April TinkerSketch Art Challenge

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.

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.