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July Art Challenge

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It’s time for the July Art Challenge! 🎨🗓Each month, we follow a set of art prompts that are open to interpretation. The goal is to build an art practice that helps us explore new ideas and experience joy through self expression. Sometimes we need a little boost to remind us to create! All ages and skill levels are welcome. Use any media: pencil, paint, photography, 💃🏽 dance…it’s up to you. Grab a sketchbook and jump in anywhere, anytime.


❤️New this month! My daughters have been involved in this challenge for years, and my eldest volunteered to create all the line art shown around the July calendar. ❤️💃🏻


If you have children in your life, these prompts are made for you. 👩‍👧Share the daily prompt with your child and see what happens! 💫For summertime trips and downtime, the challenge can be your daily creative companion, giving your family an artsy brain break.

💃🏼HOW TO PLAY >>

  1. . Find a sketchbook or stack of paper. Beyond that, use any materials you like. Paint, pencil, collage papers, dirt. It’s up to you. You could even go paper-free and make this a photo challenge.
  2. If you’re on Instagram, you can follow and join the challenge there, too. Tag me @tinkerlab so I can reshare your posts in my stories. Upload your photos with the hashtags #tinkerlabartchallenge and #tinkersketch > July Art Challenge on Instagram
  3. Have Fun!
  4. Starts July 1

Cut and Paste Prompt List for the July Art Challenge

If you’d rather cut and paste the list into a document or something else, here’s the full list for the July Art Challenge:

  1. parallel
  2. torn
  3. air
  4. crack
  5. glitzy
  6. vintage
  7. equal
  8. yummy
  9. crush
  10. tangle
  11. wild
  12. spiral
  13. fresh
  14. dust
  15. dance
  16. walk
  17. east
  18. dinner
  19. wheel
  20. lazy
  21. diamond
  22. fuzzy
  23. even
  24. zigzag
  25. story
  26. clock
  27. spare
  28. zoom
  29. bubble
  30. texture
  31. orbit

FAQ

What is the TinkerSketch Art Challenge?

TinkerSketch is a daily sketchbook practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.

Who is this Art Challenge for?

Anyone who wants a creative art boost. The stakes are low and it’s super easy to do, even if you have no experience or low confidence with making.

How much time will it take?

While you can spend as much time at this as you like, just set aside 5-10 minutes each day and you’re in business.

I need some tips for carving out 5-10 minutes

  • Carry a sketchbook in your bag and pull it out when you’re waiting in line
  • Designate “creative time” where you and your child draw in sketchbooks side-by-side
  • Wake up a little earlier than usual. You can make this more pleasant by lighting a candle, brewing tea, and sitting with your sketchbook for a few minutes before the rest of your home wakes up

What’s the goal?

  • Improve your drawing, painting, mark-making skills
  • Try and explore new ways of art-making
  • Land on new ideas that wouldn’t have emerged otherwise
  • Have fun
  • Model creative thinking for your child (if you’re a parent or teacher)
  • Celebrate the imperfection of your ideas
  • Think creatively

What Tools Will I Need?

  • A sketchbook or a ream of paper. Even post-its or old receipts will work.
  • Mark-making tools like pens and pencils
  • Paint and brush
  • “Attaching” materials such as glue and tape will come in handy
  • Collage materials such as scrap paper, newspaper, old homework, or magazines.
  • Anything else that strikes your fancy. We’ve used hole punchers, chalk markers, tea, and okra (they make beautiful stamps).

See our Resources Page for a full list of recommended supplies for tinkering, art journal keeping, and art making with kids.

Can I see Examples of How this Works?

To see images from TinkerSketch past, click over here or search Instagram for #tinkersketch. You’ll see so many inspiring entries.

How do I interpret the prompts?

You can interpret the daily prompts however you want. “Drips” to one person may mean flicking watercolors off a toothbrush and to another person it might mean covering a page in marker and then leaving the page outside on a drizzly morning. You can take the prompts literally or not — this is completely up to you.

June Art Challenge from TinkerLab

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It’s time for the June Art Challenge! 🎨🗓Each month, we follow a set of art prompts that are open to interpretation with a goal is to build an art practice that helps us explore new ideas and experience joy through self expression. Sometimes we need a little boost to remind us to create! All ages and skill levels are welcome. Use any media: pencil, paint, photography, 💃🏽 dance…it’s up to you.

