It’s hard to find the time to be creative, whether we run busy lives or we’ve booked a holiday but feel a little guilty for having that ‘me’ time. These ideas will inspire your creativity and reignite that creative spark, injecting a little more spontaneity next time you’re on the go.
1. Don’t forget your sketchbook
Before you even head out, be sure to pack your sketchbook. This travelling essential will capture those on the go moments whether you’re travelling for work or on a creative vacation.
2. Take in the scenery
Next time you hit the road, take some inspo from the scenery like this idea. Whether you take a photo or you’re lucky enough to quickly create something on the spot, inspire your creativity next time you’re on the go with something from an alternative point of view.
3. Colourful sketches
You don’t need to set aside hours and hours of time to be creative, next time you lace up your runners for a morning or evening walk, reach for a sketchpad and a few pencils and try creating your own colourful sketch like this idea. Quickly sketch up what you see en plein air style, whether it’s a building, a bridge or even a park bench and take some well earnt time out.
4. Go off the grid
We love this idea of a large sky, towering above a road. If you’re travelling to a remote or rural area, you can capture the wide-open road by playing with composition and dominance in your landscapes and turn your boring vacay into a creative vacation.
5. Set aside some time to create
Holidays are a great way to inspire creativity, but they can be jam packed and full of sights to see, so why not set aside a little down time? We love this idea of a painted beach scene, but if you can’t get your hands on a little travelling watercolour set, sketch up what you see and play with markers or coloured pencils.
6. Pick up the brushes
If you’ve popped the kids to bed and have some rare but spare ‘me’ time, have fun and challenge yourself to a one-point perspective like this idea. Sketch out your horizon, pop in the vanishing point (where the road will end) and sketch up your road. Then pick up the paints and have a play. Experiment with texture like this idea with shrubs and trees or just see what you come up with and enjoy the spare time to be creative.
7. Add some fun
Image: topherkearby
Landscapes of long, roads don’t have to be boring. In fact, just playing with different colours and mediums are just two ways to inspire creativity. Add some colour and life into your landscapes like this idea and play with textures and bold colours or try a whole new medium like oil pastels, gouache or pastel pencils.
8. Holiday blues
Image: cssandraw
If you’re feeling the holiday blues post-vacay, why not create something to remember it. Snap some photos of your road trips or travels then paint, draw or sketch what you saw. Not only will this create a nice piece to remember your holiday, but it’ll also lets you relive a bit of the holiday magic and inspire your creativity again.
9. Sketch up a scene to paint later
Image: art.by.tess
We love this idea, turning a boring car ride into something inspiring and creative by sketching the view. Though playing with paints in the car isn’t ideal (we applaud you if you do!) Sketch the scene in a diary or sketch pad and come back to it later to paint.
10. Try an abstract take
Heading outdoors? Inspire your creativity and challenge yourself to an abstract take on the landscape next time you’re out and about. Reach for unusual colours and try painting in another style or of a more abstract way and see what you come up with. We love this impressionist style idea, showing the beauty of a sunset in nature.
11. Play with different media
Image: akivalistman
If on the go looks a little more like a mundane commute, you can still find ways to inspire creativity. You can create a still life from a lot of common things around on public transport. Try seats like this idea, roads, train tracks, buildings, even escalators can make for interesting sketches. Play up with a different medium like fine liners, paint markers and coloured pencils or get creative with what you draw on and try linens, fabrics, newspapers or old bus timetables.
12. Gouache travels
Image: pear_kunn
Create your own gouache studies like this idea! Inspire your creativity and capture a moment on the train, walking to work or in the park and have a go at painting them in gouache. Similar to watercolour, this medium is a dream to use and it can create some stunning effects, just a little more opaque!
13. Turn to nature
Image: kikimous3
Next time you’re out and about, take a moment to stop by in nature and sketch what you see. Whether it’s in the park, or sitting in the shade under a tree, take some time out in nature and sketch what you see.
14. Dip into watercolours
Image: miriam_deck_art
You really don’t need every colour under the sun to create, especially when it comes to travelling, you probably don’t want to be carrying 75 different colours. This watercolour idea uses a fairly neutral colour palette and it looks just as stunning.
15. Try miniature
Image: euniceso_art
Next time you’re out creating, challenge yourself and inspire your creativity with scale like this idea. This snow bus ride looks extra special on a small canvas, don’t you think?
16. A new perspective
Image: mrym.artroom
If a creative vacation seems a little too distant right now, turn your perspective to the sky like this idea. You don’t need views of the Eiffel tower or the Statue of Liberty to create something magical, simply turning to the sky and painting what you can see, can show a whole new perspective.
17. Turn a boring commute into something fun
How cool is this idea! Drawing or painting (in this case it’s passengers on the subway) is a great way to not only hone in on your skills and practice but it’s also a great way to use your time to be creative. Although not everyone may carry a watercolour set, you can try drawing, sketching or even a line drawing, where you draw without taking your pen off of the page.
18. Go plein air
Image: stevetyermanartist
Swap an art journal for a canvas and venture into the outdoors plein air style. Whether you paint acrylic or oil, challenge yourself by painting in the great outdoors next time and inspire your creativity on the go.
Whether it’s a creative vacation, a walk in nature or just a commute to work, we hope these ideas inspire your creativity next time you’re on the go. Try these ideas for yourself and #montmarteart or tag us @montmarteart on Instagram or Facebook, we’d love to see what you create.
Still stuck? Get your markers out and try these easy drawing ideas.
