I want to dedicate the first post of the blog to something that might help you finding inspiration: the mood board.
Let's see what I'm talking about!
What is a mood board?
It's a digital or analogical collage of pictures, colors, quotes, words and materials made to give a visual idea and evoke style and mood of a final project.
Who use the mood board?
It's used by designers to illustrate their projects to the clients and to get focused on their ideas, but also by painters, illustrators and all people who work with visual arts.
Personally I like using mood boards when I haven't a definite idea of the feelings I want to evoke through the theme I chose. It helps me finding the colors, shapes, images that are going to inspire me on the new artwork letting me enter in the mood. It also gives me opportunity to visualize details that probably I never would think of.
Down here I put three collages I made some months ago focalized on different moods but having the same theme. Autumn was around the corner, I felt inspired by it but I didn't know which side of autumn I did want to represent. Charm of the woodlands? Cozy mood? Bright colors of the leaves?
Down here I put three collages I made some months ago focalized on different moods but having the same theme. Autumn was around the corner, I felt inspired by it but I didn't know which side of autumn I did want to represent. Charm of the woodlands? Cozy mood? Bright colors of the leaves?
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| Charm of woodlands |
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| Cozy mood |
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| Bright trees |
The three mood boards evoke different feelings but the bright colors give me a boost of emotions, the colorful autumn landscapes look like paintings by themselves so it was the winner to me. I made a pointillism tree drawing using those colors.
It's not about searching for references or copying, it's plunging into the mood and free your imagination, working on the theme in your own way!
How to make a mood board.
First of all think of the theme, it might be a season, a place, a historical period, a character...anything you want or you need!
If the theme is not so specific (for example "India" is not as specific as "mushrooms") choose the side you want to focus on.
Keeping India as example, what you would like to represent of it? What inspires you more?
Colors? Palaces? Jungle? Art? Their dresses and body decorations?
Typing the key-word on Pinterest, Google Images or Tumblr helps you seeing the options, also a short research about the history and meanings behind the aesthetics is really inspiring and gives more meaning to your artwork.
Narrow the search to the things you want using specific key-words (for example India art, India palaces etc.) and save the pictures into a pin board or on your device. Have fun exploring the options but remember that a good mood board is cohesive! Try to collect the pictures basing on a color palette or maybe the kind of decorations or the atmosphere... all the photos must have something in common!
You can also add quotes, color palette schemes, photos you took yourself.
When you feel your research is done you have to put them all together, there are many collage apps on app stores but you can also use photo editing softwares as Photoshop.
HERE some digital mood board ideas.
A mood board can also be analogical, made of things you glue on a canva or a journal. You can use magazine clippings, pieces of fabric, patterns, thin objects as leaves, flowers, wires, feathers, Polaroid photos...there are no limits to materials you can use! This method is a little less pratical than the digital but for sure it's so funny and cool!
HERE some examples of journal mood boards.
I like to give a title to mood boards I make and I put a watermark with my Instagram username. If you share the mood board on the web and you are sure of the sources of the pictures you are using I suggest to mention them. I also suggest to don't use other artists artworks without their permission and without mentioning them, it wouldn't be so fair!
I hope this guide has been useful!
Have you ever made a mood board? Do you think you'll make one after having read this guide? Let me know, I'm so curious! :)
Bye and fluffy hugs from me and Pablo!
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| Pointillism tree artwork made with Stabilo Pen 68 |
It's not about searching for references or copying, it's plunging into the mood and free your imagination, working on the theme in your own way!
How to make a mood board.
First of all think of the theme, it might be a season, a place, a historical period, a character...anything you want or you need!
If the theme is not so specific (for example "India" is not as specific as "mushrooms") choose the side you want to focus on.
Keeping India as example, what you would like to represent of it? What inspires you more?
Colors? Palaces? Jungle? Art? Their dresses and body decorations?
Typing the key-word on Pinterest, Google Images or Tumblr helps you seeing the options, also a short research about the history and meanings behind the aesthetics is really inspiring and gives more meaning to your artwork.
 |
| Pinterest is my favorite app to find pictures |
Narrow the search to the things you want using specific key-words (for example India art, India palaces etc.) and save the pictures into a pin board or on your device. Have fun exploring the options but remember that a good mood board is cohesive! Try to collect the pictures basing on a color palette or maybe the kind of decorations or the atmosphere... all the photos must have something in common!
You can also add quotes, color palette schemes, photos you took yourself.
When you feel your research is done you have to put them all together, there are many collage apps on app stores but you can also use photo editing softwares as Photoshop.
HERE some digital mood board ideas.
A mood board can also be analogical, made of things you glue on a canva or a journal. You can use magazine clippings, pieces of fabric, patterns, thin objects as leaves, flowers, wires, feathers, Polaroid photos...there are no limits to materials you can use! This method is a little less pratical than the digital but for sure it's so funny and cool!
HERE some examples of journal mood boards.
I like to give a title to mood boards I make and I put a watermark with my Instagram username. If you share the mood board on the web and you are sure of the sources of the pictures you are using I suggest to mention them. I also suggest to don't use other artists artworks without their permission and without mentioning them, it wouldn't be so fair!
I hope this guide has been useful!
Have you ever made a mood board? Do you think you'll make one after having read this guide? Let me know, I'm so curious! :)
Bye and fluffy hugs from me and Pablo!
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