How Art Sparks Works

To get unstuck and start painting again:

1. Pick one card from each deck randomly, or intentionally select specific cards. 

2. First, pick a Subject card.

3. Then select one or more Design cards to organize your composition.

4. Choose one or more Technique cards for your painting process.

5. Draw a Color card to determine your palette.

6. Or simply pick a Subject card and a Technique card to explore. 

For a warmup or loosening exercise:

• Choose a Technique card to try before you begin to work on a new painting. 

• Select a Color card to try a new color palette combination and make a color chart. 

To experiment on an unfinished/unloved painting:

• Choose a Technique card like T-19 Rice Paper Collage. You can cover up an unsuccessful part of the painting with rice paper and paint over it. 

• Or choose a Technique card like T-7 Glazing and selectively glaze to change the value or color contrasts in your painting.

To play with different techniques and materials:

• Pick a Technique card at random and try it.

• Or sort through the Technique deck to find a new technique you would like to explore in your painting. 

To paint a series on the same subject:

• Select a different Design card for each painting.

• Choose a different Technique card or a few techniques to create a new version of your series subject.

• Explore different Color card choices, for example, make a warm or cool dominance version or choose a palette triad you don’t normally use.

To plan a new painting:

• Review each deck and pick at least one card from each deck: your Subject, Design, Technique, and Color palette.