of the book The Creative Journal, by Anne-Marie Jobin, Canadian art-therapist and author of the soon to be coming book The New Creative Journal, and myself, Sarah Timmermans, Belgian art-therapist and psychologist (Dutch book: Het Creatieve Dagboek). The method blends knowledge from writing therapy, art-therapy, psychology and basic creativity. It’s a simple method that doesn’t requires any artistic skills and has been used with many ages, many individuals and many groups of people. More questions? Please write me.

Who am I?

I’m Sarah Timmermans, Belgian art-therapist, naturopath and psychologist. I’m trained by Jungian art-therapist/psychologist Csilla Kemenzcei. I work with individuals and with groups. I’m specialised in using diaries, tarot (archetypes) and dreams.