May Art Challenge

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

May Art Challenge

Are you feeling inspired? This month explores a new range of daily sketchbook prompts to get your imagination running. If you missed last month’s challenge, read this post for more details.

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.

If you’ve done this Month’s challenge before, there are a couple changes. Nothing major, so if you want to use an older list, that will work, too.

No experience necessary. Kids and adults welcome.

Cut and Paste Prompt List

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

On Instagram

Share your TinkerSketch creations over on Instagram with the hashtag #tinkersketch. You can see over 13,000 entries here.

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.

Start any time.