Warning: Procrastination will be your down fall!
Plan to complete at least one page per week, four per month. You are always welcomed to do more!
Your creative journal (composition note book) is for you to expand your personal expression during the
following times only: before and after school hours and teacher approval to work in class. 4 pages will be
reviewed by me at the end of every month; to ensure your practice, coach your skills, and praise your
creativity.  I will reminder you two days before the monthly due date. Feedback will be left in the form of
sticky notes in the journal. Students will complete self-reflection and evaluations four times a year to monitor
their own growth.
Your criteria to meet:
o Personalized front and back cover with
name
o Grade sheet attached to back of journal
o You need to do at least 2 sketches per
week. Ideas cannot be repeated!
o This should take between 15-30 minutes for
each sketch to do, because the purpose of a
sketch book is to make you look harder at
things, use your imagination, and explore
Did you meet project requirements? Yes (Y) or No (N)
CRITERA
Try different materials techniques or
layouts
Date in upper corner
Subject, Background,
2+mediums used in page
Quality of construction: legible, neat,
STUENT TOTAL
TEACHER TOTAL
FINAL AVERAGE
SEPT
OCT
NOV
ideas and techniques that interest,
challenge, and stimulate you.
o Full shading is expected, as are details. Also
date and number sketches.
o Expected to use a variety of materials:
Graphite pencil, pen, marker, paint, color
pencil, collaged pictures, crayon, etc.
Name: ____________________________________
DEC
20 Points for every month
Comments:
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUNE
Identity Page Selections:
1. Animal/s I relate with…
2. Family Tree
3. School Memories
4. Hobbies
5. Home
6. Favorite Movies
7. Song with personal meaning
8. Dream vacation
9. Turning back time, I would…
10. Earliest Memory
11. Make a Bucket List: Future, Dreams,
and Goals
12. Im scared of…
13. Role Models
1. The one person I wish to see again is…
Sketches
DRAW WITH THE IMAGINATION
3. Draw your greatest fear.
4. Draw 3 things that float.
5. Draw 3 things with wheels.
6. Draw 3 things that roll.
7. Draw 3 things that close.
8. Draw 3 things that come from eggs.
9. Be an ant. Draw what you may see in the
cafeteria.
10. Design your own Super Hero. No copy
already known characters. Be sure to have a
costume, accessories, and even a logo in
color.
11. Earth has been invaded…. Know you draw
your version of it.
12. Design your own candy bar advertisement.
13. Draw a picture of the flower that best
represents you.
14. What does the boogeyman look like?
15. An object melting.
16. Draw the word as the shape of the object,
Such as the word apple in the shape of an
apple.
2. Draw the inside of your head: what are you
like? Colorful, plain, accurate, disorganized,
funny, musical, athletic. Use color. No
brains or headless concepts.
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All the things I never said…
Favorite story
Most prizes possession
Proudest accomplishment
Courageous moment
If I could be anyone for a day...
Recent dream
Who Am I
17. A paper bag has tipped over; something is
falling out of the bags dark interior. What is
it? Draw the bag and the item.
18. You are eating the most unbelievable
sandwich! Draw it.
19. As a landscaper, create a maze garden for a
rich client. Add color, texture, and side
notes of what is in or part of your maze.
20. Draw what happens when a 6 foot tall
squirrel shows up in your yard?
21. Fill a page with expressive lines. Try to make
as many types of lines as you can. Think of
Zentangle Patterns use only one color
pen/marker: no pencil.
22. Design the school desk of your dreams.
23. Fill a page with 2 and 3-D arrows. Make
sure they overlap, have a black outline, and
color with an interesting color scheme
24. Design the most perfect bedroom.
25. Imagine that you are in a jungle that is eerie
and scary! When suddenly, out jumps the
strangest creature you have ever seen!
Draw it.
26. Typography Challenge. Fill the page with a
variety of font styles. Be creative with a
poem, song, quotes.
27. Design a piece of clothing that you would
like to wear. Show all details, front, back,
folds, buttons, etc.
28. Draw a garbage can and its contents. Is the
can empty or overflowing?
29. While talking to my friend on my cell phone,
I heard a strange noise…. Draw what made
the noise.
30. Archeologists have discovered a new
civilization. They found the burial ground
and when they opened up the unusual
tomb they found… Draw it!
31. Create your own robot. What would it look
like and what is its purpose.
32. Illustrate a dream.
33. Create the perfect lunch box.
34. Listen to the favorite song and illustrate
what you visualize is happening within the
lyrics.