If you have children or if you’re a teacher, these prompts are made for you. 👩‍👧Share the daily prompt with your child and see what happens! 💫If your summer is kicking off, the challenge can be your daily creative companion, giving your family a an artsy brain break. Plus, sketchbooks 🧳 travel well and this is easy to take on the road. For family bonding, we’re fans of setting of side-by-side collaborative sketchbook time. Mamas, maybe you need your own creative break? Gift yourself a sketchbook and a few minutes daily of pure “me time”.🤫📝

Don’t worry if you miss days…just join when you can. Inspire your imagination to fly and leave perfection at the door. This is all about process, play, and experimentation.

Grab the May Art Challenge image and save to your phone or desktop. Print it out and glue into your art journal. Re-share on your Instagram wall. Post to Facebook. Art challenges are more fun with friends, so be sure to ask a buddy to join you.

💃🏼HOW TO PLAY >>

  1. . Find a sketchbook or stack of paper. Beyond that, use any materials you like. Paint, pencil, collage papers, dirt. It’s up to you. You could even go paper-free and make this a photo challenge.
  2. If you’re on Instagram, you can follow and join the challenge there, too. Tag me @tinkerlab so I can reshare your posts in my stories. Upload your photos with the hashtags #tinkerlabartchallenge and #tinkersketch > June Art Challenge on Instagram
  3. Have Fun!
  4. Starts June 1

Cut and Paste Prompt List for the June Art Challenge

If you’d rather cut and paste the list into a document or something else, here’s the full list for the May Art Challenge:

  1. Fruit
  2. Middle
  3. Mismatched
  4. Whimsy
  5. White
  6. Roll
  7. Curve
  8. Moon
  9. Chaos
  10. Gravity
  11. Mistake
  12. Crown
  13. Sign
  14. Salt and Pepper
  15. Uneven
  16. Growth
  17. Blank
  18. Minute
  19. Warm
  20. Flower
  21. Out of Focus
  22. Splash of Color
  23. Magnify
  24. On my Table
  25. Typography
  26. Memento
  27. Pastel
  28. Contrast
  29. Numbers
  30. Endless

FAQ

What is the TinkerSketch Art Challenge?

TinkerSketch is a daily sketchbook practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.

Who is this Art Challenge for?

Anyone who wants a creative art boost. The stakes are low and it’s super easy to do, even if you have no experience or low confidence with making.

How much time will it take?

While you can spend as much time at this as you like, just set aside 5-10 minutes each day and you’re in business.

I need some tips for carving out 5-10 minutes

  • Carry a sketchbook in your bag and pull it out when you’re waiting in line
  • Designate “creative time” where you and your child draw in sketchbooks side-by-side
  • Wake up a little earlier than usual. You can make this more pleasant by lighting a candle, brewing tea, and sitting with your sketchbook for a few minutes before the rest of your home wakes up

What’s the goal?

  • Improve your drawing, painting, mark-making skills
  • Try and explore new ways of art-making
  • Land on new ideas that wouldn’t have emerged otherwise
  • Have fun
  • Model creative thinking for your child (if you’re a parent or teacher)
  • Celebrate the imperfection of your ideas
  • Think creatively

What Tools Will I Need?

  • A sketchbook or a ream of paper. Even post-its or old receipts will work.
  • Mark-making tools like pens and pencils
  • Paint and brush
  • “Attaching” materials such as glue and tape will come in handy
  • Collage materials such as scrap paper, newspaper, old homework, or magazines.
  • Anything else that strikes your fancy. We’ve used hole punchers, chalk markers, tea, and okra (they make beautiful stamps).

See our Resources Page for a full list of recommended supplies for tinkering, art journal keeping, and art making with kids.

Can I see Examples of How this Works?

To see images from TinkerSketch past, click over here or search Instagram for #tinkersketch. You’ll see so many inspiring entries.

How do I interpret the prompts?

You can interpret the daily prompts however you want. “Drips” to one person may mean flicking watercolors off a toothbrush and to another person it might mean covering a page in marker and then leaving the page outside on a drizzly morning. You can take the prompts literally or not — this is completely up to you.

May Art Challenge from TinkerLab

By 3 Comments

May Art Challenge

It’s time for the May Art Challenge! 🎨🗓Each month, we follow a set of art prompts that are open to interpretation. Our goal is to build an art practice that helps us explore new ideas and experience joy through self expression. Sometimes we need a little boost to remind us to create!

All ages and skill levels are welcome. I’m trying something new this month with a calendar format. Do you prefer this or the previous list style? LMK!


