Overcoming the Blank Page - 80+ Art Journal Prompts
I love a new sketchbook. There is something about the crisp pages, the new-book smell, and the perfect white pages that – muah, chef’s kiss – is just so satisfying. But that blank page also brings with it intimidation and fear. I get artist block and freeze up, not wanting to mess up a brand new sketchbook with a shitty drawing that is not fit for the “perfect” completed sketchbook it will be one day.
But the best way to get through creative friction is to just getting started and do something. You don’t need to wait for a sudden flash of brilliant inspiration, you just need to get past the initial hurdle of the first mark on the page, and the rest is easier.
If you are struggling with blank-page syndrome, and need a jumping-off point to help you get started, here are a few prompts to get you inspired and started.
Download the free PDF of this list here: Free Art Journal Prompts
Emotions
Explore a single feeling using color, texture, words, or raw marks:
- Happiness
- Anger
- Sadness
- Surprise
- Disgust
- Envy
- Anticipation
- Love
- Fear
- Trust
- Shame
- Kindness
- Devotion
- Determination
Statements
Build a spread around a single thought:
- I believe…
- All I want is…
- I am convinced…
- I feel like the color…
- My advice is…
- Home is…
- I can’t wait until…
- In the future, I will…
- I’m grateful for…
- I hate…
- My biggest hope is…
- I wish I had…
- What if I could…
- My mind is…
Things
Look around your place, or sketch from memory:
- Old shoes
- The contents of your bag
- Your pets
- What’s in your fridge
- A body part
- Something found in nature
- A map (real or imagined)
- A mythical creature
- A worn teddy bear
- A pile of laundry
- Rocks and stones
- Your family
- A best friend
- Your favorite animal
Places
Capture a sense of environment:
- Your workspace
- What you see outside your window
- Somewhere you’ve been recently
- Somewhere you want to go
- A place from childhood
- Your first home
- Someplace relaxing
- Someplace cold
- A tropical environment
- A mountain landscape
- A coastline or beach
- The downtown of a large city
- A busy marketplace
- Your favorite park
Colors
Build a spread around color palette and quality:
- Vibrant
- Saturated
- Faded
- Neutral
- Complementary
- Translucent
- Bright
- Dull
- Contrasting
- Shades
- Chaotic
- Traditional
- Bleached
- Multicolored
Miscellaneous
- A line from a favorite quote
- A song lyric stuck in your head
- A self-portrait (literal or abstract)
- Your inner monster
- Personal life mantras
- A scene from a book you love
- A character from a book or movie
- A picture that tells a story
- Hand lettering or typography
- Your to-do list
- A fragment of a dream from last night
- A note to or from Future You
- An alternate reality
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Download the list here: Free Art Journal Prompts