For The Love Of Art - 4 Techniques To Fall In Love With Art

There are many different styles of #drawing that are meditative and calming, and we wanted to show you some of these examples. Here are 4 techniques that will help you fall in love with art without any need to be an ‘expert’.

1. Bullet Journal

2. Mandala Drawing

3. Adult Colouring Books

4. Doodling

From bullet journalling and mandala art, to doodling and colouring books, we believe there is something out there for you to fall in love without the need to copy from a reference image. If you’re struggling to get into art, or just need some more inspiration, or something to help you relax, then this may be the perfect place to start. Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with art along the way.

Bullet Journalling

If you enjoy being creative but also organised, bullet journaling may be the perfect thing for you. Think of a life planner mixed with a sketchbook and you've got yourself a bullet journal. It's a great way of organising and visually accumulating your thoughts and feelings. Journaling as a whole is also said to be super calming, so we can't think of anything better! Make your busy schedules fun again.

It’s up to you how you create your# bulletjournal and what you want to use it for, but there are a few things you might want to include. An index page is a great way to organise your journal and make it easier for you to locate things in the long run. Creating a monthly or weekly spread is a great way to plan your time and note important upcoming events. To do lists can be really useful in keeping track of must do activities and trackers, such as those that track mood and habits, are a fantastic way to reflect on your mental health and help you work towards goals.

Now, remember we said about it being like a sketchbook too? Well here’s the fun part. Although bullet journals are mainly used for organisation, they can also be stunningly pretty. Many people like to use bright #colours and #create drawings to go alongside their organisation. For example, pages designed for tracking water intake can be made by drawing plants and colouring them once you've reached your water goal for the day. A bullet journal is the perfect way to blend organisation with art.

Mandala Drawing

Originating from eastern cultures, mandala drawing is a practice of drawing repetitive shapes in a circle to create beautiful displays. The mandala is a spiritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism which is said to represent the universe. For this reason, drawing mandalas is often used as a therapeutic and meditative practice. It is said that creating mandalas can be a great way to express creativity and create calm in our everyday lives. The art of repetition can help sooth minds and increase focus in other daily activities.

Because #mandala drawing is an intricate artform, most mandalas created will be different to others. There is no set rule when it comes to creating a mandala. You can use any medium, from paint to ink. They can be as big or as small as you want, black and white or colourful. Whatever your preference. If you love art but haven’t tried to create your own mandala then we suggest you give it a go. You might just find your new obsession. Well, what are you waiting for?

Adult Colouring Books

You probably had a colouring book when you were a child, but have you ever tried one made for adults? There are loads of adult #colouring books available to buy, ranging from those that feature animals and flowers, to images from TV shows and films. Maybe you want to colour in fun shapes, or spice it up by colouring in swear words. Whatever your fancy, we’re sure you’ll find a colouring book that you love. Check out the most highly rated books available at waterstones here.

It’s been found that adult colouring books can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus and sleep quality and are all round a great way to relax. On top of that it's pretty fun too. If you enjoy being creative, but maybe don't have the time to #draw or sometimes don't know what to draw, an adult colouring book is a great alternative. They allow you to be creative and relax without having to use too much brain power. We like to sit down in front of the TV with a colouring book and just forget about the world.

Doodling

Doodles are drawings that people do when they aren't really thinking about what they're drawing. Most of us have probably doodled at some point in our lives, whether on the back of an envelope or at the bottom of a menu. You might not think of doodling as a meditative form of art, but doodling is actually a great way to relieve stress. Some researchers have even found that doodling is a great way to increase focus and overall productiveness.

You might just think of doodling as a fun activity to do when on a phone call or when you just feel like drawing, but if you want to take doodling a step further why not enter a competition? Both Google and Redbull have previously run doodling competitions, showing that doodling is a valued artform. If a competition isn't your sort of thing then no worries! Doodling is a great way of starting to get into #art without the pressure of feeling like you have to create something perfect. Looking for some inspiration? Go ahead and check out the winners from the most recent Redbull competition here.

We hope that after reading this, you feel inspired to start trying out some of these artforms. No matter who you are, art is accessible to everyone. If you want something relaxing to take your mind off a stressful day of work, why not try doodling or an adult coloring book. If you want to feel more organised but still add some of your own creativity, then a bullet journal might be the perfect thing for you. Or, if you want to take more time out and try creating your own mandala then give that a go. No matter what, all these art forms are designed to make you feel calmer and more relaxed. Who knows, maybe after trying some or all of these art forms you'll have fallen in love with art.