If you have children or if you’re a teacher, these prompts are made for you. 👩‍👧Share the daily prompt with your child and see what they come up with! 💫We’re also fans of setting up side-by-side collaborative sketchbook time, and even pure “me time” if you need your own little art break. 🤫📝


Don’t worry if you miss days…just join us when you can. Inspire your imagination to fly and leave perfection at the door. This is all about process, play, and experimentation.

Grab the May Art Challenge image and save to your phone or desktop. Print it out and glue into your art journal. Re-share on your Instagram wall. Post to Facebook. Art challenges are more fun with friends, so be sure to ask a buddy to join you.

No experience necessary. Kids and adults welcome.


💃🏼HOW TO PLAY >>
1. Find a sketchbook or stack of paper. Beyond that, use any materials you like. Paint, pencil, collage papers, dirt. It’s up to you. You could even go paper-free and make this a photo challenge.

2. If you’re on Instagram, you can follow and join the challenge there, too. Tag me @tinkerlab so I can reshare your posts in my stories. Upload your photos with the hashtags #tinkerlabartchallenge and #tinkersketch > May Art Challenge on Instagram

3. Invite friends to join you because, well, it’s more fun with friends. Plus, an accountability partner will keep you going. 💫👯‍♀️

4. Have fun!

Starts May 1.

Cut and Paste Prompt List for the May Art Challenge

If you’d rather cut and paste the list into a document or something else, here’s the full list for the May Art Challenge:

  1. Giant
  2. Bump
  3. Water
  4. Window
  5. Sparkle
  6. Old
  7. Straight
  8. Time
  9. Mask
  10. Multiple
  11. Cloud
  12. Boundary
  13. Sand
  14. Sweet
  15. Drop
  16. Moon
  17. Angle
  18. Square
  19. Road
  20. Arrow
  21. Wrong
  22. Salty
  23. Curves
  24. Puzzle
  25. Shadow
  26. Active
  27. Secret
  28. Monochrome
  29. North
  30. Welcome
  31. Doodle

FAQ

What is the TinkerSketch Art Challenge?

TinkerSketch is a daily sketchbook practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.

Who is this Art Challenge for?

Anyone who wants a creative art boost. The stakes are low and it’s super easy to do, even if you have no experience or low confidence with making.

How much time will it take?

While you can spend as much time at this as you like, just set aside 5-10 minutes each day and you’re in business.

I need some tips for carving out 5-10 minutes

  • Carry a sketchbook in your bag and pull it out when you’re waiting in line
  • Designate “creative time” where you and your child draw in sketchbooks side-by-side
  • Wake up a little earlier than usual. You can make this more pleasant by lighting a candle, brewing tea, and sitting with your sketchbook for a few minutes before the rest of your home wakes up

What’s the goal?

  • Improve your drawing, painting, mark-making skills
  • Try and explore new ways of art-making
  • Land on new ideas that wouldn’t have emerged otherwise
  • Have fun
  • Model creative thinking for your child (if you’re a parent or teacher)
  • Celebrate the imperfection of your ideas
  • Think creatively

What Tools Will I Need?

  • A sketchbook or a ream of paper. Even post-its or old receipts will work.
  • Mark-making tools like pens and pencils
  • Paint and brush
  • “Attaching” materials such as glue and tape will come in handy
  • Collage materials such as scrap paper, newspaper, old homework, or magazines.
  • Anything else that strikes your fancy. We’ve used hole punchers, chalk markers, tea, and okra (they make beautiful stamps).

See our Resources Page for a full list of recommended supplies for tinkering, art journal keeping, and art making with kids.

Can I see Examples of How this Works?

To see images from TinkerSketch past, click over here or search Instagram for #tinkersketch. You’ll see so many inspiring entries.

How do I interpret the prompts?

You can interpret the daily prompts however you want. “Drips” to one person may mean flicking watercolors off a toothbrush and to another person it might mean covering a page in marker and then leaving the page outside on a drizzly morning. You can take the prompts literally or not — this is completely up to you.

TinkerLab May Art Challenge

April Art Challenge

By 4 Comments

Join me for a month of open-ended art making in the April TinkerSketch Art Challenge.

I have some exciting news to share!

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may remember the TinkerSketch art challenge. This month-long challenge invited makers of all ages to show up for a daily dose of art making. The open-ended prompts could be interpreted in numerous ways and sketches only needed to take 5 minutes. The best part was seeing all of the experiments, iterations, and while it wasn’t the goal, works of real beauty.

