An Artist's Creative Warmup: Neurographic Art

I'm not afraid to admit it, sometimes I need a little brain boost to kick my creative ideas into gear. 

Just as you might grab your morning coffee or hit the yoga mat at sunrise,  run your 5k before the kids wake up or write in your diary before you roll out of bed, warmups are my equivalent of an energizer  to wake up the senses, loosen up my hands and get my imagination engaged!

Some days the ideas flow easily, faster than I can catch them.  Other days, the dreaded white-canvas paralysis sets in and my imagination takes a temporary holiday.  

So what do I do when the ides aren't flowing?  Or when I haven't been in my studio for awhile?  Or when the blank page or canvas stares back at me taunting me to make a move?  I pull out one of my warmups and just get moving.  

Neurographic art is one of my absolute favourites.  Its quick, easy and completely organic.  

How to Use Neurographic Art as a Warmup

Step1:  Grab a sheet of paper, printer, watercolour, marker or any piece you have on hand.  I usually tape it down to a board to give it a nice even border but its not a necessary step.

Step 2:  With your marker ( I use a black fine tip sharpie or any other permanent marker I have on hand) and draw one continuous line, that curves and twirls, up, down or any direction that feels right for you while intersecting other areas of the line.

Step 3:  Begin rounding out the intersections of the lines making them as thin or thick as you like.

Stop drawing when it feels right.  Your drawing will look something like this:

Step 4:  When its complete, grab some markers, paints, pens, crayons or any medium on hand and begin filling in the cells.   You can use colour themes, a monochromatic theme , patterns or any combination that feels good.  Be free and let you imagination run wild. The idea here is to go with the flow, don't let  your thinking brain get in the way.  

Once you feel you've completed your piece or you've done enough to get your creative energy flowing remove the tape carefully, sign it and  take a good look at what you've just created.

What do you see popping out at you from within the shapes?  Maybe you'll spot a bird, a fish, a woman holding a child or  a goofy giraffe.  Maybe you won't see anything in particular other than the beautiful colours or patterns that are pleasing to your eye. Either way, the exercise accomplished its goal:  your senses are engaged, your hands and fingers are warm and your imagination is engaged!

Use the momentum you've created and see where your imagination leads you today.  

"Imagination is the beginning of creation" - George Bernard Shaw

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Copyright Patricia Bond, 2025