How to Draw Your Feelings ( + Paint Them Too)

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How to Draw Your Feelings / Paint Your Emotions

Hello friends, today, I'll show you how to draw and paint your feelings.

This easy, beginner friendly art therapy exercise will help you express yourself and use art as an outlet for your feelings.

I'm Youhjung and I do art therapy with people and make art for myself. I am sharing this with you and invite you to do some self art therapy.

First things first, find and set up the space/environment so that you feel relaxed and calm. Make sure you're in safe, quiet place where you won't be disturbed.

You can also watch this video where I show you a demonstration of the process:

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Art Materials You Need

If you are going to draw, the materials you need are:

  • Sketchbook or paper

  • Drawing material of your choice ( colored pencils , markers , oil pastels , etc.)

If you are going to paint, the materials you need are:

  • Watercolor paint

  • Watercolor paper

  • Brushes

  • Cup with water

Mindfulness

Before the art, invite mindfulness by checking in with yourself and becoming aware of how you feel.

Can you identify an emotion? How does that feel in your body?

Just notice without judgment or resistance. Simply be aware.

The Art Therapy Prompt

Now let's get into the art-making. Here are the steps:

  1. Keep in touch with how you feel. What is the emotion that's coming up for you?

  2. Close your eyes and ask: if this feeling had a color, shape, form, weight, temperature, texture, what would it be like?

  3. Depict that on paper, using colors, shapes, and lines.

You do not always have to know what it looks like or visualize the feeling. All you need to do is be willing to work with this feeling.

Go with your gut and intuition. Ask it, what color fits or feels right for this feeling? What size, shape or form fits?

We all have some kind of experience with art, but we rarely use art as a way to truly express our feelings. So it can be difficult to do this at first.

We tend to use our thinking mind too much but when we let go of it and use our intuition, we get to access those feelings and easily express them onto paper.

We want to draw or paint our feelings because we need to express ourselves and words have a limit.

We express because we need to, but also because we need to be heard, be validated, be listened to. It's really hard to get that sometimes and that's why we have art.

We can hear ourselves, we can see our feelings in front of us and that is very validating..because we are empathizing with our own self.

Reflective Writing

After the art-making, you can use writing as another creative way to explore the feelings you drew or painted.

Bring a pen and journal and write down the answers to these questions:

  • What does the drawing look like? (Perhaps it reminds you of something)

  • Describe the drawing from that drawing's perspective: "I am a drawing... I am..."

    • Describe what you see around you, what it feels like, what you would experience if you were that drawing. So for example, you might say, "I am a drawing with lots of different shapes, I feel confused and scattered, I need more organization or calmness..."

  • What did you learn from this? (Perhaps about yourself or your relationship to this emotion)

That's it for this step by step guide - hope you enjoyed it! I believe it is truly a gift as humans to be able to express ourselves through art.

If you had any difficulty with this exercise, do try this one out. This one is broken down even more and gives you an additional structure that can really help you out if you're having some challenge with drawing your feelings.

And if you want to actually experience what it's like to express yourself through art or make therapeutic art with the help of a guide, then do join us in my Therapeutic Art-Making Group! It's perfect for you if you want to make expressive art real-time with other friends online, and be guided by an awesome art therapist facilitator. Spots are open & we welcome beginners! (No skills required). See more details here.

Join this online group if you want weekly therapeutic-artmaking!

Join this online group if you want weekly therapeutic-artmaking!

Thanks and see you next time!

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