35. Create a drawing based on the following
saying, “fit to be tied”.
DRAWING FROM OBSERVATIONS:
1. Junk food with wrapper.
2. Part of a vehicle
3. Your hand and/or foot (maybe hold
something)
4. Select an above/below point of view in a
specific area (bedroom, kitchen, car,
etc). Pay attention to details and either
shade in color or B/W.
5. Study your feet/shoes. Create a contour
draw of them from three different
angles. Overlap the images and use
permanent marker.
6. Look at a piece of furniture in your
home, and redesign it to fit your
personality. Draw the before and after
look in full detail and color.
7. Choose an enclosed space (cabinet,
oven, drawer, etc). What qualities do
the objects in the enclosed space
assume when no one is watching? Think
of the characters from Beauty and the
Beast (no copying). Add details and
show the interior space of their
enclosure.
8. Look at yourself in a spoon and draw
the distorted image. Use the 7 different
values of shading (dark-light).
9. Something not pretty
10. An interior of something
11. Inside of closet
12. 3 unlikely objects together
13. Design a vehicle in full detail. Jot down
some ideas of its use.
14. A scene that depicts peace
15. Illustrate your favorite poem or song
16. A house plant (real or artificial)
17. Object with texture
18. Tools used in certain professions
19. Shoes… Shoes…Shoes…
20. Design your dream vegetable or flower
garden.
21. Draw a series of animals in motions.
Such as a cheetah running, a rabbit
hopping, a bird flying…(don’t use these
ideas) This can be on the same page.
22. A large jar filled with something
23. Bowl of fruit or veggies
24. Keyhole: what would you see through a
key hole? (darkness not accepted)
25. Building
26. Zoomed in perspective.
27. Draw several studies of the face and
facial features on one page to create a
collage.
28. Focus on drapery and pattern using
clothes or fabric pieces.
29. Drawing an object from three different
views
30. Draw your reflection in any shiny object
31. Draw animals
32. A person with a tattoo
33. Capture the illusion of athletes during
their sport.
34. Draw a piece of artwork from a gallery
or museum
35. Draw your favorite person (photo
reference may be used)
36. Draw a landscape and its scenery
37. Tube of tooth paste and toothbrush
38. Favorite candy, with your hand
39. Choice of fruit and dried leaves
40. Favorite school memory within the front
cover of a magazine
41. Glass of water and ice cubes on surface
42. Close up view of insect on shoe
43. Your interpretation of sadness and
include an object that has a rough
texture.
44. Pair of jeans and an electronic device on
the floor.
45. Favorite shirt and childhood toy
46. Crumpled sheet of paper and coffee
mug
47. Two shiny objects and their reflections
48. Three items that have personal meaning
to you
49. Two transparent and one opaque object
together
50. Two objects, one that has irregular
edges and one that had uniformed
edges.
51. Any object with energetic lines depicting
the illusion of motion.
52. A toy from a dramatic view.
INSPIRING QUOTES
1. Mistakes are proof that you are trying.
2. Be the change you want to see in the
world.
3. Pursue big dreams, instead of small
realities.
4. Respect yourself enough to walk away
from anything that no longer serves
you, grows you, or makes you happy.
5. Always show more kindness than seems
necessary, because the person receiving
it needs it more than you will ever
know.
6. Sometimes I have no idea and
sometimes I have too many at once.
7. Keep your words sweet. You never
know when you might have to eat them.
8. I have loved the stars too fondly to be
fearful of the night.
9. Fate controls who walks into your life,
but you decide who you let walk out,
who you let stay, and who you refuse to
let go.
10. Don’t let them filter your creativity.
11. The only rule is to not be boring and
dress to impress wherever you go. Life
is too short to blend in. – Paris Hilton
12. The most important relationship you
have is the one with yourself.
13. Stop being afraid of what could go
wrong and focus on what could go right.
14. The most important relationship you
have is the one with yourself.
15. I refuse to sink….
16. Do what you can, with what you have,
where you are.
JOURNAL ACTIVITIES
1. Whoo are you? Design an owl that
represents your emotion that you are
feeling or personality.
2. Harvest Moon. Design a pumpkin patch
under the full moon in oil pastel.
3. Stretch yourself. Choose a yoga position
silhouette to mentally stretch you, use split
complementary color to create interest.
4. Happy Birthday to you! Design a cupcake
that represents you for your birthday party.
5. Window Shopping: Divide your paper into
size squares, then from a magazine select 6
images. Draw these images and color from
an interesting perspective.
6. Incorporate puzzle pieces into your page;
paint over them, draw on them, sew around
them….
