Daisy Yellow № 126

Mining your work for ideas & brainstorming acrobatics

Hi everyone, it’s Tammy, welcome to issue № 126. Thank you for being a subscriber. Daisy Yellow is a long-running project started 18 years ago at the beginning of my art journey as a place to share what I’m making & write about creativity.

TL;DR: Exploring a theme in different ways and a new creative assignment.

Looking back through my work my tendency is to search for connections, links, stories, and continuing threads. Ways of doing things. I mentally analyze, group, and categorize. And there are a handful of shapes and themes that I tend to revisit.

In this issue, some concrete examples of exploring a favorite theme like botanical shapes like leaves, petals, and flowers¹. They’re approachable forms and easy to abstract. I think of these as default shapes; this sounds boring but is actually a fantastic tool for avoiding creative blocks. And by “easy to abstract” I mean it’s easy to distill and simplify while keeping the essence of the shape. You can blur the edges, alter the silhouette, or draw the negative space around them and still convey the concept.

“What does it mean to make by hand, to make with a single body, when the influence and the impact of distance in the proximity of our daily lives have changed everything?”
Ann Hamilton

3x3” ink & gouache, part of my 2025 100 Day Project

You can mine your work for ideas, find a shape, and take it on a tangent. Use it to test a medium or new technique. Start with a word, shape, concept, or object and interpret it in 100+ different ways. Imagine the investigations! The chaos! The brainstorming acrobatics! You could make 100 different ogees, kites, paisleys, or postage stamps. Interpret anything from “dandelion” to “whirlwind.”

In my altered book art journal… cut-up shapes from papers I’d painted.

quick checklist of variations

repeat the element
take it apart
alter and transform
change the perspective
alter the size
add contrasting elements
introduce variation
overlap & layer
introduce color
decorate & embellish

Making little arrangements.

ideas for exploring & interpreting a shape

use it as a pattern repeat
duplicate and overlay in layers
add the shape as a doodle in your weekly planner
rotate (or just parts of it) 90 degrees
draw in reverse

3x5” stitched collage

cut-out a notch/nook in the shape
add intentional imperfection
change the edges (i.e. blur or add outlines)
draw with a different type of nib
paint with a different type of brush
switch mediums
carve a stamp
take a photograph and alter in photoshop (i.e. use the “liquify” tool to stretch it like saltwater taffy)

In case you missed it

Daisy Yellow № 125

New playful painting workshop

I’m developing a new playful painting workshop (working in watercolor/gouache). If you enjoyed Tiny Adventure, this will be your thing! Thanks to those who have already joined the notification list aka “let me know when it opens.” You’ll get one email when the workshop launches, and there’s no commitment.

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Creative Assignment² № 12:

Mine your work for an interesting shape; create a new version by painting or drawing the negative space around the shape. It takes some practice, but you can do it! Hint: draw the shape on another piece of paper and use as a reference for the inverse. Like this ⬆️

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The Daisy Yellow newsletter is free for everyone. Thank you bunches to my wonderful supporters! 🌈🩷 PS. You can support my work for the cost of a latte each month and enjoy behind-the-scenes extras like the Creative Gazette. ⤵️

From Creative Gazette 09: ❝It might not be what you expect. Like I wish I could find a sunflower, a sticker on a utility box, the color sea foam green, and a locket! But I might be happy with a red toolkit and a 🧰🦩 pink neon pool raft.❞

At Daisy Yellow

Painting 144 tiny patterns in my art journal
Daisy Yellow Zine № 20: Index Card Art Love Special Edition
Choosing Pens for Drawing, Doodling & Sketching

It’s really helpful to read your comments & get feedback. If you’re reading in email, click this link to 🩷 or 💬 To unsubscribe, there’s a link below.

Cheers,
Tammy

1. This revelation inspired Daisy Yellow Zine № 19, a deep dive into the value of building a library of your own inviting default shapes.

2. A Creative Assignment is a simple prompt to spark ideas. Do any or all, in any order. Should I continue these in future newsletters? Thank you 😊 to the two wonderful readers who responded “yes!”