inspire create with artist karin taylor: June 2012

Friday, June 29, 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 21 Weekend 30 June/1 July 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 21 Weekend 30 June/1 July 2012

Part 1:

Inspiration: Nature's collectables/found objects

What you will need: scissors, gloves (to protect your hands), a bag to store your collectables, camera and magnifying glass (optional)

In this creative exercise we will be venturing outside our front door or back door and beyond. We will be using our powers of observation to find things such as leaves, stones, seed pods, flowers, twigs and even garbage! The idea is to collect things we see that fill us with wonder and excitement. We don't collect just anything, so keep in mind, that the second part of this exercise will be drawing something we have found! But for this first part, all we need to do is take a walk, in order to begin gathering together a little collection of found objects that can inspire you to draw them! If you see something that you cannot bring home, you can take a photo of it instead. Be on the lookout for interesting patterns in nature, tree roots or fence palings, peeling paint, etc are a fabulous example of something you can't bring home but might be fun to draw later, so make sure your cameras are charged up and ready to go. The scissors are there to help if you want to snip off a leaf or a flower. You might not want to venture any further than your own backyard, especially if you are a busy parent, the kids can participate and help too with this one. There's no time like the present to teach them about really looking at their surroundings and you'll be surprised just how much there is to see!

Have fun on your walk everyone and look forward to seeing what you manage to collect and photograph. Once you have gathered your collectables, post photos of your collections on Facebook for us all to admire and enjoy!

Part 2 to follow.

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 20 Fri 29 June 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 20 Fri 29 June 2012

Todays inspiration: redecorating

Lately I've been seeing lots of colour charts and redecorating ideas, and thought that it might to fun to use our imagination to redecorate a room in our home.

You can choose any room at all and decorate it as decadently, as simply, as boho, as shabby chic, as contemporary modern, as retro or as vintage, etc, as you like! Here's a website I think you are going to love as much as I do, it's called COLOURlovers and has all kinds of colour swatches and helps to assist in making colour choices, etc.

http://www.colourlovers.com/

Choose your kitchen, toilet, gazebo/outdoor area, lounge or living area, bedroom, nursery, study, etc and start making a list of all the yummy furnishings and paint colours, new additions, etc, you would like to make. Remember, it's your imagination, so the sky is the limit, although if you are in the market to update a room or two, you might want to use this as a practical exercise and keep it real lol with regard to budget etc...either way, it's fun! You can do this over the weekend if you don't have time during the week. Or on a rainy night when there's nothing fun to watch on tv.

1. Which room would you choose?
2 What colour/s would you paint the walls (look up paint charts and colour schemes on google) ?
3. What renovations would you like to make?
4. What floor covering would you choose?
5. What new furniture would you include?
6. What new furnishings would you add (eg curtains/blinds/ornaments/wall hangings/cushions/throw rugs/appliances etc)

Post your answers on Facebook and feel free to add links to furnishings, paint colours, renovated rooms etc, to give us a taste of your style and ideas! I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Happy creating everyone!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 19 Thurs 28 June 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 19 Thurs 28 June 2012

Todays inspiration: Egg Doodles inspired by photos of tattoos on upper arms

Yesterday I saw a cropped photograph of an upper arm and upon it was a lovely tree tattoo in black ink. At first I thought it looked like the arm was an egg that had been decoratively drawn on. This image provided the inspiration for our next creative exercise, just proving that inspiration is everywhere if you're looking for it!

