MARKING & MAPPING
APPROACHES, GUIDELINES, AND TOOLS
“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands
and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands
and his head and his heart is an artist.”
― Saint Francis of Assisi
MARKING & MAPPING
APPROACHES, GUIDELINES, AND TOOLS
“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands
and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands
and his head and his heart is an artist.”
― Saint Francis of Assisi
Getting Started on Your Authentic Visual Expression
Regardless of your age or artistic experience, you can enjoy visually expressing ideas and feelings, using all the graphic skills you already have: doodling lines and dots while also writing letters, symbols, numbers, names and words. Two interactive approaches below will “mark” your creative journey. Using two guidelines and Portable Studio selected materials help ensure success in creating a transformative result that reveals your “visual voice”.
Visual Notetaking
Use Visual Notetaking to creatively decode any experience where words, images, symbols, responses, etc. reveal the inspirational meaning of speakers, topics, and insights from conferences, meetings, and events. Whether for business or pleasure, you can create a unique visualization of encoded ideas and feelings, along with revelations of meaning and significance.
Visual Journaling
Visual Journaling using Marking & Mapping engages your innate artistic skills through the visual encoding of ideas, feelings, and more–in a unqiue and authentic way. Iindividuals and groups can use it for problem solving, community building, and healing, as well as for creative design and artwork.
Two Guidelines:
ONE
Consider (don’t fill) all your space.
Rationale: Thinking compositionally utilizes design thinking that promotes unity, balance, and organization while clarifying visual ideas.
TWO
Turn any “mistake” into a surprise.
Rationale: Transforming unintentional marks into “happy accidents” helps promote flexibility, variety, and flow of inspirational visual ideas.
Portable Studio
The Portable Studio was designed as a lightweight, transportable and hands-free studio tool kit that goes everywhere, including museums. The specially selected set of studio materials complements the heavy watercolor paper (sketchbook or individual sheets) become the surface of your art expressions. Marking & Mapping guidelines and these quality tools can lead to extraordinary results: As you express yourself by creating lines, words, symbols, colors, images, and marks, you actually invent your personal authentic artistic techniques while developing artistic style and “visual voice.”
