Ideas Generation

Cheat Sheet
01 Use a classic story.
For our Domestika course, (thanks for joining me!) my project
is going to be based around a classic story. It’s a really simple
and easy way to develop prompts for an art portfolio - and
you can make any story appropriate for any age group from
baby to grown-up by adjusting the content, colour and style.

So here are a few ways to consider ipping a

story:

• Flipping the narrative (eg little red riding hood, but

she is the threat not the wolf)
• Changing the setting (the little mermaid, but she
lives in a jungle river, not the ocean)
• Changing the character (The princess and the pea,
but it’s a duck and lily-pads)
• Changing the emotion or mood. (Could something
that is classically dark be made comical, could
something light and uffy be made dark?)

Remember to always think of your audience and the age

range. When building your portfolio, it’s important to hone in
on the kind of work you want to be making. So, if it’s for older
kids or teens you can go more dark and detailed - but for
babies you might want to consider keeping things fun and
colourful.

Tip: Sketch your idea in small thumbnails. Explore small details

from your mood-board to help build your world - use a
sketchbook and character studies to help esh out your
understanding of this world/narrative.
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 Section 01
Sourcing Ideas
Look through your image mood-
board and start with the setting.
Where would you like your art
piece to be? (A beach, a forest, a
town, indoors?)
What details are you excited to
draw? Trees, rocks, or everyday
objects for example?
Those will be your priority to
include in your background.
The details you’re less excited by
can take a back seat.
Think about your story. And consider
these questions:
What is the emotion/feeling you’d like to see in
your painting? eg, determination, sadness,
pensive, awe/wonder, rage, joy etc.
What time of day will it be?
What season will it be?
What will the weather be, how will that affect the
atmosphere, or your character?
Will there be animals?
Will there be people?
Will your character be interacting with their
environment or with other characters?
What are the 3 most important
things that the viewer must
immediately see in your image?
Next think about the mood and
colours.
Which colours best express the
time/season or mood and which
would you like to be the priority?
This will guide your colour palette.
(remember, it is easier to use less
colours than it is to use more! So, if
in doubt, give yourself more rules to
begin with and then assess whether
you need to add more colours later
on)
01 Reference to Image

I’ve made an example here of how

reference images may be helpful. This is
for example only as I didn’t use this reference
image when painting this image.

Looking at the reference photo, I

consider how the snow interacts with
the plants. I consider the soft, warm
toned colours in the light. I consider
the atmosphere & I imagine the long
shadows the soft light would cause.

The image gives a sense of overall

mood - I am not just looking for visual
cues or to copy references directly - I
am looking to understand the factors
at play that make the image feel the
way it feels. By breaking it down:
- The snow is contrasted against very
dark plants.
- The light is soft and golden
- The plants are framing the image in
a comforting embrace.

These are concepts I can consider

using.
01 Pre-made prompt list
If you’re struggling to come up with a prompt then you can use the
same one as me or you could try any of the below prompt cheats:
Goldilocks the Bear Hunter
- What if Goldilocks was the threat?
- Where would this take place?
- Would she be the good guy or a bad guy?
The Princess and the Pea
- What if the princess was not a princess? Or
what if she was not human at all?
- What could be stacked high, if not
mattresses?
- What if the pea was not a small thing, but a
HUGE thing?
- What if the pea was not a bad thing?
Hansel & Gretel
- What if Hansel & Gretel remained lost in the
woods?
- What if the witches house was not made of
candy, but something else? What could she be a
witch of?
- What if Hansel & Gretel were not human?
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Classic Stories I’ve twisted cheat list:
- The Snow Queen but she is incredibly
clumsy.
- Jack & the beanstalk but instead of a
beanstalk, Jack has accidentally
overgrown everything.
- James and the Giant dandelion
- A witch who is afraid of magic
- A fairy learning to y
- The frog princess but she is the queen of
a swamp.
- The owl and the pussycat, live together in
a charming forest.
- A cooking witch who has made a kitchen
full of delicious treats
- Little Red Raised by wolves
- Cinderella is a mouse that lives in a
pumpkin.