I have created my own 'egg doodles' by using a Sharpie Marker (a thin one) ...you might want to ensure your eggs are room temperature first, so pull them out of the fridge now in preparation. While they are cold, they also are a bit wet and it's hard to use a marker or paint when the surface of the egg is damp. Another thing you could do is 'blow' the contents of the egg out, especially if you intend to use the egg as an ornament :)

Firstly, you may like to prepare the surface of your egg, to ensure there is no debri left on it. Now it's time to decide your design or doodle. What will you paint? I'm leaving this up to you, but will give you a few examples of ideas I've seen and thought of:

1) draw little faces
2) draw silhouette trees or people
3) write all over it with encouraging words, expressions of thanks and gratitude etc (this is something you could give as a gift to a friend by then finding a lovely eggcup to go with it. You could tie the egg into the cup with ribbon or raw string, whatever might compliment your design
4) here is a link to some beautifully painted eggs with step by step images, they've chosen a pretty pastel coloured theme and used paints

http://acreativemint.typepad.com/a_creative_mint/2012/04/happy-spring.html

Here is a mesmerising video I found absolutely fascinating, I'm sure it will inspire, click on this link to watch how these eggs are decorated through a 'wax resist/dye' process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blp3jF4fGBc&feature=related

Also check out this video where neck ties are used to impart a design onto eggs which are boiled in water with vinegar, resulting in an interesting mottled effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blp3jF4fGBc&feature=related

Photo: Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 19 Thurs 28 June 2012 Todays inspiration: Egg Doodles inspired by photos of tattoos on upper arms Yesterday I saw a cropped photograph of an upper arm and upon it was a lovely tree tattoo in black ink. At first I thought it looked like the arm was an egg that had been decoratively drawn on. This image provided the inspiration for our next creative exercise, just proving that inspiration is everywhere if you're looking for it! I have created my own 'egg doodles' by using a Sharpie Marker (a thin one) ...you might want to ensure your eggs are room temperature first, so pull them out of the fridge now in preparation. While they are cold, they also are a bit wet and it's hard to use a marker or paint when the surface of the egg is damp. Another thing you could do is 'blow' the contents of the egg out, especially if you intend to use the egg as an ornament :) Firstly, you may like to prepare the surface of your egg, to ensure there is no debri left on it. Now it's time to decide your design or doodle. What will you paint? I'm leaving this up to you, but will give you a few examples of ideas I've seen and thought of: 1) draw little faces 2) draw silhouette trees or people 3) write all over it with encouraging words, expressions of thanks and gratitude etc (this is something you could give as a gift to a friend by then finding a lovely eggcup to go with it. You could tie the egg into the cup with ribbon or raw string, whatever might compliment your design 4) here is a link to some beautifully painted eggs with step by step images, they've chosen a pretty pastel coloured theme and used paints: http://acreativemint.typepad.com/a_creative_mint/2012/04/happy-spring.html

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 18 - Wed 27 June 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 18 - Wed 27 June 2012

Today's creative exercise is a to write a poem. In the poem you must include at least one or more of the following words:

heart, shoe, bell, torn, eyes, hidden, lost

You could chose one of these words as inspiration for the poem. The more words you choose to include, the more of a challenge it becomes! Have fun!

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @ Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

Monday, June 25, 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 17 - Tue 26 June 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 17 - Tue 26 June 2012

Today I have a really fun idea inspired by a list I saw recently. Our theme today is making a list of things we love. Sound too easy? Well, yes, there is a little bit more to it than that. After you make a list, beside each thing you love, you need to write what colours come to mind when you think of each thing on your list, and jot that down.

The next part requires either coloured pencils/textas/marker pens/sewing thread, etc or your computer, so that you can 'colour code' each word, in the colours you chose!

This can make a lovely wall hanging or fridge sign, so before you start, think about what materials you'd like to use if you want to frame this when you're finished!

Be as creative and innovative as you like, you could even cut out the letters using different swatches of fabric, florals, stripes, etc! Once you are finished, post your pics of it on Inspire Create @ Facebook for us all to admire (if you feel comfortable doing so).