In the process of writing my second book and creating a preschool art class, this fun project had to take a little rest. But I missed it so. The paint, sketchbooks, splotches, rips, creative thinking. All of it.

And now, sweet friends, I’m bringing the TinkerSketch Art Challenge back! I can’t promise it will stick around for ages, but my hope is that it will. Next month brings the beginning of my next book project, but I already have May’s prompts in the hopper, so stick around and join me for what promises to be an enriching month of making.

No experience necessary. Kids and adults welcome.

April Art Challenge

Are you feeling inspired? We’re starting the month with circles, my favorite. Circles are one of the first symbols most children draw, and it’s an easy place to begin.

Copy this image and save to your phone or desktop. Print it out and glue into your art journal. Re-share on your Instagram wall. Post to Facebook. Art challenges are more fun with friends, so be sure to ask a buddy to join you.

April TinkerLab Art Challenge

FAQ

What is the TinkerSketch Art Challenge?

TinkerSketch is a daily sketchbook practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.

Who is this Art Challenge for?

Anyone who wants a creative art boost. The stakes are low and it’s super easy to do, even if you have no experience or low confidence with making.

How much time will it take?

While you can spend as much time at this as you like, just set aside 5-10 minutes each day and you’re in business.

I need some tips for carving out 5-10 minutes

  • Carry a sketchbook in your bag and pull it out when you’re waiting in line
  • Designate “creative time” where you and your child draw in sketchbooks side-by-side
  • Wake up a little earlier than usual. You can make this more pleasant by lighting a candle, brewing tea, and sitting with your sketchbook for a few minutes before the rest of your home wakes up

What’s the goal?

  • Improve your drawing, painting, mark-making skills
  • Try and explore new ways of art-making
  • Land on new ideas that wouldn’t have emerged otherwise
  • Have fun
  • Model creative thinking for your child (if you’re a parent or teacher)
  • Celebrate the imperfection of your ideas
  • Think creatively

What Tools Will I Need?

  • A sketchbook or a ream of paper. Even post-its or old receipts will work.
  • Mark-making tools like pens and pencils
  • Paint and brush
  • “Attaching” materials such as glue and tape will come in handy
  • Collage materials such as scrap paper, newspaper, old homework, or magazines.
  • Anything else that strikes your fancy. We’ve used hole punchers, chalk markers, tea, and okra (they make beautiful stamps).

See our Resources Page for a full list of recommended supplies for tinkering, art journal keeping, and art making with kids.

Can I see Examples of How this Works?

To see images from TinkerSketch past, click over here or search Instagram for #tinkersketch. You’ll see so many inspiring entries.

How do I interpret the prompts?

You can interpret the daily prompts however you want. “Drips” to one person may mean flicking watercolors off a toothbrush and to another person it might mean covering a page in marker and then leaving the page outside on a drizzly morning. You can take the prompts literally or not — this is completely up to you.

March Art Challenge

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March Art Challenge

TinkerSketch is a daily sketchbook practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.Print out the prompts and tape them into your child’s sketchbook, or your own. Interpret the prompts as a family. Invite your class to have a drawing warm-up when the walk in (this is a great way to focus energy).

You’ll start each day with a new prompt and it’s up to you to interpret it however you like. For example, if the prompt is “stormy”, you could draw a picture of a storm, use colors that remind you of a storm, or make expressive marks that feel like they were created in a storm. The possibilities are endless.

Don’t worry about the outcomes and allow yourself to play! Our goal is to have a great time with no judgement.

How to use the Art Challenge Prompts

  1. Print out the prompts. You can screen grab the image above or scroll down for a PDF printable.
  2. Gather sketchbooks or paper
  3. Gather art-making materials: markers, paint, collage papers, glue, etc.
  4. Give yourself a few minutes each day for this challenge. Try the morning after breakfast, after school, after dinner, before bed, etc.
  5. Interpret the daily prompt. Use your imagination, be free, don’t hold back, and have fun.
  6. Reshare on your Instagram wall or post to Facebook with the #tinkersketch hashtag. Art challenges are more fun with friends, so be sure to ask a buddy to join you.

Cut and Paste Prompt List

  1. square
  2. fluffy
  3. opposite
  4. bump
  5. splash of color
  6. angle
  7. boundary
  8. fire
  9. bird’s eye view
  10. hatch marks
  11. flora
  12. night
  13. vertical lines
  14. name that tune
  15. spice
  16. toys
  17. monochrome
  18. receipt
  19. in between
  20. news
  21. straight
  22. contrast
  23. symmetrical
  24. destination
  25. dessert
  26. architecture
  27. giant
  28. broad strokes
  29. open
  30. change
  31. fast

Art Challenge FAQ

What is the TinkerSketch Art Challenge?