7. Use a contrasting image of yourself and a
hobby with visual texture.
8. Glue a picture of a house onto a page.
Watercolor a background landscape for
your dream home. “Dream, Build, Live”
9. Collage a paper doll portrait of yourself.
Focus on the use of visual texture and color.
10. Decorate a page with a powerful or strong
personal word, writing the word over and
over. Change the size and font style.
11. To the Point of No Return. Draw a one point
perspective on a city from a bird’s eye view.
Make sure you include part of your shoe or
hand.
12. Imagine waking up to a world with no
colors. Illustrate and write your reaction
response.
13. Decorative Borders: Write a poem about
friendship and decorate the border with
contents of the poem with repetitive
shapes and lines.
14. Watch your step: using two pages create a
sense of dangerous depth with a character.
15. New Boundaries: select a magazine image
and paste a scrap piece of blank paper on
top of it. Draw an interesting action or
event that would not take place in the
original image. IE. Octopus on a hot air
balloon.
16. A monster in the closet. Draw your
bedroom; make your door interactive by
having it flap. Illustrate your greatest fear
or monster behind the door flap.
17. Create a character named “Sweetie” that
represents your favorite candy.
18. Use your thumb print as inspiration to write
a summary about which you are that
follows the lines of your print. Use a ink
pad to stamp your thumb print as
references.
19. Create an awkward situation with a
personal sketch and a magazine picture. IE.
A tiny person trying to escape a golf hole.
20. Combine pictures and sketches by sewing
them together with yarn or string.
21. Paint or sketch an image of a word from an
old dictionary or a book page.
22. Draw an alien encounter in a public area of
a magazine picture.
23. Draw a nonstop line to cover and decorate
your page/background.
24. Make a mess on the page then clean it up.
January
o Write and illustrate your New Year Resolution.
o Take a winter walk and find something interesting to draw. Write about the weather
and the sounds you hear as you walk.
o Adopt a tree near your home. Draw what it looks like in January.
o Identify birds that visit your feeder. Sketch them and write about their activities.
o Find a cozy spot in your home. Draw it or some part of it... Write about spending time
there. Add this quote: “In happy homes he saw the light of household fires gleam warm
and bright.”-cicero
o Copy a favorite recipe in your journal or write about a favorite meal. “Comfort food” is
important in the cold months of winter! Prepare your recipe and enjoy it with your
family.
o Doodle of the month: SNOWFLAKES
December
o Are there any birds living in your tree? Maybe they would like a special treat. Make an
edible craft for them this Christmas. (Bird seed and Suet)
o What holiday traditions are important to your family? Write about them in your
journal... Which tradition is your favorite?
o Draw a “still life” of Christmas decorations in your home.
o Research the meaning of the colors of Christmas; add red and green to the page.
o Think about the significance of gift giving at Christmas. What was the best gift you ever
received? What gifts can you give that cost only time?
o Copy your favorite Christmas cookie recipe into your journal. Bake a batch with your
parents or grandparents.
o “Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright…” What is your favorite Christmas
carol? With your very best penmanship, copy a verse or two into your journal, and
illustrate it.
o Doodle of the Month: Packages
November
o Check your tree... does it still have leaves?
o Look up and read about the first Thanksgiving. Make a drawing of that event and write
a little about it in your journal.
o Have you seen a turkey close-up? Find several pictures of turkeys and try drawing one.
o Start a “Thankfulness List” for the month of November. Add something every day.
o Make a pumpkin pie. If possible star with a pumpkin and do it from scratch. Illustrate
your recipe in your journal.
o Draw a cornucopia filled with overflowing fruits and vegetables.
o Doodle of the Month: Leaves
October
o Visit and sketch your tree.
o Take a crunchy (step on as many leaves as possible) walk and gather some leaves. Make
rubbings of them on separate paper using autumn-color crayons. Glue your rubbing
into your journal.
o Draw an autumn still life with nuts, pinecones, and leaves.
o Write a concrete poem in the shape of a pumpkin.
o Take a fall field trip to an apple orchard, a pumpkin patch or somewhere that feels like
fall. Try to include a hayride or apple cider if at all possible. And don’t forget your
journal.
o Plan a harvest party and record the menu and activities in your journal.
o Doodle of the Month: Pumpkins
September
o Write some thoughts about our favorite school subject and illustrate.
o What does back to school mean to you? To me, it means organized classroom, crisp
sheets of paper, starting a new journal, meeting new students. Write a school poem
and draw a still life of school supplies.
o Research Labor Day and write about its origins. Dedicate a section of the page in your
journal to your parents’ job.
o Copy your favorite apple recipe in your journal and share the dessert with class mates.