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @ Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

Photo: nspire Create: Creative Exercise 17 - Tue 26 June 2012 Today I have a really fun idea inspired by a list I saw recently. Our theme today is making a list of things we love. Sound too easy? Well, yes, there is a little bit more to it than that. After you make a list, beside each thing you love, you need to write what colours come to mind when you think of each thing on your list, and jot that down. The next part requires either coloured pencils/textas/marker pens/sewing thread, etc or your computer, so that you can 'colour code' each word, in the colours you chose! This can make a lovely wall hanging or fridge sign, so before you start, think about what materials you'd like to use if you want to frame this when you're finished! Be as creative and innovative as you like, you could even cut out the letters using different swatches of fabric, florals, stripes, etc! Once you are finished, post your pics of it here for us all to admire (if you feel comfortable doing so).

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 16 - Mon 25 June 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 16 - Mon 25 June 2012
TODAY'S INSPIRATION: Special words!

Hola! It's Monday... not only is it a brand new day, but it marks a brand new opportunity for creative expression.

We are talking and thinking about special words that are significant for us. I have chosen the word "love" for example in the photograph below. But what are the important words that have deep significance for you. Perhaps your word will be "gratitude", or maybe it will be "freedom", it could be "patience" or "peace" or "happiness". What is your special word?

OBJECTIVE OF EXERCISE:
The objective of this exercise, is simply to present a special word that has deep significance for you, in a creative way. There are many ways to do this. Here are some examples:

EXAMPLE 1:
If you have stones or pebbles lying around, you can form a word using these on a background of grass, or on a timber paling, on some nice fabric, hessian or calico, you can decorate it with little wildflowers and then take a picture and post it here.

EXAMPLE 2:
You could do as I have done, which was to simply use some little timber letters that I found from a craft shop (already had them laying around from a previous project) and arrange them on a flat surface. Decorate and photograph them. I used iPhone apps to turn this into a more creative image (I just can't recall how I did it lol) but you get the general idea. If you have an iphone or an ipad, I highly recommend Diptych, which allows you to use a number of different photos in the one image.

EXAMPLE 3:
Use shells, beads, rice, coffee beans, candles, ornaments, etc, to create your word and photograph it.

EXAMPLE 4:
Draw, paint, sculpt or write a poem or story around your word, making it the central theme.

I look forward to seeing what you all come up with, don't forget to post it here for us all to enjoy (if you're comfortable doing that) and have a very happy, very creative start to the week!

Smiles aloha, Karin :))

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @ Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

facebook, inspire create, inspire create with artist karin taylor, karin taylor

Friday, June 22, 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 15 - Weekend Exercise Sat/Sun 23-24 June 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 15 - Weekend Exercise Sat/Sun 23-24 June 2012

TODAY'S INSPIRATION - BOOK SPINES (many thanks to Pat who pointed me in the right direction) ♥

EXAMPLES:

Book Spine Poem Gallery
http://100scopenotes.com/2010/03/12/poetry-friday-book-spine-poem-gallery/

Ideas4writers Open FB Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ideas4writers/

OUR OBJECTIVE: To create a poem using only the titles on the spines of books. It's a lovely easy fun exercise and I think it could be quite addictive!

I think it's self explanatory from looking at the other examples you'll see in the links, but what you need to do is go to your home library (or go to the town library) and assemble a poem......take a picture and post it here for us all to enjoy!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and I'll be back on Monday with a new creative exercise, in the meantime I'm taking it easy for a couple of days while I get over the flu.

Smiles and waves aloha!! Karin

- - - -

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @ Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

facebook, inspire create, inspire create with artist karin taylor, karin taylor

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 14 - Fri 22 June 2012

TODAY'S INSPIRATION is depicting NIGHT and DAY or contrasting environments.

Main Idea: To depict two contrasting environments or states of being. Below is an example of this in my painting Night and Day. The girls dresses and background are depicting night (blue/green/sea/moon) and day (brown/trees/clouds).

Objective: To create an artwork, poem, story, sculpture, collage, mixed media, or creatively bake, or sew...(feel free to choose any creative method you like, including these or others) depicting 2 contrasting environments or states of being.

