Creativity Prompt: Create Depth with Layers

Here's an exercise straight from my Abstract Studio workshop. Your aim is to explore how these distinct types of application – thin line, thick line, wash, and mark – can be layered to create a rich and dynamic surface.

1. Choose a single color of watercolor or diluted ink you have available. On your paper or canvas, create a thin, transparent wash. Let it dry completely. This is your foundational whisper.

2. Using the same color (or a slightly darker or lighter value of it), create a series of thin, delicate lines across your surface. Think of these as quiet whispers interacting with the initial wash.

3. Now, introduce a thicker, more assertive line using the same color. Let this line interact with both the wash and the thin lines. Consider how its weight changes the visual conversation.

4. Create another layer of wash, this time perhaps slightly more concentrated in areas or applied with a different brushstroke. Observe how this layer interacts with the previous lines and wash, obscuring some areas and enhancing others. Allow it to dry.

5. Introduce a series of bold, gestural marks using the same color. These could be dots, dashes, scribbles, or more defined shapes. Consider how these energetic marks sit on top of and interact with the quieter layers beneath.

6. Finally, using a different single color of your choice, add another layer of thin lines, thick lines, washes, or marks. Notice how this new color interacts with the established monochromatic layers, creating contrast, harmony, or tension.

Consider: How do layers reveal/conceal? How does line weight move the eye? What atmosphere arises? How does the second color shift the feel?

Beverly Todd

B.Todd.Arts | Santa Fe Artist Getaway