I is for .... I

Initially my idea was to brainstorm possibilities for the letter I, but as I began to think, I pulled a sheet of drawing paper from a pad and wrote a large letter I in the center. Then I began to write the I words that were occurring to me, using the words to create the pattern.

This is not a new approach to drawing for me. I first found this in the work of Paul Klee, and have used this idea with my seniors to create a really beautiful project that told their stories in shapes and color based on their names and the things they value. But this was different.

As soon as I began to work with the shapes created by the words (all begin with I and are related to creativity), I changed course and started to add lines. The lines suggested a scene. I cropped out part of the image and began to add color using Prismacolor markers - thick and thin.

I loved the results, but was still inspired to go further, so I photographed this and brought it into Photoshop to continue playing. This is the result - words into picture. Get the idea?