Examples: happy and sad, up and down, wise and foolish, summer and winter, spring and autumn, black and white, night and day

Method: Take a few minutes quiet time to yourself, make sure you have a note pad and pen with you, close your eyes and watch out for whatever pops into your head. Jot your thoughts, ideas and inspiration down. Once you have your idea, go to work, create something and have fun doing it! Post your pics or words here for us all to enjoy! (if you feel comfortable doing so) ...if you'd prefer you can always send me an attachment to my inbox if not feeling like you wanted to show everyone just yet.

Happy Friday creating everyone!!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

http://www.redbubble.com/people/karin/works/5752827-night-and-day

- - - -

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @ Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 13 - Thu 21 June 2012

TODAY'S INSPIRATION is RECYCLING!

Today we are creating RECYCLING RECIPES to either create something from our recipe or someone elses recipe, or to simply post our own innovative recipe here.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS EXERCISE?
This idea has more value than at first you might realise. The process for writing your recipe is really quite easy when you see it set out in steps. The value added, is that this 'recipe writing' exercise, can also be utilised for 'goal setting' and achieving your goals. Just replace the title of the project with your goal. Add to the "materials" the people and places you'll need to contact to achieve your goal. Add to the "method" the steps you'll need to take to achieve your goal. It's all great practise!

Ok, so let's get started!

a) THINK: For today's exercise, instead of just throwing your recycling boxes, bottles, cartons, etc. in the recyling bin, think about how you might be able to reuse something you are about to discard. It might be a cereal box, egg carton, light bulb box, plastic bottle, etc.

eg: One idea I had for an empty tissue box, was to reuse it as a plastic bag dispenser. I painted the box and it was very handy.

eg: Another idea someone gave me was to reuse plastic bottles for my puppy. I part-filled them with gravel and put the lid back on, he loved the noise it made, like a loud rattle and we had lots of fun playing fetch.

b) RECORD STEPS: Grab a piece of paper or note book

i) Title of Project: write down a name for your project at the top of the paper

ii) Materials: write down a heading "materials" and record a list of what other materials you will require. Here is an opportunity to add on other items that you might be able to recycle also

iii) Method: write down another heading "method" and record in steps, what you would need to actually do, to accomplish your recycling idea.

3) CREATE: Create your recycling idea!

4) POST: post an image for us all to see on Facebook at Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor, or if you don't/didn't have time to actually create it, simply post your RECYCLING RECIPE for all of us here, so that we get a pool of ideas/sharing of information.

NOTE: It can be as simple or as complex as you like.

GOOGLE THESE WORDS FOR INSPIRATION:
recycle, recycled goods, recycling, recycling ideas, recycling crafts

ENJOY AND BE INSPIRED: by the video below before you begin your process. This process is very basic, but it can be good practised, especially for goal setting and how to achieve a more complex goal! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0C-lSvbLT4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 12 - Wed June 2012

TODAY'S INSPIRATION BE THE "BUTTERFLY" :)

I am in the business of inspiring you to create. I don't like to put too many limitations on what you produce, because I realise inspiration must run free and wild. That's why this exercise and a lot of the exercises allow much freedom as to what you produce. I am mainly here to provide the stimulation.

I am posting some links for you below, so you can find out some facts about butterflies. Why, because researching something before you create a piece, is for me an important part of the inspiration/creation process.

TODAY'S OBJECTIVE: is mainly to have a little look around the internet (google) butterfly info and images to stimulate some inspiration through research and visual stimulation. Then create something. It can be anything, as long as it began with the butterfly for inspiration. It can be something that you associate with butterflies, not necessarily a butterfly itself. Let your imagine run with it. It can be a photograph you find and post for us to admire, or you can take a photo yourself of a butterfly. It could be a drawing or a poem. Maybe you'll cook some caterpillar biscuits for the kids. Perhaps you will make a stained glass butterfly from cellophane for your window where the sun shines through! Maybe you will make a butterfly from bits and pieces you find lying around the house. I am going to post some craft ideas below too....so let's get creating and see what you come up with, post a pic of it here if you feel comfortable doing that, for us all to admire.

