Written by: Erika Echegoyen
With summer coming up, there will be more time to participate in hobbies, relaxation, and other activities that are not school-related. Whether you’re artistically inclined or are just looking for something new to get into, I’ve put together a list of creative activities that are bound to get your creative juices flowing. You don’t need to be able to draw a hyper-realistic face, nor have any fancy tools. All of these activities can be done with either things you already have, or some very basic, easily purchasable materials. So, without further ado, here are some ideas to bounce off of:
1. Make a zine: For those who don’t know, zines are short (either physical or digital) booklets/magazines that can be about whatever you decide! You can write about hobbies, books, movies, argumentative topics, a journal detailing a new personal exploration, stories — literally anything! It can contain photos, graphics, handwritten and typed text, collages, illustrations, stickers, etc. They are a great way to express your passions for whatever you want to discuss. You can start by asking yourself, “What is one thing that I can just keep talking about for a really long time?” There is no limit to how much you can write or how much you want to create.
2. Create a photo series/photo book: If you’re ever on a walk, traveling, or simply wanting to get outside, bring your camera with you (phone cameras will do)! All you need is to take tons of pictures of the things you see, whatever interests you, or you can even fabricate and set up your own scenes. You can focus on giving the series a theme, like “flowers,” “green,” “little objects,” “plastic,” “things that move,” etc. Once you have all the photos, you can print them and turn them into a physical book, or you can make a digital collection of them. Play around with page layout, mix and match designs, or even try photo editing (free software online can work well enough for basic edits).
3. Draw custom stickers: If you have sticker paper anywhere, this is an easy, fun way to make some use of it. You can make the stickers directly on the paper, of course, but if you happen to have a tablet or drawing software, you can also just make them digitally and print them out on the sticker paper. You can also make word art or typography designs on paper or in online software — a movie quote, a personal favorite saying, or a logo for your potential future business are a few of the countless options for this DIY project. Don’t be afraid to experiment with unique designs or silly ideas.
4. Make a one-page comic. In my illustration class, one of our projects was to make a one-page comic that followed the following prompt/structure:
a. Panel 1: Establishing shot
b. Panel 2: Character A enters the scene and is in the middle of an action
c. Panel 3: Character B enters the scene
d. Panel 4: Character B stops character A from completing an action
e. Panel 5: Character B leaves the scene
This is a simple prompt that can lead to a ton of ideas. You can play around with character design and get really into it, or you can keep it simple and tell a short, clever story with easy-to-draw characters. A great part of this exercise is being able to set an achievable goal (telling a story in one page) and seeing where it takes you.
Art is definitely a great way to wind down this summer, so try something new or get started on a project you’ve been thinking about doing for a while. Remember to make it your own and find freedom in the process, not perfection (which is something I definitely still have a hard time with). So whichever idea you choose to follow, or if you’ve sparked something completely different that you’re excited about, go and let that creativity shine!
Featured Image Caption: A person cutting a printed fish on paper. Photo courtesy of @rdne on Pexels.
