Author: Alison Hazel   –   Updated: November 2025

Art Practice

This time I am sharing with you my simple seven-day grid art practice as a guide for you toward a creating a slower creative rhythm in your life. With just one small square a day you can build a soothing habit which nurtures both your art and your inner world. I hope you can let this be a peaceful invitation for you to pause, notice and create with a soft heart.

7 Day Grid Art Autumn

The Art of Slowing Down

Moments of Calm

I want to consider now as we are in Autumn that as the days shift and the season settles around us this is a lovely time to slow down and to make some space in life for gentle creativity. I believe that your sketchbook can hold more than drawings, but rather it can hold from in your day of calm, reflection and joy. 

It is as thought that when you create in small daily pieces, you almost invite ease into your art practice which can open the door to mindful noticing. To pay attention to the small details around you.

 

 

Grid Art

Grid art sketching is a simple and mindful creative practice that I often share with my readers. It begins by dividing your sketchbook page into small squares, often in a grid, which offers a gentle structure for the art to come. Each square becomes a mini canvas for an idea, some colour, a few lines or to explore texture.

The grid holds your ideas in a calm and organized way so the blank page feels less intimidation and overwhelming. This micro approach to daily sketching encourages you to show up for just a few minutes at a time and notice the small details of your day.

Over time the filled grid can tell a beautiful visual story of your creative journey for that week or months depending on how many squares you have..

Visual Story

No Rules

With a grid page there are no rules and no need to hurry. You can give yourself permission to move slowly and with ease. Let each small block become a tiny window for one moment from your day. It may be a colour that caught your eye a soft pattern you noticed or a feeling you want to remember.

Light and Peaceful

Keep your marks simple. Soft colour gentle lines or loose abstract shapes are all welcome. As you draw take a few slow breaths and let your mind to settle. This is your time for you to connect with your creativity in a light and peaceful way.

Gentle Record

By the end of the week your page will possibly hold a tender visual story of your days. Each square will carry presence and meaning and together they will form a light record of your mindful creative journey for that week.

7 Gentle Prompts

An Autumn Week

Here are my gentle grid art prompts I compiled for myself, and for you, to do a sketchbook page in Autumn. These prompts lean into the seasonal changes and natural outdoorsy changes that we can all see.

Sunday: Morning Light

Notice how the early light enters your space through your windows. Capture its warmth or glow or the feeling it brings. Let the colours you choose clearly reflect the mood of your morning.

Monday: A Cozy Corner

Sketch or lightly suggest your favorite resting spot. It could be a comfy chair by a window or a bench in your garden. Think about the textures or colours that say comfort to you and let them guide the marks you make.

Tuesday: Falling Leaves

Take a moment outdoors or by an open door if its really chilly. Watch the leaves in motion as the twirl down or study one up close. Slow down and record what you truly see.

Wednesday: Quiet Moments

Illustrate a touch of calm from your day. It could be a warm cup of tea, a candle, a breath of silence or even a mindful pause. Draw where you found peace today.

Thursday: Soft Textures

Consider texture. Wool, like knitting or crochet blankies, mist, clouds or anything that feels gentle to the touch or to the heart. Notice how soft things influence your colour choices and line work.

Friday: Evening Glow

Later in the day you can observe how the world softens as the day ends. Sketch the twilight colors, a warm lamp, or the glow of a home candle. Let the evening mood shape your color palette.

Saturday: Gratitude in Colour

For your final square of the week choose one thing which you are thankful for this week and express it through colour. Notice the emotion that your colour choices carry and let it fill the square space.

Weekly Practice

You can start this practice every week in Autumn if you like. And if you do, your sketchbook will reflect the slowly changing season and your mood as well. These pages can serve you as a reminder of one week, one season or, if you continue for all 52 weeks, for the whole year. This simple seven-day practice can help you create a calmer rhythm and reconnect with your creative heart. With one small square at a time you can build a gentle habit which nourishes your art and your wellbeing.

Setting Up Your Sketchbook Page

Gift

My gift to you is a simple 7-day grid art journal page. Download your free 7-Day Grid Art page here.

How to Use This Page

• Print or draw a 7-square grid (one for each day).
• Use paint, pen, collage, or mixed media or whatever feels intuitive.
• Keep it simple and only spend 5–10 minutes every day.
• At the end of the week, look back at your grid and notice the shift in tone, mood, and rhythm.

Overarch

Mindful Making

 

“Small acts of creativity are quiet prayers to the present moment.”

 

My seven-day grid art practice is a gentle way to slow down and let you connect to your creativity. By filling in just one small rectangle a day you give yourself space to notice the beauty in simple moments and you can express them with softness. There is no pressure to produce perfect art, but rather I see this as an invitation to show up with presence and joy. Over the week your grid will become a visual story of your days and also a reminder that small creative acts can bring a certain grounding and peace to your life. I hope that this practice will support your art your wellbeing as you develop the quiet magic of mindful making.

 

Send me pics of your finished grid to alisonhazelart@gmail.com. I’d love to see how your week unfolded.

Author Bio: Alison Hazel

Alison Hazel is a hobby artist and she shares her ongoing journey about becoming an artist later in life. She creates simple art that anyone can make. She hopes to inspire you to reach your creative potential in the area that suits you. Read more about Alison’s story. Get her newsletter.