Happy creating everyone!! have a beautiful aloha day! :)

http://www.kidsbutterfly.org/
http://voices.yahoo.com/garden-ideas-create-butterfly-garden-344138.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/butterflycrafts/Butterfly_and_Caterpillar_Crafts.htm
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/creativesnacks/r/caterpilrecipe.htm

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @ Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

facebook, inspire create, inspire create with artist karin taylor, karin taylor

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 11 - Tue 19 June 2012

INSPIRING CREATIVITY THROUGH WORD ASSOCIATION

Today's inspiration is the "MOONBEAM" ...the description is a 'ray of light from the moon'. You can create anything you like. But first, there is a little process called daydreaming that will take less than 5 mins that I'd like you to try. Here are the steps:

1. Find a quiet place (inside or outside) where you hopefully won't be disturbed for between 1-5 mins. I know that might be too much to ask for those of you with little ones, but you could do this when they are napping sometime throughout the day. Sometimes going outside is a good idea, as the natural world, gardens, etc, are very inspirational places.

2. Get into a comfortable position, sitting or lying down. Take a deep breath and observe your breath going in and out. Think of the word "moonbeam" and then notice what images or words appear in your mind. Think about what you associate with moonbeams.

For example, I associate the ocean and always think of the light of the moon on the water or on a person's face. I imagine the moon loving the people below because it shines a light for us to see. I realise I have a deep fondness for the moon. The moon when full, is always for me, a very creative time. It sheds light. It seems friendly. I think of dancing under the light of the moon, I am reminded of the story of The Owl and the Pussycat. I think of the song with the words, "by the light, of the silvery moon" and all these associations begin to inspire me.

3. Create (draw, paint, write a poem or story) a creation that began with the "MOONBEAM" as your inspiration. It doesn't necessarily even have to include a moonbeam at all, it might be about the stars or something else that seems completely unrelated. This exercise is about how inspiration comes to us through word association.

4. This is a good thing to practise anytime you have a few minutes here and there, before you know it you'll have so many ideas, you won't be able to keep up with them all!

5. Once you have completed the exercise, I'd love to see or read your creations!

Have a wonderful creative day everyone!!
Love K xx

NB: The creative exercises archived here are available for anyone who wants more inspiration and creative expression in their lives. There is no limit on how often you particpate, how many exercises you do, or what order you do them in. They are an extension of my book "Beyond the Stick Figure: hope and encouragement for anyone who has ever wanted to be creative"

NB: Please note that this blog is only being used as an archive/storage/resource facility for Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor on Facebook. It exists to help people find all the creative exercises I have posted on Facebook more easily. To engage and interact, to join in the fun, please join us at Facebook @Inspire Create with artist Karin Taylor and please post your contributions, creations and artwork on Facebook rather than this blog. Thank you and aloha, Karin

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 10 - Mon 18 June 2012

Inspire Create: Creative Exercise 10 - Mon 18 June 2012

Hi everyone! I hope this finds you all well and feeling excited about our next creative exercise, which I hope you'll find interesting, refreshing, fun and exciting.

I am going to combine our POP QUESTION with our CREATIVE EXERCISE today, so it's an all in one, that can be achieved in two simple parts. Part A and Part B...read on!
----------------------------------------------

Part A - Pop Question!

What is ONE of your favourite things?
(eg I am choosing my Mulberry Tree as it's the first favourite thing that popped into my head, but a favourite thing may be a memory, an ornament, a person, etc...think outside the square)

Please post your answer below in a comment :)

-----------------------------------------------

Part B - Create a piece of art incorporating that favourite thing you just revealed!

For example, you can take a creative PHOTOGRAPH of it, write a POEM about it, SEW about it, SING about it, SCULPT it...be as unique and individual as you are about creating something...

Then photograph it (if it isn't already photographed) and post it on our FB page at Inspire Create for us all to admire and be inspired!

------------------------------------------------
Have a gorgeous happy day creating, inspiring and loving life....K xx