Starting is the most important step when playing. How I start doesn’t matter and this video proves it!
I started with warm colors then went a completely different direction under the sea thanks to a color O.O.P.S! I had no idea what the fish were for…until I was writing up the post for this week’s Let’s Play!
What is Let’s Play? It’s all about rediscovering the ability to play and each month I share a specific strategy that helped me recapture the freedom and fun of play. This month’s theme is just start. You can see more of the Let’s Play series here. Be sure to get entered in the $50 Dick Blick giveaway by leaving a comment.
Watch Playing in my art journal without a plan on YouTube.
Watch the video of how this page was started as I dealt with my art supply hoarding issues here.
This page was full of muted colors and ample white space when I started. It was shouting to me to add the rainbow.
This temple became playful thanks to the vibrant colors of All Purpose Inks and Fantastix. The warm colors were setting the tone of the page, for the moment.
Then there was the green paint O.O.P.S- it was such an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly. Without that I never would have stenciled the fish.
The amount of joy I felt when I realized I could use the spotter brush was off the charts. Why? Well, a spotter is the world’s finest paintbrush which has about 4 short bristles on it. And I ordered it by mistake. An OOPS and it was ideal to make the little fish eyes on the stenciled school of fish!
When I grabbed the fish, it didn’t make a bit of sense to me why fish. What do fish have to do with anything? It turns out a lot. As I was putting this post together. The aged Greek temples and fish. What else could it be other than Atlantis!
What will I do on the next layer? Something definitely related to Atlantis!
Here are the supplies I used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are helping me keep this blog and my videos ad free! Thank you- I don’t like ads any more than you do!
Now you’ve seen my play, let’s see yours! Share what you’re creating with us all in the Facebook group and be inspired by what others are creating! And be sure to leave a comment here to get entered in the monthly $50 gift certificate giveaway!
Want to see more Let’s Play videos? You can find all the weekly posts here.
Sharing your play: I, and a whole bunch of others, would love to see what you’re creating! We’re sharing it in the Facebook group called A Colorful Place to Play. Why Facebook? I’ve listened to your feedback about how and where you’d like to share your play instead of the link parties.
Monthly giveaways: Leave comment on any (and all for more chances) of the weekly Let’s Play blog posts to be entered and one winner each month will be chosen by random.org. Want more chances to win a $50 gift certificate to DickBlick.com? Pin any of the images from the page or share about it on Facebook- then come back and leave a comment telling me what you did and you can have more chances to win! Giveaway closes the Sunday, December 4th at 11 pm EST and the winner will announced on the blog the following Monday.
Congrats to Ann, last month’s winner!
As always- inspiring, fun, and inspiring fun!!!
For me, starting is the hardest part. But if I don’t start I’ll never get to play!
Love the little fishes. Great oops moment. Colors are my kind of brightness.
I love how you can switch direction so easily and not worry about it. I am trying hard to let things go.
Fun & inspiring!
I love your permission to play.
I love your accepting spirit! I used to try to be a perfect artist and it caused me to stop short of doing art because I was frustrated that outcomes weren’t identical to real life! Thankfully, following your brilliant example, I now accept my art as being stylized and wonderful because of its uniqueness! I love your OOPS theory and subscribe to it as a challenge and a way of making my art perfectly imperfect and human! I don’t like realism as much as imperfect art and I now even like my own writing – WOW! I have been able to happily create art every day because of my new philosophy. Thank you for your help with this Carolyn, I absolutely adore your methods, your art and your wonderfully fun personality! I would also love to win the $50 Dick Blick gift!! 🙂
I need to stop thinking so much and just starT!!
I LOVE how this play went. How cute. I love that little bitty brush to do the eyes.
Lovely fun colors as always!
Love those little fish! I think I have that stencil and only used it once. So now I am inspired to use it somewhere!
Thanks for all your playful sharing!
I love your videos! Thanks for sharing!
The green oops was perfect!
This week has been particularly hard for me to get into a playful mindset. But I do have to just DO something. I recently got a gelli plate and it has been AWESOME to play with. I think because it is so inertly playful. 🙂
Thanks, as always, for the inspiration.
I need more play in my life, I would love to get back to childhood when I just painted, sculpt and build little houses out of my grandmas old buttons and pieces of wood I took from the ground where a new house was being built. And of course for people I used flowers from grandmas flower garden ! I created for hours at a time, and this video somehow snapped me back to those memories, how wonderful to watch you put paint on and them cover it with another color, and another in a random way, just like I did when I was a child. Thanks so much for that visit back to childhood and grandmas buttons and flowers !
Just playing without thinking about the result. Love to see you do that so easy
Thanks for sharing this, Carolyn!
Looooooove it & everything you do as always!!! 😉
Beautiful colors together! I love that you painted over the stickers – the texture is far more interesting than the images! Great play day 🙂
The fish! The cute, blue fishes! Inspired!
Enjoyed the turn of events and solutions to changes.
Love the little fishes. Thank you for showing me how to change direction and have fun.
Just the encouragement I needed! I have been stuck in the land of overthinking.
Oh those little fishies are so cute! Putting that stencil on my wishlist!
Carolyn. I gotta tell you, you make those oops moments look so silly and carefree. When I get one of those moments, I get so stressed out!! But watching you is starting to help ! ?
Love the idea of the little fishies.
I have to say I’m so glad I came across this post—the title really caught my eye “Just start doesn’t matter how ( or with what) just start and play….I’ve been in a slump with creating lately…to focused on what it will be or how I’d like it to be (perfectionism) …the title gave me a smack from the page and I will just start something, who cares what…. just start with no expectations……… Thanks a bunch for the smack. Lol