The Chronically Hopeful 52-week art project has finally started. I have been so excited to get it off the ground since I came up with the idea and now it’s here! This week the theme was patterns in shades of blue and I have been blown away by the unique ways that each person has interpreted that prompt!
If you missed the first week, you’re welcome to jump in at any point and join us on this arty adventure! This is a no pressure project, not a stressful challenge.
In this post I’ll be sharing all the pieces I made for this week’s prompt and discuss the ideas and supplies behind each piece. At the bottom of this page is a gallery of all the latest pieces created by the other participants who are joining in from around the globe. Simply click on any of the thumbnails to be taken to the original piece where, in most cases, you’ll find a description by the artist.
Char’s Patterns In Shades Of Blue
I have been ill for the first week of the year, I caught a bug for the first time in almost 5 years! So each piece was done slowly and while lying in bed. My fabulous over-the-bed-desk has made that possible.
Aqua Tiles
This was such a fun piece to paint. I love how it turned out and find these shades of blue to be very calming to look at. It reminds me of poolside mosaic tiles, or looking into a bright pool and seeing the tiles through the water.
How To Make It
Measure your page and rule lines every 2-3cm apart in each direction, then split some in half again and erase some of the lines to make some larger shapes. I used 2 blues in gouache and 2 liquid watercolours which I mixed with white gouache to lighten the tones. But of course you can do this with any colour combination.
Paint within the shapes, staying off the pencil lines to create the white borders. Once dry, erase the pencil lines.
Doing this without masking the lines, means that the white lines between the shapes are not perfectly straight, but I think this adds to the charm of hand painted patterns.
Supplies For Aqua Tiles:
- Hot pressed watercolour paper
- Cerulian Blue, Prussian Blue gouache
- Topaz and Amethyst liquid watercolours
- Aqua brush
Oceans
This piece reminds me of looking down into ocean waters and also reminds me of the song “Oceans” by Hillsong United. Listen to it here.
It was my very first piece using acrylic paint since I got my first set for Christmas. Naturally I picked out the 4 shades of blue and had some fun. It is interesting to see how differently acrylics behave on the paper compared to watercolours.
How To Make It
Dab 3-4 dots of each colour onto the card straight from the tubes. Using the chosen shades of blue and white, trying to space them out amongst each other.
Then use an expired credit card or paint spatula and simply scrape it in various directions and curving motions to spread the shades all over the card trying not to mix them all too much.
You don’t really want all the shades to mix into one solid colour, so you can’t go over an area multiple times. You need to be intentional about each stroke.
Supplies For Oceans:
- Acrylic painting pad
- Cerulean, Cobalt, Phthalo, Ultramarine and White acrylic paint
- Paint spatula/scraper
Interpreting The Prompts
I have been so impressed and inspired by all the unique ways people have been interpreting this prompt.
Some have chosed to use the prompts to decorate their Bullet Journals and art journals, others are using this project as art therapy to work through thoughts and feelings. Others have said they don’t think they’re creative, but have come up with such wonderful pieces!
The truth is that there are no mistakes in art. Anything goes. The beauty, fun and the benefits are in the imperfections, the messiness and the freedom to just put colours, thoughts and feelings onto the paper. To just enjoy the process, being lost in the moment.
Share Your Art In The Gallery Below!
I’ve created a link party (gallery) to showcase our art in one place. Despite the name, you can actually share your art even if you don’t have a link to go with it.
Simply click the blue button below to get started.
If your image is already on social media then you simply add the link to your post in the box and your image will be loaded.
Add a caption or leave the default one as is. Your email address is also required, this will let you know of updates to the gallery and make the process easier next time.
Pin This Post!
If you don’t have social media, you simply select the “without a link” option and upload your image from your device. Add your caption and you’re done.
You can then click on any of the thumbnails in the gallery to see the original.
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Week 4’s Prompt Is: Winter Woolies
You may use any medium you like to interpret the prompt, then upload a photo of your creation to your social media using the hashtag #CH52art or upload it directly into the gallery at ChronicallyHopeful.com/gallery for others to enjoy! Visit the gallery at any time to admire all the fabulous art.
Reminders: For daily updates on this project and weekly share threads, you can follow along on Facebook or Instagram. I will however also create a post here at the start of each week for those who don’t have social media accounts.
There is a limit to how many images can be added to each gallery, so after 4 weeks, or 50 entries, I will create a new one. The old ones will no longer be open for new additions, but will remain visible wherever they are posted.
Remember to use the #CH52art hashtag when sharing your art to be found and also featured on my Instagram and Facebook stories!
I’ve started mine with your Summer prompts so far because I am on the other side of the world so it felt weird painting things which were for winter but now my artworks are completely different to the ones everyone else is posting and which are featured on your page. Should I keep painting on with the summer prompts and will I still be featured each week even though your themes are different or should I start fresh with the winter prompts?
That’s fine, please continue with the summer ones if that’s best for you. I will still feature them. You are welcome to add them to the gallery at the bottom of the post too. I will add a note on each week’s post explaining why some are different. I think it will make things interesting! I look forward to seeing what you create!