• Tools and Techniques
• Making a Quill
• Making Marks to Music
  • Introduction
  • About Mark Making
  • Getting Started
  • Step 1 : Choosing your music for inspiration
  • Step 2 : Making marks to music
  • Step 3 : What should I do with my marks?
  • Suggestions - What next?
• Observing an Object
• Doodling
• Visiting an Art Gallery
• Drawing video

Introduction

 

Follow this making marks exercise to practise drawing a wide range of expressive marks with confidence, using music. Explore marks that express a response to musical sounds. Rather than drawing what you can see, you’ll draw what you feel. 

 

You will need :

• Any drawing tool, but having handy a range of drawing tools, for eg. pencils, pens, charcoal will make this exercise more varied and fun (- see ‘Tools & Techniques’ exercise for other ideas)
• Some plain paper, or a sketch book
• Your preferred choice of music 

 

What might this exercise offer? 

The Mark making to music exercise:

• Enables us to learn new techniques or sharpen existing skills

• May make our drawings more creative 

• Helps us to gain confidence in self expression

• Creates different ways of thinking, because we’ll be linking the marks we’re making to sounds that we’re hearing

• Broadens our understanding of what drawing is 

 

How long will the exercise take?

You can spend as long or as little time as you like on this.  We suggest you make yourself a tea or coffee and enjoy the time to yourself, immersed in this exercise.  Take as many breaks as you need.  Remember it’s a good idea when doing a creative exercise to have a break from it and come back to it with fresh eyes.