You don’t have to be a professional to create stunning art quilts. All you need is a little refresher on art and design basics, plus a few tips and tricks from master quilter and creativity coach Lyric Kinard.

Learn to understand, appreciate, and create works of art one step at a time with Art + Quilt: Design Principles and Creativity Exercises. Brush up on the basic elements of art, and then learn the principles of design that will strengthen your artwork. Work through homework assignments and field trips that harness your inspiration, then direct that creative energy into your work.

Here are a few short exercises from Art + Quilt that will get you primed to play and make art.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could find 45 minutes every day for your art? Turn off the TV for an hour. Take a 15-minute break during lunch or after work to imagine and be inspired. Wake up 30 minutes early or stay up half an hour late to play with some art and experiment. Once a month take yourself, and perhaps a collaborator, to anywhere that interests you and seek inspiration.

Five minutes to imagine

Find a quiet place, shove the laundry list out of your mind, and spend a few minutes with your eyes closed. Daydream. Begin with your wishful desires, think of your goals, and let your creative mind wander. Write your dreams in a sketchbook or journal without fear or self-criticism! You never need show or tell these thoughts to anyone unless you wish to.

Field Trips

Set a date, bring your sketchbook, camera, and perhaps a friend. Go to a museum, park, gallery, grocery store, downtown, or anywhere interesting, and contemplate your surroundings with an artists’s eyes. Be inspired. Look for exquisite compositions, well-balanced forms, and distinctive color combinations. Be inspired by a beautiful flower and the flotsam in the gutter. Sketch it, write about it, photograph it. Write down what inspires you and why. When people see your sketchbook and come to look, tell them “I’m an artist!”

Do you say “I wish I had more time to be creative?” Then this book is for you! Whether you create quilts as a hobby or as a professional artist, Art + Quilt will help you clarify your goals and take your craft to the next level through design and composition.