• If you normally work horizontally, switch to the vertical.
• If you usually work on rectangles, use an oval, circle or diamond.
• If you usually paint on dry paper, paint wet-into-wet.
• If you usually make hard edges, use soft edges.
• If you usually paint small, paint large, or vice versa.

• Change your horizon to extremely high or low.
• Paint high key (light and bright) or low key (dark and moody) instead of full contrast.
• Emphasize calligraphic line instead of shape.
• Emphasize color instead of value.
• Emphasize pattern instead of shape.
• Use repetition of one element, varying it with each repeat.
• Limit yourself to one big brush instead of your usual assortment.
• Change your usual subject by trading source material with someone else in class.
• Instead of painting what you see in the subject, paint what you feel about it.
• Make an abstraction emphasizing shapes or colors instead of subject.
• Make a simplified, stylized picture instead of a realistic one with details.
• Paint upside down, both your source material and your support.
• Paint without drawing.
• Draw with your brush instead of a pencil.
• Paint with your opposite hand holding your brush.
• Paint with a brush in each hand.

Changing your environment can make a big difference, too. Move your drawing table to a different place in the room. Bring in a vase of fresh flowers. Or, simply walk away from your work for awhile.

Janean Thompson writes: "I often take a mental break by simply walking away from a project. I fix a cup of tea and sip it while sitting on a lawn chair, under a big tree next to my studio. It is a commune with nature, a moment of quiet relaxation and a slate cleaning for the clutter in my mind. When I go back to work, it is with renewed clarity."

See The New Creative Artist and New Creative Collage Techniques for a great variety of projects and ideas for change.

Nita's Art Blog