This can be a variation on one of D.W. Winnicott’s- the infamous researcher and therapist of parents and children- favorite ways to therapeutically play with children: Drawing a squiggle or abstract image, he’d invite the child to imagine what they saw in the image, and add details (ears, mouth, feet, etc). We simply found a full-length Bob Ross video online (Netflix has dozens! Supplies: Who gets to edit? All of us have been handed a story by our culture, family, and education. Silly Art Journal Prompts Draw you, as an animal, shooting down the moon. Standard Art Supplies Gloves for handling broken pottery. Obviously, appropriate only for groups and workspaces that can safely handle knives and box cutters, my result from this art group meetup was this whale-shaped pinata, which I made extra-extra sturdy so I could use it as a whimsical shipping box for my niece’s birthday present: Your email address will not be published. Thrifted Pottery Supplies: Participants are given printed literature (old books, magazines for collaging, even old letters, and encouraged to “edit”), Supplies: White Acrylic Paint, Old Toothbrushes, and a well-protected space to splatter stars. Plan to leave the paintings overnight to dry- fluid acrylic will remain wet and “drippy” for many hours after painting. What are the significant constellations of your solar system? Hot Glue Deep Self Care includes Mindfulness, Pleasure-based Movement, and External Emotional Support, Paint (Bob uses oil, but we used acrylic, I just took the episode’s color list to an art supply store and purchased the acrylic equivalent to the colors listed), Supplies (A few decent brushes, big foam brushes for backgrounds, and. The soothing guide of Bob Ross also offers a low-barrier invitation to people who struggle with the fear of a blank page/canvas. My perfect day looks like…. Wood Craft Sticks or Tooth Picks Posted Nov 19, 2013 What has had to be removed/edited/concealed before bringing yourself into this world? I was intentional, as the leader, to invite participants to follow along or not follow along, and to either paint the scene, paint the scene the way they envisioned the scene, or to not paint the scene at all. Dropping fluid acrylic onto wet paper creates chaotic designs. The nearly-uncontrollable flow can be an exercise in letting go. This is a continuously updated post about prompts for art groups and craft activities for expressive-therapy and art therapy oriented groups. Books + Magic Markers (for backout poetry). These prompts are meant to jump start your own ideas for sketching, drawing, and creating. 3-dimensional mask making with inexpensive and easy-cleanup clay creates endless possibilities. The effects of the fluid acrylic as it spreads across the page merging or sometimes chasing other colors is mesmerizing. Whatever we do, we face these moments of total and irritating periods of a blank mind. This activity is best for small groups with members that are able to both psychologically and physically manage working with a difficult to control media. Art journal prompts are becoming quite popular. and allows participants to build in more dimensions. It makes you angry and you want to change the situation. “Redact: (verb) to hide or remove parts of a text before publication or distribution.”. The phrase Art Therapist is reserved for those who have completed an art therapy specific graduate-level training, rather than a traditional clinically-focused psychology program. Standard Art Supplies SET UP AND CLEANUP – This is one of the easiest prompts on the list! Fluid Acrylic is acrylic paint formulated to more viscous than water while maintaining a high level of pigment. Magic Markers (new and/or with plenty of ink!). In this prompt, participants each chooses a discarded library book and are encouraged to consider the power they have to change how a narrative is engaged. I'm an artist, therapist, entrepreneur, and translator between languages of logic, emotion, and art. This prompt requires no printing, cutting, or prepping, and can be completed without special tools (like brushes, scissors, etc). Prompt: Where have you edited yourself this week? Finger Cots (epoxy on skin can be an irritant, these finger cots can be an easy way to prevent that, although you should definitely brace yourself for the inevitable snickering as these are, functionally, finger-condoms.) When traditionally trained therapists, counselors, and psychologists use art and art-creating activities as part of treatment it is referred to as “expressive arts therapy” rather than “art therapy” (a phrase reserved for Art Therapists) The ideas contained in those post can be adapted for non-therapeutic OR therapeutically-oriented expressive arts groups and used by anyone, including art therapist, therapists using expressive arts in traditional therapy, and non-professionals interested in art prompts with depth. Art journal prompts are an amazing way to kick that creative block in the butt! Click to learn more. Participants may edit the content (via blackout poetry) or the pages themselves. 55 Art Journal Prompts for Teens. Black Cardstock or Scratchboards Standard Kit Make your own super fast-seting gold glue by combining Quick Set Epoxy with Gold Mica Powder. The point is to express yourself through a creative medium. Sharpie Pens. Space Stickers for younger groups. To the best of my knowledge, these are all new ideas not contained in other guides or manuals. Draw an agitated dog with aggressive body language. Questions to help participants navigate the prompt: What moves in orbit within the galaxies you inhabit? Supplies: When I experimented with adding foam-type air-dry clay to this common art prompt, I was THRILLED with the way foam air-dry clay easily adheres to a premolded mask (no glue required!) Draw the monster you struggle with (i.e., anxiety as a monster, anger monster, depression monster). Self-discovery is often a process of finding out where this story actually has overwritten elements of our lived identity or narrative. Adapt the prompt and your supplies to the skill, comfort, and age level of your participants! Using this media, it becomes quickly obvious that the more ones tries to interfere with the process of the paint, the more muddled the art becomes. This isn’t a contest to make the best art or even something where you have to be concerned about making it look nice. What this means is that you have a blank page in your journal and you use a prompt to write, draw, doodle, color… whatever you feel inspired to do based on the prompt. These are appropriate for art groups in all sorts of contexts- from therapeutic groups to artists’ meetups, from art classes ro and “paint and sip” style get-togethers. letters, magazines, previously made (or thrifted) art, etc for “creative editing” Draw a picture of yourself as something other than a person. Kintsugi (or Kintsukuroi, which means “golden repair”) is the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with precious metals, creating reconstructed pieces with seams of gold. ART THERAPY NOTE: While art and other creative activities are often a part of my professional work, I am not an Art Therapist. For the one art group, we decided to host a Paint Along with Bob Ross night. Quick Set Epoxy This prompt invites us to consider what we can imagine from what is discarded. Before we get to the list of prompts, let’s talk about journaling in general. Masks have long been a staple tool of art therapists, but building and decorating masks can be a fun and highly expressive prompt for art-making well beyond traditional art therapy. To the best of my knowledge, these are all new ideas not contained in other guides or manuals. Plastic Plates for Glue Mixing Standard Kit Draw a cat who’s dressed for an interview. If you haven’t started your art journal yet, you can find out how to start your first art journal in this post. This is a continuously updated post about prompts for art groups and craft activities for expressive-therapy and art therapy oriented groups. Required fields are marked *, Seattle therapist, psychoeducator, and illustrator, I'm Lindsay. ), screenshotted the list of required supplies (It also shows on the screen in the first few seconds of a show), and purchased small, prepped canvases and supplies. Your email address will not be published. If clothing or textiles are stained, rinse the stain and then keep the stain wet until the item can be machine washed. This prompt was intended to be more playful than expressive. Remember when you were a kid and all you needed was an oversized box to imagine you were flying into space or lounging behind a mansion? NOTE: Fluid acrylic can be messy. In order to make the educational resources contained on this website available at no charge, I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon.