DIY Minimalist Art with Sprout by HP

Creatively speaking I'm pretty well-rounded. I'm good with words, I can confidently improvise in the kitchen, and I hold my own with a camera. But one area in which I come up dismally short is drawing. My art skills stalled in the first grade and remain stuck in the land of stick figures. It's fine for adding cartoony touches to greeting cards, but frustrating if I want to sketch anything remotely expressive. 

So when I learned that my Sprout by HP comes not only with an overhead projector for instant capture of 3-D objects but also an Adonit Jot Pro stylus—the most precise stylus on the market—I immediately wanted to try my hand (pun intended) at drawing something more than a lopsided smiley face. And bouquet of spring flowers that caught my eye at Trader Joe's simply begged to be immortalized!

For my first attempt I set out to create minimalist art that was simple yet striking. (I have a habit of expecting perfection from myself, even when I'm learning a new skill.) Plus I've always loved the work of artists such as Shel Silverstein and Quentin Blake; their illustrations convey so much feeling with just a few thoughtful lines! The Sprout made it easy to bring my vision to life. I snapped a pic of each flower with the overhead project, then used the stylus to trace the outlines of each. 

From there I used my fingers on the fully responsive touchpad to manipulate the size and orientation of each drawing, and print on textured art paper for framing. I'm so pleased with how these turned out! The Sprout enabled me to capture the essence of each individual bloom in a way that was easy but also creatively rewarding. It's got me motivated to keep practicing my drawing skills, if for no other reason than to take my stick figures and smiley faces to a whole other level!

Disclosure: This post is in collaboration with Sprout by HP. I received compensation in exchange for creating this content, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The City Sage going!