Practice drawing apple.
o Draw a squirrel or a chipmunk.
o Write a letter to your grandparents tell them why they are special to you. Incorporate
your family tree with your personal tree that you have been observing.
o Doodle of the Month: Schoolbooks
August
o Check out your tree, and write about what its feathery residents are doing.
o Draw a beach, lake or swimming pool scene.
o Make some Sue Tea. Use solar power to make ice tea. Try different combinations of tea
and herbs, and record your favorite in your journal.
o Build a sand castle and draw it before it falls.
o Did our family take a vacation or go camping this summer? Write about your trip in
your journal, and be sure to include an illustration.
o What fun things do you do to keep cool in the hot summertime? Draw a silly invention
that will help cool you down.
o Make homemade ice cream or pop cycles. Explain how it freezes in your journal.
o Doodle of the Month: Glasses of Lemonade.
July
o What is going on with your tree? Don’t forget to sketch it.
o Write about your family’s celebration of Independence Day in your journal.
o Draw a picnic still life.
o Can something that grew in your garden or that you bought at the Farmer’s Market.
Record the recipe in your journal.
o Plan a summer building project and draw the plans in your journal. Use a ruler &
triangle to make it accurate and “to scale”. Add a photo of the finished project.
o Doodle of the Month: Stars
June
o Draw what your tree looks like in June.
o Write a letter to your Dad in your journal, telling him why you’re glad he’s your Dad.
o Look up butterflies and read a little about them. Record what you learned in your
journal. Draw several varieties of butterflies.
o Read about Flag Day and draw in your journal. Copy several lines from “The Star
Spangled Banner.” Use a ruler to keep your stripes even. What do the colors of our flag
stand for?
o Where are you planning to do on your summer vacation? Or, if you do school in
summertime, do your have any special activities planned? It’s fun to make a special
small journal to take along on vacation or to summer camp. It will be something to
treasure.
o Doodle of the Month: Poises and other flowers.
May
o Draw or glue a picture of your mother in the center of the journal page. Choose an
image that represents your mom, and draw it 100 times around Moms picture.
o Write your own poem for Mom
o Choose a flower from a seed catalog and cut it out. Next, cut it in half and glue half of it
in your journal. Complete the flower by drawing the missing half. Try several different
types of flowers.
o Look up Memorial Day and find out about its origins. Record your findings in your
journal. If possible, take part in a Memorial Day ceremony and write about it.
o Interview a Veteran and ask him or her why they severed our country.
o Visit your tree.
o Doodle of the Month: Daisies
April
o
o
o
o
Visit your tree before or after an April shower.
Write about an April fool’s joke you played or someone played on you.
Research the water cycle and record what you have learned with a diagram.
Take a walk on a rainy day. Write some thoughts about what if felt like. Draw a still life
of your rain gear.
o Sketch some tulips or other early spring flowers. Look up “flowers” and draw a diagram
of the parts of a flower.
o Fill your name in the blank and illustrate.
o Rain, Rain, Go away,
o Come again another day,
o Little ___________ wants to play,
o Rain, rain go away.
o Doodle of the Month: Raindrops
March
o Did March come in like a lion or a lamb? Record the weather on March 1 st and again on
March 31.
o Draw your tree; you may begin to see some changes.
o Research St. Patrick and write a few sentences about him. Are there any legends about
him? Did you know he used the shamrock to teach the Irish about the Trinity?
o Take a walk and record the first signs of spring you find.
o You can get an early start in the garden. Plan the 3 P’s: peas, potatoes, and parsley. Oh
and onions.
o One a piece of graph paper, plot out a small garden. Look through seed catalogs for
inspirations. Carefully glue your garden plan into your journal.
o Find a daffodil or a picture of one and sketch it in your journal.
o Design a kite, in your journal. If you get a chance, go fly a kite and write about your
experience.
o Doodle of the Month: Shamrocks
February
o Did the groundhog see his shadow where you live? Sketch a groundhog in your journal.
Write your opinion of this tradition, and your hopes for spring.
o Read a book about Abraham Lincoln. Devote a section to him in your journal. Draw a
log cabin in the woods and copy this quote by Lincoln: “History is not history unless it is
the truth.”
o Create a beautiful valentine and glue it carefully into your journal.
o Sketch your tree again.
o Research how the heart works. Draw a detailed sketch of the heart showing how blood
flows through it.
o Doodle of the month: hearts