Hi friends! It’s Missy Briggs again. You can find me at missybriggs.com or via Instagram @missybriggs. 

Today I’d love to share some boredom busters that can help keep you motivated with your art journaling. Sketching and doodling is so great for your mental health and to keep the creativity flowing! Let’s get started with a few boredom-busting ideas!

Materials:

• Archer & Olive A5 Night Sky Dot Grid Notebook
• Archer & Olive A5 Morning Sun Blank Sketchbook
• Tombow Dual Brush Pen, Black
• Pencil

You can use either a dot grid or blank pages notebook for sketch journaling. Your preference! When you shop Archer & Olive, don’t forget to use my code MISSY10 for 10% off your purchase. 

Add to it: Doodle Exercise

Sometimes it’s hard to get started with a new drawing or idea. But what if someone started it off for you? I’ve created this simple four sketch downloadable prompt to get you going. 

And here’s a quick video of how I might finish these doodles. There’s no wrong or right way to do this. Just continue the line drawings!

Draw a Line: Sketching Exercise

Now try to release yourself from any high-expectations and just sketch! First, doodle a random squiggly line on a blank page of your journal. 

Take a minute to decide how you want to finish this drawing. Turn your line into a tree, a funny character… or anything you see! This exercise is meant to make you think outside the box and get creative!

Timed Drawing Exercise

This exercise is one of my favorites and you’re about to see why!

Sit in front of a window in your home with your journal and a pencil. Set a timer for 10 seconds and draw what you see out the window or the window itself plus the view. Repeat this exercise while setting your timer for 30 seconds, 60 seconds and 5 minutes. You can adjust timing as you prefer. This one was done in 60 seconds, 2 minutes, 5 minutes and 10 minutes.

Bonus idea: Instead of looking out your window, set up a still life on a table. Use books, fruits or a vase with flowers as a subject.

I love setting up a still life in my studio and sketching using this exercise. The first few sketches that are only seconds long are quick and you don’t have time to evaluate what you’re doing… you just goooo! No procrastination. No judgement!

I hope these boredom-busting sketching exercises have gotten you inspired to try your own sketch journal this summer! If you tag me with your creation on Instagram I would love to re-share it!