ArtatWork Activity Zine

Arts for Wellbeing Zine

Fun arts activites for our mental health in a challanging time.

Produced by ArtatWork's Art and Wellbeing group

CONTENTS

Poetry corner

Self esteem boosters

Colouring in pages

Arts and welbeing challenges

Poetry prompts

Resources

Website: www.artatwork.co.uk

Email:artatworknorwich@gmail.com

Facebook and Instagram ArtatWorkNorwich

Telephone: Melanie 07503633071. Holly 07503633061

Welcome to this 'zine' (a type of magazine) which ArtatWork have put

together to give you some arty ideas help with good mental health.

Most of the activities and colouring in pages have been designed by

participants and volunteers for you. Please email us about getting involved

as circumstances may change depending on government guidelines.

Please tag us #artatwork with anything you create.

Happy Colouring, Drawing, Cutting, Sticking,

Photographing, Making etc!!

Hello from ArtatWork

Just in case you've forgotten who we are!!

T H E F I V E W A Y S

T O W E L L B E I N G

The five ways to wellbeing are a set of five actions that individuals can do in

their everyday lives to improve wellbeing.

They were researched and developed by the New Economics Foundation.

The five ways to help boost

your wellbeing are: take

notice, connect, give, be

active and keep learning.

*call someone you

haven't seen for a

while

* meet a friend- go for

a coffee or a walk

*spend a little time with

someone who might need

some company

*donate items to a charity

or someone in need

* drawing to music

*choose some objects to

draw, taking notice of

shapes, colour and texture

*try a new hobby - e.g.

knitting, crochet, painting

*find some art tutorials on

YouTube that are new to

you and give one a try

*go for a walk, try the

texture activity

*perhaps a little gardening?

Drawing can be such a relaxing activity but it can often be difficult to know what

to draw. To help you get started here are some prompts. Simply draw whatever

the word makes you think of. There is no right or wrong way to do this.

You could work your way through the list and draw each day or pick the words

you like best. You could even do several different drawings of the same word.

If you've enjoyed this activity do look out for the Inktober challenge online in

October. www.inktober.com

Another exercise is to find an object you really like and draw it every day.

Keep it a simple object to make it easier for yourself. You'll really get to know

it and your drawing will improve as you become more confident.

Wild

Night

Hobby

Ornament

Surprise

Box

High

Mill

Walk

Bank

Happy

Gift

Holiday

Animal

Plant

Party

Fruit

Letter

Smell

Open

Drawing exercises

Ring

Relax

Home

Room

Nature

Fire

Juggle

Wide

Palace

Safe

**************************************

Mindful Walking Cube

Listen to the

sounds around

you.

Find five

different

surfaces

to touch

Look for five

different objects

of one colour

Find somewhere

to sit and see how

many shapes

you can see

Focus on

your feet as

you walk

Smile at

someone

Trace or photocopy me, cut me out and make me into a cube

then take me on your walk, throwing me when you fancy it.

Blind drawing

Draw a portrait looking only at the person and not at what you're drawing. You

can use the image below or ask someone to sit for you. You can place your paper

on your knees to help prevent yourself from peeking.

P A T T E R N R E P E A T

A C T I V I T Y

First find an image you like

Next, cut out your image

and place it under more

tracing paper and trace it.

Then move the image so

that part of the images

touch and trace that.

Repeat until your page is

covered.

Now you can colour your

design to make your repeat

pattern

Trace the image and

simplify it to make the next

bit easier for you. If you

don't have tracing paper

you can use baking or

grease-proof paper

And different repeats.

If this has inspired you to do

more these websites have

more designs.

www.patternanddesign.com

www.printmag.com

Try it with different images

Drawing to Music

Experiment with a variety of marks whilst listening to music. Try with different

types and speeds of music. See the example below for some inspiration.

Altered Artwork

Sculptor and artist Richard Serra created a list of verbs (doing words) to inspire him

to make work. Why not choose one or two and make some old artwork into

something new? Or use one of the words as a starting point for new work.

to roll

to crease

to fold

to bend

to twist

to crumple

to tear

to suspend

to cut

to rotate

to weave

to layer

to splash

to wrap

to light

to gather

to scatter

to simplify

to mark

to remove

You will need a page in your sketchbook or a piece of card to do this.

