Stuck on what to draw? Start here.

This hands-on workshop helps teens break through creative blocks using prompts, quick exercises, and brainstorming strategies that turn ideas into bold ink drawings.

Working within the constraints of pen, ink, and paper, participants will experiment with both new and familiar approaches while creating a series of drawings that reflect their interests, identities, and inner worlds.

Through short, fast, low-pressure prompts and brief brainstorming exercises, including mind mapping, students will practice generating ideas quickly, letting go of perfection, and simply getting started.

All skill levels are welcome, from beginners to students looking to refresh their process or build their portfolios.

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Inspired by the Exhibition
This workshop is inspired by Of All the Worlds We Could Have Dreamed by Sam Modder, currently on view at 3S Artspace.

In Modder’s work, detailed pen drawings expand into large-scale, immersive environments filled with repeating forms, shifting characters, and layered stories.

Participants will take a similar approach, starting small and building outward. Using simple materials, students will explore how drawings can evolve into characters, patterns, and imagined worlds that feel personal and unexpected.

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Sample Prompts
Participants may explore prompts such as:

The Ghost of My Friends (Surrealist Game)
Suminagashi
Marble drawings (letting chance and motion guide the image)
Artist Trading Cards (ATCs): small works, big ideas
Meditative marks: explore repetition, rhythm, and flow
Each prompt is a starting point. You decide where it goes.

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What Participants Do
Generate ideas through prompt-based drawing exercises
Use mind mapping and quick brainstorming techniques
Experiment with line, pattern, and mark-making
Create multiple drawings instead of focusing on one
Explore both structured and open-ended approaches
What Participants Leave With

A series of finished ink drawings
A personal list of prompts to continue at home
New strategies for starting and sustaining creative work
Increased confidence in your ideas and process
Works-in-progress to revisit and develop further

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What to Bring
Optional: a sketchbook or reference images. Phones may be used for image references if needed, but this is also a great opportunity to work from your imagination and disconnect.

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About Ashley Norman:
Ashley Norman is an artist, educator, and community builder working under the pseudonym Ashley Normal. Her work explores connection, beauty hidden in the bizarre, and perfectly imperfect moments of everyday life through drawing, collage, and interdisciplinary practices.

With over 18 years of experience across public, community, and higher education, she creates supportive environments where students can experiment, take risks, and build confidence. Her teaching centers on play, curiosity, and the belief that creativity grows through practice and the power of yet.