TinkerSketch is a daily sketchbook practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.

Who is this Art Challenge for?

Anyone who wants a creative art boost. The stakes are low and it’s super easy to do, even if you have no experience or low confidence with making.

How much time will it take?

While you can spend as much time at this as you like, just set aside 5-10 minutes each day and you’re in business. By committing to a daily art practice, you’ll experience artistic improvement and personal growth. If you have extra time, you could always dive in for longer, but try to dedicate just a few daily minutes if you’d like to see lasting results.

I need some tips for carving out 5-10 minutes

  • Carry a sketchbook in your bag and pull it out when you’re waiting in line
  • Designate “creative time” where you and your child draw in sketchbooks side-by-side
  • Wake up a little earlier than usual. You can make this more pleasant by lighting a candle, brewing tea, and sitting with your sketchbook for a few minutes before the rest of your home wakes up

What’s the goal?

  • Improve your drawing, painting, mark-making skills
  • Try and explore new ways of art-making
  • Land on new ideas that wouldn’t have emerged otherwise
  • Have fun
  • Model creative thinking for your child (if you’re a parent or teacher)
  • Celebrate the imperfection of your ideas
  • Think creatively

What Tools Will I Need?

  • A sketchbook or a ream of paper. Even post-its or old receipts will work.
  • Mark-making tools like pens and pencils
  • Paint and brush
  • “Attaching” materials such as glue and tape will come in handy
  • Collage materials such as scrap paper, newspaper, old homework, or magazines.
  • Anything else that strikes your fancy. We’ve used hole punchers, chalk markers, tea, and okra (they make beautiful stamps).
  • Our favorite supplies are listed below.

Printable of the March Art Challenge

Grab your PDF printable here >> Download the March prompts here (PDF)

February Art Challenge

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You guys…I am so excited to say that the TinkerSketch challenge is back! Brace yourself for another round of fun and easy-to-achieve sketchbook challenges for the month of February. Will you join me?

First of all, this challenge takes place on Instagram, so you’ll want to start by following TinkerLab over there.

Next, you’ll want all the details. Read on for more…

What’s the TinkerSketch Sketchbook Challenge?

TinkerSketch is a daily sketchbook practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.

Who is this Sketchbook Challenge for?

If you’d like to jump-start your creativity with a daily mark-making routine or establish a more regular art journalling practice, this challenge is for you. The stakes are low and it’s super easy to do, even if you have no experience or low confidence with making. And if you’re busy, the time commitment is minimal.

You might have had some time to nurture your creative soul at some point in your not-too-distant past, but with kids, work, chores, responsibilities, name your excuse, you don’t have a lot of time for the creative YOU.

The goal of this challenge is to make time (even if it’s just a tiny bit) to celebrate your creative self through hands-on making.

painting on sketchbook

If you join this sketchbook challenge, you’ll:

  • Improve your drawing, painting, mark-making skills
  • Try and explore new ways of art-making
  • Land on new ideas that wouldn’t have emerged otherwise
  • Have fun
  • Model creative thinking for your child (if you’re a parent or teacher)
  • Celebrate the imperfection of your ideas
  • Think creatively
  • Give yourself the gift of time

How long will it take?

While you can spend as much time at this as you like, just set aside five-ten minutes each day aside for making, creating, and experimenting and you’re in business.

Great, but 5 minutes is still a lot!

There are so many ways to do this. For example, you could:

  • Wake up a little earlier than usual, brew a pot of something warm, and curl up with your sketchbook for a few minutes before the rest of your home wakes up
  • Carry a sketchbook in your bag and pull it out when you’re waiting in line
  • Designate “creative time” where you and your child draw in sketchbooks side-by-side

Join the TinkerSketch Sketchbook Challenge at TinkerLab.com.

I’m REALLY not an artist. Are you sure this is for me?

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan

This is for everyone, truly, and you are not expected to make a masterpiece with this practice. Rather, the point is to unleash your creative energy. Your creations don’t have to be works of amazing art, and in fact they probably shouldn’t be all that spectacular, especially if you’re pushing yourself to try something new, experiment, and be bold. Be confident with whatever you create, knowing that you’re on a journey to feed your creativity.

What Sketchbook and Tools will I Need?

