Unlocking Your Creativity: 23 Inspiring Painting Prompts For Artists
How To Find Inspiration With These Exciting Painting Prompts
It’s not uncommon to be stuck for ideas, especially if you’ve been making art for a long time. Every artist needs to use painting prompts once in a while – so we’ve put together an inspiring list to help you on your way.
When might you need to use painting prompts?
Painting prompts are valuable tools for artists of all levels, serving various purposes in their creative journey. They are especially helpful during creative blocks, sparking inspiration and fostering imagination.
Artists can use prompts to improve specific skills, experiment with different techniques, or explore themes and concepts in a focused manner. They can help with your daily art practice – providing consistent sources of inspiration.
Outside of your work, prompts can be utilised in art journaling, portfolio diversification, collaborative projects and even art therapy, aiding emotional expression and self-discovery. Designed to be open and unrestrictive; painting prompts encourage artists to interpret and adapt in order to achieve diverse outcomes they might have missed otherwise.
Regardless of experience, artists can benefit from painting prompts as they propel creative growth and encourage exploration in their artistic expression.
How do painting prompts help artists?
Art prompts can help on those occasions where you feel stuck. It’s very normal for artists to go through creative blocks or droughts, with these ideas helping to generate fresh inspiration. Sometimes, the prompts can unlock a potential idea you were already sitting on. All it takes is a little experimentation to kickstart your next inspiring project.
How do I find art prompts?
Art prompts are all around us – we just need to make ourselves available to them. Next time you’re on your journey to work; take note of your surroundings. By becoming fully aware and present – artists can pull ideas and inspirations from even the simplest of situations.
Beyond our own experiences – we can find art prompts on various platforms, including websites, social media groups, and art communities. Sites like Pinterest and DeviantArt offer numerous prompt collections – as well as actual visual inspiration.
Instagram hashtags such as #artprompts and #drawingprompts can also provide needed inspiration by connecting artists to a variety of art challenges. There’s also an abundance of online forums and art blogs that share regular prompt lists for creative stimulation.
Different types of painting prompts
There are so many different elements of life that we can take inspiration from. Some of us lean to certain avenues more than others. For example, visual learners may look to imagery and sight to generate their artistic ideas. Therefore, we’ve broken down our painting prompts by type: word-based, image-based and conceptual.
That’s not to say that you should stick to one type of prompt. In fact – these painting prompts work best when combined; allowing even more ideas to form.
Word-Based Prompts: Extracting Emotion from Language
Favourite word
Not everyone has a favourite word – but if you do, why not create some art from it?
A text or letter from someone
Creating art from a personal letter or text can create the most intimate and special work.
Thesaurus
Words are certainly very powerful and we discover new ones all the time. Check out an online thesaurus to find a different way to express what you’re thinking and build an art piece around that.
A conversation you overheard
A lot of the time, we rely on words to communicate. Next time you’re in a busy, public space – see if you can pick up on any notable verbal conversation that can inspire you’re next piece.
Song lyrics
Music definitely serves as an inspiration for a lot of artists, but do you ever focus on the lyrics? You can create a whole masterpiece based on a detailed experience or feeling that isn’t even yours.
Book titles
Books can often carry really interesting titles, offering a lot to be interpreted. Artists can run with the title of their favourite book or simply opt for one they like the sound of.
Poems
As an art form in themselves – poems can easily inspire your next magical painting. Use someone else’s poem to get you started, or perhaps try to write one yourself.
Word of the day
Can’t think of a single word to get you going? Check out the word of the day and force yourself to produce something creative that’s related to that word.
Image-Based Prompts: Visual Triggers for Artistic Expression
Photos from your last holiday
When we go away on holiday, we’re usually visiting places with some stunning scenery. Use these photos as your next painting prompt.
Old physical family photos
If you enjoy making personal art – do some digging to find some old family photos. You don’t have to simply draw or paint from these. Try scanning them in and reprinting to engage in some collaging and reworking.
39th photo on your phone
Scroll to the 39th photo on your phone and paint it. Once you’ve done that, pick another random number.
The view from your bedroom window
The imagery we paint from doesn’t need to be in photo form. Use the framing of your bedroom window as a picture in itself.
Zoomed in photos of nature
Nature is one of the most fascinating things on Earth. If you’re bored of painting plants and flowers, try zooming in so much that the image becomes abstract and unrecognisable.
