Activity #13: Draw to Draw Part 2
Finally, the time is here for us to learn how to make our own Draw to Draw prompts, which will enable you to play the Draw to Draw game whenever you feel like it! It is fun to have a set of prompts for your home or classroom too, as drawing is always more fun with those around you. If you missed Part 1 , where I cover the sketching process, I recommend you check it out first before diving into Part 2!
For this activity you will need:
a blank piece of paper or card stock
pens or markers in three different colours
scissors
three cups, envelopes, baggies (something to keep your prompts in when we are finished)
your big, beautiful imagination (and the imaginations of your family members)
a ruler (optional)
Follow these steps to create your set of Draw to Draw prompts.
Pick your three categories. Now, these prompts are to help you stretch both your imagination and your drawing skills, so having some solid categories to work from can make brainstorming your prompts much easier to do.
The three categories I use are VERBS (actions), CHARACTERISTICS (descriptive qualities), and WEAR (clothing, equipment, ect). You are welcome to use these categories as well, or pick your own based on your interests and skill level. Some other options are: ANIMALS, LOCATIONS, SUPER POWERS, HEROIC TRAITS, VEHICLES, COLOURS, COUNTRIES.
Pick three categories that stand out to you and list them on your paper, one colour per category (this will make it easier to keep track of things as we go). You can see my paper prepared with my three categories above.
Brainstorm prompt ideas for your categories. Aim for 10 prompts per category, but of course you are welcome to come up with as many as you like! I like to do this one category at a time, but you are welcome to record your prompts in whatever order you like. My process goes something like this:
I consider my first category, VERBS. I could just write down the verbs themselves (action words ending in -ing like laughing, walking, holding) but to make the prompts more interesting and visual I like to add details like “laughing at something funny”, “walking through a garden”, and “holding a tree” - see how much more visual and inspiring these are? I find them much more interesting to draw!
Once I have recorded 10 or more verbs, I move on to my second category, CHARACTERISTICS. These are visual, descriptive words referring to size, shape, and composition. Some examples from my list are “is gigantic”, “has lots of eyes”, and “breathing fire”. This is a great category to get very imaginative in and come up with silly or wondrous qualities. Once I have recorded 10 or more of those, I move onto my final category.
The WEAR category is pretty self-explanatory. Here you brainstorm lots of different clothing, equipment, even friends for your character! This is another category where embellishment really makes the final drawing fun and interesting. Consider instead of just “sword”, “shoes”, or “hat” using inventive adjectives like “glowing sword”, “fancy shoes” or “huge hat” to create more interesting drawings! You can see my completed prompt lists below.
3. We are going to get a little creative to help keep our prompt categories organized. First, fold your paper so that all three categories are separated by folds. (You can use your ruler to help with this step if you like!) Then we are going to flip the page over, and colour the backside of our lists with corresponding colours so we can easily tell which category the prompts belong in. Use three different colours and create whatever design you like. I chose to do vertical stripes. The most important thing is to make sure that the colour appears on the back of every prompt once you cut them out, so make sure your designs fill the page. You can see how I did this step in the photos below:
4. Now that our prompts are clearly visually organized, it is time to cut them out! Start by cutting out your three categories, then cut off the category labels from the top. Next cut your prompts out one at a time, making sure not to cut into any of your writing. You can ask a family member for help with this step if you need it. Here you can see how I cut out my prompts, and how the lines I added appear on the back of the prompt strips.
5. Now that you have lots of tiny pieces of paper, you’ll need somewhere to store them for use. I had three little plastic cups I keep mine in, but you could use envelopes, baggies, jars, whatever you have around you. Keep one colour/category in each container so you don’t have to sort them out every time you want to use them.
6. To use your prompts, close your eyes and pick one of each at random. Turn them face up and read them all together, picture all those qualities coming together, and try to draw what you see! For much more detailed instructions on this process, check out my post Activity #12: Draw to Draw Part 1. Remember that these are your prompts and your process, so you can use them however you like! Creativity is key here.
I just used my set to pull some more prompts, check them out and feel free to draw them if you want! As always, any of your creative works you share with me I will proudly display here in the student gallery.
