YOUR
WILD AT ART
MEMBERS JOURNAL
JANUARY: MARK MAKING PART 1
Welcome
Happy New Year Everyone.
Welcome to your January Wild at Art Journal.
As we move into a new year, I thought it would be a perfect time to go back to basics. To go back to the foundational language of art... expressive mark-making.
We often don't permission to play. To just let go of pressure and expectation and just follow our creative instinct. So for the next few months we are focusing on play, exploration and discovery.
Within the journal you will find an Intro video from me, a series of project videos, and a description of our monthly Art Challenge.
Use this journal as an and a companion to our Wild at Art Hub, where we post in ‘Share Your Work' and access the live calls.
Enjoy!
Sam x
A Little Word From Me...
Inside This Month..
1: INTRO - An Introduction into this months project and a little word of encouragement to open yourself up to new ideas and lock away your critical mind.
2: DEMO VIDEOS - A Series of short videos in which Sam shows you how to make a reference book for your own expressive mark-making.
3: INSPIRATION & MOOD BOARD - A curated Pinterest board of wild landscape art full of experimental mark-making to stir your imagination.
4: MONTHLY ART CHALLENGE - A gentle, no-pressure creative challenge inspired by this month theme. You can share within the community or just keep the results for yourself. Both are perfect.
INTRO:
'Seeing The Landscape Through Marks'
Landscape art doesn’t begin with perfect lines or carefully planned scenes.
It begins with noticing — the kind of noticing that makes you pause for a moment and think,
Oh… that texture!
That movement!
That feeling!
Once you start paying attention like that, the landscape becomes less about “what it looks like” and more about “how it feels.”
And that’s where mark-making becomes powerful.
Every part of the landscape is made of marks:
Delicate texture of reeds in the wind,
A quick flick of a bird in the sky,
A soft sweep of clouds,
Broken, grainy texture of dry earth,
Shimmering dance of light on water.
When you look at the world this way — through textures, tones, and little gestures — you realise you already have everything you need to create expressive, atmospheric landscapes.
You’re not copying a view.
You’re responding to it.
This month, I want to invite you to play! Take on the 'Inspiration' mindset and be open to all possibility.
I encourage you to try new tools, make unpredictable marks, explore new layers, and let yourself respond to the landscape without worrying if it’s “right.”
Because experimental mark-making isn’t about accuracy — it’s about energy, movement, and feeling.
Press, tap, scratch, sweep, smudge.
Try marks that feel bold and marks that feel quiet.
Let the landscape inspire how you move your hand.
Image (Molly Ivers )
This month is NOT about producing a masterpiece.
You just need to begin and play!
One experimental mark will lead to another. One accidental discovery will open the door to many more.
This is your chance to explore mark making in a new, freer way — one that’s driven by curiosity, not perfection.
Don't settle on the first idea, don't follow techniques you're already confident with. Push yourself.
Lean towards WILD and DIFFERENT, not safe and known. This will build confidence as you start to connect to what lights you up.
So take a breath, pick up whatever tool feels interesting, and make your first mark.
Let it be simple.
Let it be messy if it wants to be.
Let it be honest.
This is the start of a new way of creating.
Your experimental landscapes begin now.
Not with rules, but with marks.
Sam x
VIDEO DEMO
'HOW TO MAKE YOUR MARK-MAKING BOOK'
It's time to PLAY!!
This month is all about being brave and experimental with mark-making.
In this set of videos Sam demos how to create a mark-making reference book to shake up your approach to using your tools in a new and brave way.
By seeing contrasting marks next to each other you get fresh ideas for how marks bounce off one another and work together.
ARTISTS INSPO
WILD at ART
PINTEREST BOARD
In this curated Pinterest mood board we've pulled together a collection of landscape art that really shows off wild, playful mark-making.
Let the collection spark ideas and nudge your imagination. Use it as a launch point, not a destination.
GO TO PINTEREST
YOUR MONTHLY ART CHALLENGE
'THE WILD MARK'
The Challenge:
Submit ONE experimental landscape study, either created outdoors or in the studio, where you've used a weird and wonderful tool (or tools) to create interesting and unique marks.
For your colour palette, use mainly black with one or two other earth colours (Yellow ochre, brown, blue etc ) The submitted piece can be on any surface, in a sketchbook, made with collage or mixed media, but must show a bold experimental approach to mark-making.
DEADLINE:
Midnight Monday 26th January 2026
Last Word From Me
Be BOLD! Let this month be all about play and allowing your intuition to guide you. Can't wait to see your creations inside ‘Share Your Work!’
Sam
Xx