Whatever is in front of you right now
We’re constantly exposed to imagery and visual prompts at all times. Take a moment to appreciate your surroundings and produce something creative from what you can see infront of you.
Re-imagination of your old work
Making artwork means creating an entirely new image. Take one of your older pieces and work on it with fresh eyes – updating the image that you started with.
Public domain images
If you’re looking for image inspiration – you should definitely check out those in the public domain. These can be painted, reworked or drawn without any copyright infringements, and there’s a whole bunch to choose from.
Conceptual Prompts: Encouraging Abstract Interpretations
Something you’ve lost
If something is lost – it’s likely you don’t have it to hand to paint from. Therefore, you’ll need to use your memory and imagination to recreate it in art form.
Your favourite memory
It might be hard to narrow it down to one memory alone – so perhaps consider creating a series out of a collection of pleasant and fond memories. The way in which you represent them is up to you. Some may choose to visually represent the space, people or objects involved, while others will want to portray the feeling of said memory using colours and shapes.
Your safe place
Depicting a place is a very popular art subject, whether it be a beach, a house or a cityscape. Shift your attention to a place that you call ‘safe’, like a garden hammock or a childhood bedroom.
Something you wish you could forget
Contrary to how you may feel about this topic – painting something you wish you could forget holds the potential to open up interesting and poignant discourse.
A recent dream
When we sleep, our brains come up with all sorts of weird and wonderful dreams that we would have never thought of otherwise. Use your latest dream as a perfect painting prompt that’s never been done before.
Your senses
For this art prompt – the artist will need to become fully present and engaged with their senses. You can focus on just one, for example; a painting based on the sensation of warm sun on the skin.
Something that made you laugh
Painting ideas don’t need to be grand and sophisticated – it could be as simple as something that made you laugh.
Other ways to get out of a creative block
A creative block can sometimes be a result of over-thinking and analysing. If your art is your main source of income; there can be a lot of pressure weighing over what you produce. This can therefore stunt your growth – as you stick to what works and makes money.
To break this cycle, try experimenting in ways that go against what you usually do. We’ve listed a few physical ideas below:
1. Produce a continuous line drawing where your pencil doesn’t leave the page whilst drawing.
2. Produce a whole painting using your non-dominant hand.
3. Close your eyes and draw a squiggle/shape. Open your eyes and produce a drawing from it.
4. Set yourself a target to use 6 different materials in one piece.
5. Make a collage using found materials at home. (newspaper, old letters, cloth, packaging, wrappers).
6. Half way through your painting, turn it upside down and finish it.
7. Only use a colour that you dislike and avoid.
Tips for Using Painting Prompts Effectively
Creating a Personalised Prompt Library
Having your own list of painting prompts can massively help next time the creative block hits. Compile a list of themes, emotions, and concepts that resonate with you. Incorporate your favourite colours, styles, and subjects. Add art-related quotes, images, and photos for visual inspiration. Organise the library for easy access to spark creativity whenever needed.
Combining Multiple Prompts for Unique Creations
Combining multiple prompts when using painting ideas is beneficial as it encourages artists to explore new dimensions and create unique, original artworks. It allows the fusion of diverse themes, styles, or emotions, fostering innovative and unexpected outcomes. This creative approach challenges artists to think outside the box, resulting in captivating creations that go beyond individual prompt limitations.
Embracing Imperfection and Allowing Spontaneity
The biggest point to keep in mind when using painting prompts is to release your hold on perfection. Rejecting the pressure on the final piece is essential for fostering creativity and freedom of expression. To do this, let go of the fear of making mistakes and allow yourself to experiment without strict expectations. Embrace the unpredictable nature of the creative process, and be open to spontaneous changes in your artwork.
This mindset encourages exploration, pushes boundaries, and often leads to surprising and unique artistic results that add depth and authenticity to your work. Remember that imperfections can be beautiful and add character to your art, making it more relatable and engaging for the viewers.
WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR PAINTING PROMPTS? LET US KNOW IN COMMENTS BELOW.
Also, don’t forget you can always share your art with us or tag us on Instagram – @darkyellowdot.
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Abstract Painting – Using Art Prompts To Be More Creative In Your Work
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Ro
Yeeeeeees, thank you for this!!! I was looking for prompts that were more than a list of prompt *words*, and this is ✨🙌 just the thing! Love it. Thanks!!!