While you can certainly go all-out and buy a ton of stuff for this month’s challenge, it’s not necessary. I’ll share some of my favorite tools in a minute, but you will basically need just a few things, and there’s a good chance you already have them:

  • You will need a sketchbook or a ream of paper
  • Some mark-making tools like pens and pencils
  • Paint and brush
  • “Attaching” materials such as glue and tape will come in handy
  • Collage materials such as scrap paper, newspaper, old homework, or magazines.

This list contains affiliate links

Sketchbooks

My best advice is to visit an art store and test out sketchbooks to see which one feels right to you. That said, here are a few tips.

  • Size. Find a size that fits your situation. If you think you’ll take your sketchbook on the road, find something small enough to travel in your bag
  • Paper. Choose paper that is heavy weight and designed to withstand water and wet media. Look for the weight of paper in terms of how many pounds it is: the higher the number, the heavier the weight. Something over 70 lbs. should do the trick
  • Spiral or book-bound. Do you think you’d enjoy a spiral-bound book or traditional binding more? I recommend spiral binding because the pages lie flat easily. Some people like traditional binding more because they can design/paint/draw a double-page spread without having a gap between the pages.
  • My favorite Sketchbooks. I have two favorites in this category for working with both wet and dry media. Both of these books can handle paint. Strathmore Visual Journal is made of heavy duty paper (90 pound weight), perfect for mixed media, and comes in a few sizes. For easy, on-th-go journaling, I like the 5.5″ x 8″ journal at $6.89. I also like the Canson Mix Media journal that’s 7″ x 10″ for $8.19.  A friend just gave me a Stillman & Birn Zeta series and I love it. The paper is 180 lb.

My Favorite Mark-Making Tools

Get yourself a few pens that you love to use, and be sure to have at least one waterproof, archival pen in the mix so that you can paint over your pen lines without worrying about your drawing bleeding with water. Micron Pens are a designer favorite (and mine, too!), and they come in tons of sizes and colors.

See our Resources Page for a full list of recommended supplies for tinkering, art journal keeping, and art making with kids.

Join the TinkerSketch Sketchbook Challenge at TinkerLab.com.

Will there be any support?

For each day of the challenge we’ll share our own daily entry on Instagram (don’t forget to follow me!), along with a few extra ideas in case you need a little bit of inspiration. I encourage everyone who joins the challenge to leave supportive comments on other participants’ images. Since it can be hard to put ourselves out there, it’s always nice to receive a friendly pat on the back when pushed outside our comfort zone.

Do I Have to Share my Work?

No sharing required! Some of us are motivated by sharing, since having others look at our work holds us accountable and we enjoy the feedback and community of sharing. However, you can follow the daily challenge, even peek in on other people’s work on Instagram, and never share a thing.

Can I do this with my Kids?

Yep!

Join the TinkerSketch Sketchbook Challenge at TinkerLab.com. Kids welcome!

Can I see Examples of How this Works?

To see images from TinkerSketch past, click over here or search Instagram for #tinkersketch. You’ll see so many inspiring entries.

I’m in! How do I do this?

  1. Print out or bookmark the list you see at the top of this page or below. Each day has a new prompt that will inspire you to make something.
  2. Interpret the Prompt: You can interpret the daily prompts however you want. “Drips” to one person may mean flicking watercolors off a toothbrush and to another person it might mean covering a page in marker and then leaving the page outside on a drizzly morning. You can take them literally or not — this is completely up to you. If you’re really at a loss, leave a comment below and we’ll help you noodle through it.
  3. Make stuff: You could put all your ideas into a sketchbook (it is called a sketchbook challenge, after all), loose leaf paper, post-it notes, or something else.
  4. Share it! This challenge can be a totally private affair and you never have to let a soul know that you’re working on it, or you could share your creations with others. I’m a private person, but I find that sharing things like this actually motivates me to work harder. If you’re up for it, we invite you to share your daily sketches on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus. Basically, wherever you like to drop your social media mat. Simply tag your image or post with #tinkersketch, and you could also ping us at @tinkerlab to let other people know about the challenge
  5. Tell others. If you could use some back-up, share the Sketchbook Challenge calendar image from this post on Instagram or with a friend, and encourage others to join you on this fun, creative journey.
  6. Support others. Take a moment to cruise around and look at other images that are tagged with #tinkersketch, and leave a supportive comment to build community and basically make someone else feel great about the effort they’re putting into their creative journey.

If you want to jump-start your creativity and start your art journal practice, join us for the FREE TinkerSketch Sketchbook Challenge in February 2015 at TinkerLab.com