What have you said to someone, or someone said to you that has been

encouraging and has really boosted confidence?

It might be something like:

"I am doing my best, and I am proud of myself."

"You are blooming marvellous!"

"I don't have to be perfect, I just have to be me".

....or a quote you really love. You can get more ideas from Pinterest. Look

for Self Affirmation quotes.

Encouragement Cards

Write the phrase you choose on your page. You could cut the words from a book

or magazine.

Now decorate the page in delicious colours with collage or crayons.

Try making some collages. You could use the papers that have come with this zine,

any magazines or newspapers, old art, junk that comes through the letter box or

anything else to make some original art.

Let's Do Some Collage!

Collage: Sticking different materials on to a surface.

Some Ideas:

A previously undiscovered animal

A face

A happy day

That's Weird!

In The Garden

The Future

A Faraway Place

Do stick your collages in your sketch books and/or take a photo and tag us at

#ArtatWorkNorwich

Ingredients

Plain flour, 1 cup

Salt, ½ a cup (the weights don't matter as long as the proportions are the same)

Water, 1 cup (but you might not need it all)

Food colouring or paints (optional)

Varnish or PVA glue (very optional)

Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. If you’re using food colouring, add it.

Add the water, a little at a time, mixing in constantly, until it's a soft, pliable

mass.

If the dough is too sticky, you may need to add a little extra flour. If it’s too dry,

some more water may be needed.

Knead the dough out well with your hands, until it’s nice and smooth.

Model away! Household items like cookie-cutters, a butterknife, or old

toothbrush can be used as tools to help shape and texture your pieces.

Dough can be stored in an airtight container. It keeps longest in the fridge.

Bake your creations at a low temperature for 2-3 hours. For most ovens, this

will be between 120°C (about 250°F) and 180°C (about 356°F), and the exact

time will depend on size. They should be hard but just barely browning when

ready. Leave to cool overnight before painting.

If you want to maximise the lifetime of your pieces, you can seal them by

painting their surfaces with varnish or

Steps

PVA glue after they have fully dried.

Salt dough

A simple alternative to clay or Plasticene for making models at home.

We'd really love to see what

you make! If you're on social

media, it would be nice if you

could take a photo and tag us

at #ArtatWorkNorwich

S E C R E T M I N I

D R A W I N G S

To make your template cut

a 7cm square of card and

cut it out.

I chose close ups of

flowers and leaves to draw.

You going to hide them so

don't worry what they look

like!

make nine envelopes out

of collage paper. Fold up

the three bottom sides and

stick together to make your

envelopes. Glue onto your

paper.

Pop your mini drawings

into your mini envelopes!

Cut them out.

Cut out nine 4cm paper

squares for your tiny

drawings.

R E P E T I T I O N I N

C O L L A G E

Find a simple image that

you like from a magazine.

Make sure you can tell

what it is from the silhoette

Cut out

I cut out lots of different

shapes and play around

until you find a design you

like. Stick down with your

glue stick.

Trace around it. I used

baking paper.

Or stick on top of each

other to create a 3D effect.

You could also use the

negative spaces left over

from cutting out!

Stick on some card and cut

out.. This is your template.

T E X T U R E W A L K

Go for a walk. outside, in

your garden or at home

Draw the basic shapes

and textures of your

images onto the

rectangles using a pencil.

Start by adding white

tones to your image.

Take nine photos of

textures you find. print

them out on one page or

look at them on your

phone.

Close upNext add dark tones to

your image,squinting your

eyes helps to pick them

out.

Use your watercolour

pencils or paint to roughly

paint nine rectangles. Leave

to dry. Use any mid-tone

colours you like(not too light

or dark).

Poetry Corner

Poetry comes in many different forms and has been used for centuries for

expressing emotion. Poems can be helpful when life is difficult. The following

pages explore some ways you might use poetry mindfully. Illustrating poems that

you know can be a good way to use them as reminders or to think about them

more deeply.

Here is an example of how you might illustrate a poem:

Do you have a favourite poem? Could you share it with a friend and send it on the

postcard to brighten their day? or use this prompt to find a new poem or two to

record in your sketchbook?

