Creative Challenges
Drawing I, Drawing II, and Basic Drawing
Drawing I, Drawing II, and Basic Drawing
The portfolio booster is an opportunity to show of your creativity and skill within a specific visual art subject area, including media and techniques. Choose boosters that are appropriate for your level and set you up for success in showing off your skills. Use your choice of drawing media. Be sure you create a complete work of art. You can create more than one portfolio booster.
Find the messiest drawer in your house and draw what you find inside!
Drawing example by Diane Bellamy
Can you create art that tells a story?
Create a zine or comic strip that tells a story.
Use any drawing materials available to you including pencil, paper, pen and drawing apps on your phone or tablet.
Figure out whether you want to make a comic or a zine. This video shows how to make a zine substrate out of simple printer paper and this artist creates zines almost daily.
What story do you want to tell? A day in the life of you? A made-up story? A fairy tale? Your comic could be autobiographical. This video demonstrates one artist's perspective on drawing a cartoon of yourself.
Start with thumbnail sketches before moving on to your final idea. Your comic should have at least 3 panels.
Now start creating!
Notice the balance of black and white space in this segment of the graphic novel, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
You can use an Ai, such as ChatGPT to help you generate ideas for your own original drawing. You can not submit a drawing done by an Ai--it should be hand created by you, using physical media. Here is a list of "10 creative drawing ideas" generated by Ai. You could tailor your request to relate to your interests (see below) :
Floating City – A futuristic city suspended in the sky with waterfalls flowing off the edges.
Animal Warrior – A majestic animal (lion, fox, or eagle) dressed in intricate armor, ready for battle.
Portal to Another World – A mysterious door or portal leading to a surreal, dreamlike landscape.
Steampunk Explorer – A character in a detailed steampunk outfit, with gadgets and mechanical limbs.
Underwater Kingdom – A magical deep-sea city inhabited by mermaids, glowing jellyfish, and sunken treasures.
Cyberpunk Street Scene – A neon-lit city with futuristic buildings, holograms, and a cool protagonist.
Hybrid Creature – A mix of different animals and plants to create an entirely new species.
Fairy Tale Gone Wrong – A dark twist on a classic fairy tale scene, like a robotic Red Riding Hood.
Mushroom Village – A whimsical village where the houses are giant mushrooms with tiny creatures living inside.
Time Traveler's Library – A vast, ancient library filled with floating books, glowing clocks, and mysterious staircases.
Here are 5 more. Here is the prompt that I constructed "Now create a list of 5 more that include india ink washes and are all about teaware and ocean themed things, include movements from art history as a part of the prompt." I like Number 3 the best, and I think Number 2 would not work well. You should use your knowledge of the subject and media to help inform your decisions also.
"Baroque Tea Tempest" – A dramatic still life of teapots and cups caught in a swirling ocean storm, using the intense contrasts and theatrical lighting of Baroque art.
"Impressionist Tea by the Shore" – A serene scene of a tea set resting on a rocky coast, with ink washes mimicking the loose, fluid brushstrokes of Impressionism to capture the shifting light on waves.
"Art Nouveau Siren's Tea" – A mermaid pouring tea underwater, with delicate, flowing lines and organic shapes inspired by Art Nouveau, emphasizing the elegance of both the tea set and ocean currents.
"Cubist Teapot Tides" – A fragmented, geometric composition of teacups and crashing waves, deconstructing the forms in the style of Cubism, using layered ink washes to build depth.
"Zen Ukiyo-e Tea Ceremony" – A tranquil Japanese-inspired scene of a tea ceremony taking place on a wooden platform over the sea, utilizing the bold outlines and dynamic compositions of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, with soft ink washes for atmosphere.
You can use Pexels.com to help provide reference and source images, but be sure you are finding ways to make your artwork original. Do not just copy or draw an image from someone elses photograph. That is okay for an art study, but not for an original work of art.