time required: 5+ minutes 

materials: paper, pen, pencil or paint

Just like we all have individual fingerprints or handwriting, the marks you make when doodling or drawing are specific to you and your “hand”.  Today you will experiment with mark making, the different lines, dots, marks, patterns, and textures in an artwork. It can be loose and gestural or controlled and neat. This exercise will exercise your “hand” and encourage it to stretch and expand in new directions, developing your visual language. Making marks is a practice in expanding your language of communication through line, shape, texture and form.  This language is part of your unique point of view.  Just as the three dot exercise forced your brain to think outside of the box, mark making will continue to stretch this muscle.

Using art materials that you have on hand, see how many different kinds of marks you can make on plain paper. Experiment with thick and thin lines, dots, lines, scribbles. Try cross hatching. Make different textures and get out of your comfort zone. Mark making can be fun and meditative and has hidden benefits. You can express and release emotions, develop your creative expression and individual style.