If you feel inspired why not make some drawings to go with it or use one of the

others in this pack to help you find something to draw.

Now you have a go. Can you illustrate this poem? You could decorate this

poem as a reminder that no emotion is permanent and will come and go just

as these guests do?

The Guest House Poem

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honourably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.

meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

By Rumi, 13th Century Poet

Haiku is an ancient form of poetry that uses words or syllables in a 5, 7, 5 pattern;

that is five words or syllables on the first line, seven on the second line and five

on the final line. Being mindful of our experience can turn the ordinary into

something extra special just through our awareness.

Here are some examples of Haiku’s, they have been written from the person’s

observation or love of nature that has been experienced or observed.

Oak by Caren Krutsinger

Mysterious oak

with her sparkling twinkling leaves

sprung from an acorn

Butterflies by Paula Goldsmith

Pretty butterflies

wings painted many colours

fly to each flower

Walking along the Seashore by Paul Holmes

Picking up pebbles

Or seashells strewn on soft sand

Pure relaxation.

Ants by unknown

Busy little ants

Doing work for their kingdom

Marching like soldiers.

Now you have seen how it works, can you write your own? If that's too much of

a challenge maybe you could illustrate your favourite haiku from the examples

above or find one online that particularly speaks to you?

C O L L E C T I O N S

Think of a theme (I

chose nature) and make

a collection of objects

from your home, garden

or from a walk

Now zoom into your picture

to create an abstract

picture and draw or trace it.

You can colour it in and

stop there OR...........

I made mine into a simple

printing block using some

thin, craft foam. A

polystyrene pizza base

works well too. To do this

draw your design using a

pen making an indentation.

Try not to press too hard

and go through the base

Make several different

arrangements of your

collection and photograph

them OR make a simple

line drawing your favourite

Now take some acrylic

paint mixed with a very

small amount of cooking oil

to help keep it wet longer

and paint a layer over the

foam. Then print into your

sketch book

Using corrugated

cardboard (I used a piece

of a box) cut out a piece as

big as the foam plus two

small pieces for a handle.

Glue the two handle pieces

together then glue on to the

cardboard. Now glue on the

foam (PVA works well)

Colour me in

A B S T R A C T W A L K

A C T I V I T Y

Choose a theme. This

could be a colour, letter,

shape etc. Then go for a

walk, (this can be around

your garden or home if you

are shielding) and take

about 6 different photos of

your theme

Rearrange the pieces to

make an abstract picture of

your walk

Now trace over your

picture and using some

artistic licence join the

lines between each cut

up piece. If you are using

any lettering it will end up

back to front

Make small, simple line

drawings of your photos

OR print them (make them

small to fit into your sketch

book when they are

rearranged). then cut each

one into four pieces

If you wanted to you could

colour it in, make it into a

textile piece or use it for a

printing design

Next retrace your picture

into your sketch book. if it

doesn't fit onto one page

you can do it over two or

just use a piece of your

picture

Colour me in.

Let's put a smile on people's faces by decorating a rock or pebble

and placing it where others might find. You don't have to draw a

picture, just some nice words will do. You can use sharpies, paints

or use up all your old nail varnish! Just enjoy and have FUN!

Pebble decorating

Please put #artatworknorwichrocks on the back so it can be linked to

our Instagram account and we can see where the rocks turn up!

Let's spread a little kindness to others by tracing and decorating the template at the

bottom and writing a little piece of happiness on it.

Then when we go for a walk leave it on a ledge or hang on tree branches or posts, so

you can cheer someone up. Make one for yourself too and you never know, you might

just find one someone else has done....

Compassion Leaves

A Big Thankyou!

We want to say a big thank you to the Norfolk Community

Foundation for funding this project. It wouldn't have

happened without you.

This magazine was co-produced by the women from our

arts and wellbeing group and what a beautiful job they

have done!

Thank you Sarah Streeter, Alison Howe, Rachel Dorling,

Tracey Hartnell, Rita Schuiling, Tracy Riches, Anne

McCrudden, Jennifer Macdonald, and our wonderful

volunteers Janine Warren and Melanie Sumner.

Melanie and Holly