I think we've all experienced the fear when staring at a blank piece of paper, picking up a new journal or starting a new craft project. Well why not nominate a notebook to try out all your new craft ideas without fear, and just have some with messier art projects? Having a place to create without worrying about how it's going to look is extremely freeing, and can even be therapeutic. If this sounds like something you want to do too, keep on reading!

Supplies For A Messy Art Notebook

• Archer and Olive Messy & Bright Box - This has everything you need including a notebook, cover, gel pens, washi and more! 
• Paint - Use anything you have such as acrylic/chalk/gouache paint.
• Pens - Use everything from markers/fineliners/gel pens/acrylographs on the Archer and Olive 160gsm thick pages so there's no bleeding and you get a fresh spread each time!.

Nominating A Notebook 

The first thing you want to do is dedicate a notebook just for this. That way when you're feeling overwhelmed about what to create, but want to do something, you can pick up this notebook and know anything goes! We recommend the Neon Green notebook from the Messy & Bright box. This is because the cover is created to be customisable so you can really make it your own.

Personalising Your Notebook

As we mentioned, the Messy & Bright box notebook is made with a paper cover, perfect for making it your own. We recommend personalising the front so you can really get into the headspace that this notebook is for fun projects with no overthinking. Therefore, we also recommend getting MESSY.

Our lovely design team had lots of fun ideas on how to do this. Perfect for all artist levels from beginner to a little more experienced. Find the video here:

If you try out one of these ideas we would LOVE to see. Tag us on Instagram at @archerandolive and @archerandolive.community!

Mess Up A Page

Now you open the notebook, and the first page fear is still there. This is so common - the first page is always the hardest. So we recommend opening it up and messing up a page. Whether it be the first or somewhere in the middle, grab some art supplies and doodle, free draw or splatter to fill the page up. The messier the better.

Now you have set the tone for your notebook and will feel more comfortable continuing letting loose!

Messy Art Ideas

Now we're all ready to create, I wanted to give you some fun, messy art ideas anyone can do. Of course if you have your own ideas, get started! But if you still don't know quite how to have some fun and get messy in art, here are some brilliant ideas.

Finger Painting

Finger painting can be super fun and freeing! Make designs from your finger prints, or drag the paint across the page.

Splatter Painting

Cut up some gel pens or add excess paint to a paint brush and splatter the paint across the page. It will create really fun splatter patterns - and it's super theraputic!  

Free Line Drawing

Another great idea is grabbing your favourite one or marker, and simply drawing a line on the page. Loop in circles, lines or whatever you feel like and without care! Now you can leave it like that or find shapes to colour in the patterns!

Blow Paint

This one is such a fun activity. All you need is some sort of ink/paint and a straw. If you're using paint, make sure to add in some water to get a nice drippy consistency.

Next, dip in the end of your straw and BLOW on the other end. It will create some really great effects and just have fun manipulating the ink/paint on the page!

Shaving Cream Art

Ever created shaving cream art before? What you do is fill a pan (or some other flat container) with shaving cream. Next add ink, paint or food dye to the cream, using a toothpick to move around the ink and make fun shapes. Finally, lay your paper over the shaving cream, press gently, and then carefully peel off. Using a squeegee, scrap off the excess foam and reveal your pattern!

Free Doodling

Start a fresh page and doodle anything that comes to mind. Maybe think up some fun challenges such as doodle 50 abstract faces, or fill the page with one shape.

Stamping (Sponge, Fruit, Potato)

Stamping is so much fun, and if you don't have any acrylic stamps, don't worry! You can make them out of everything from sponge to potato. Create some fun patterns and stamp them on your pages with inks pads or paints.

Spray Bottle Art

Now this one is definitely messy. Simply add some ink/dye to a spray bottle with some water and get spraying! Try adding different colours to a few bottles and see the inks mix. This is a great one to use as a background for lettering, drawings and more.

String Art

Did you see the popular string art going viral not so long ago!? It's a really fun way to create some illustrations.

Take some string and dip it in paint, Next, place the string down on the paper you can add loops to create some fun patterns. Just keep the clean end out of the notebook. Then, close the notebook, push down on the cover with one hand, and pull out the string out. Go see the fun image you created!

Bubble Art

Finally, why not create some bubble art! And some ink or dye to bubble mixture, and blow the bubbles onto the page. As they hit the page they will pop and create fun, colourful bubble patterns. Let that be your artwork or create some fun drawings with the patterns created.

I hope these ideas inspired you to start a messy notebook to help you break out of the fear and not knowing what to create. If it did, make sure to let us know if you feel like these tips and ideas helped you! Find us on social media at @archerandolive @archerandolive.community, and tag #archerandolive and #AOshare on Instagram, or at Archer and Olive Community on Facebook so we can see your creations!