Scribble and Doodle

Crayons and pastels can be wonderful media to just start scribbling on the paper with. You can try it with your non-dominant hand if you just need to get the juices flowing, but you don't know what to do. Just feeling the pressure of the crayon on the paper and noticing your body while you do it is a good somatic exercise in-and-of itself. See what you notice after letting yourself scribble like a little kid and then use the somatic awareness exercise to process it if need be.

After letting yourself scribble you can begin to look at the lines and shapes with your imagination and see if you notice anything. This is a wonderful way to allow your subconscious mind to offer hints and clues to how you are feeling, what is going on or even intuitive answers to questions. I have found magical creatures hidden within these lines as well as faces and shapes and objects. The unconscious mind works in symbols rather than words. Words are often a secondary step that requires our left brain to decipher these hidden images in order to give them words, descriptions and labels. This is why I often begin with drawing and painting and then let the words flow from them.

Crayons, oil pastels and china markers also make a wonderful resist material to paint over. After scribbling &/or drawing, use watercolor, tempera or fluid acrylic paint to wash over your drawing. If you wipe it off quickly then the waxy lines will show through the paint to create a rich effect.