Welcome to the Mindfultober 2023 art challenge! In this first blog post, I invite you to explore the “Circle” prompt with a minimalist approach that has a sneaky side-benefit of improving your brush control as you relax. You’ll only need one small brush and a single watercolour, making this a super accessible approach.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

Keep your supplies minimal:

• One jar of water
• One small brush: Choose a brush that allows you to create fine lines.
• One colour: Pick a colour that is calling to you today.
• A palette or plate: Mix your colours on this.
• Paper: Use whatever paper you have to hand. Watercolour or mixed media paper works best, but because we’re not using large amounts of water, thinner papers will probably be okay too.

Step 2: Mix Different Values

Begin by mixing three different ‘values’ of your chosen colour. Create a light, medium, and dark or intense version by varying the amount of water you mix into the paint. More water will give lighter shades, less water more intense ones. This will give you a range of shades or ‘values’ to work with.

Step 3: Paint Different Sizes of Circles

With your small brush, start painting circles or rings of various sizes and in different shades. Each circle should be painted with one of the three values you’ve mixed. Take your time with each circle, paying attention to the details and precision of your brushwork. Try to not get caught up in any perceived imperfections in your circles, once you’ve painted it, let it go.

Step 4: Explore Overlapping and Placement

As you paint, consider how you want your circles to interact. You have the creative freedom to decide whether the circles will be concentric, overlapping, or entirely individual. Overlapping circles feel different to concentric circles and you may want to explore one or the other, both or neither.

Step 5: Fill the Page with Circles

Continue adding circles to your paper, filling it gradually with your chosen colour and its various values. Let the process be meditative, as you focus on each circle, one at a time. Enjoy the rhythm of painting and the calming effect of creating repetitive shapes.

Step 6: Reflect and Appreciate

Take moments throughout the process to reflect on the act of painting. Embrace the mindfulness of this exercise as you immerse yourself in the repetitive yet tranquil task of painting circles.

Step 7: Dry your Art

After you’ve filled the page with your circles, allow your artwork to dry naturally, or encourage it to dry with a hairdryer or heat gun.

Step 8: Admire Your Finished Art

Once your artwork has dried, step back and appreciate the beauty of your circle composition. Then thank yourself for making the time to do something just for you.

See a Real Time Example for Mindfultober Circle

You can watch my real-time example of this approach here – it’s just under 14 minutes long:

Take it Further

If you enjoyed this approach for Mindfultober Circle, consider trying my Skillshare Class: A Mindful Approach to Practicing Watercolor: Values, Palettes & Brush Control If you don’t have a Skillshare membership, this link will give you 1 month’s free access to Skillshare, where you can take this class plus thousands of others. (If you choose to continue your access after a month with a paid subscription, I’ll be paid a small commission.)

Mindfultober Specific Blog Posts:

• Mindfultober
• Circle Part 2 of 2
• Intertwine
• Tiny
• Shadow

Final Thoughts

This approach to the “Circle” prompt for Mindfultober 2023 focuses on repetition for mindfulness and focus. The next blog post in this series will look at an alternative approach to the “Circle” prompt, using the circle as a container for our brush strokes. I look forward to seeing what you create. Happy painting!