Overlapping Circles: A Playful Creative Warm-Up to Spark Your Flow

Some days I just need something simple to pull me out of my head and into the moment. A way to start creating without planning, without pressure, without expectations.

This little warm-up does exactly that. It starts with the simplest shape you can imagine: a circle. Loose, imperfect, quick. Then another circle. And another one — overlapping, intersecting, building tiny shapes where the lines meet.

In this video, I show you how I use overlapping circles as a 5-minute creative warm-up to loosen my hands, switch off my thinking brain, and gently slip into creative flow.

You don’t need a plan. You don’t need the “right” colors. In fact… I grab my markers blindly so I can’t overthink it.

This exercise is perfect if you:

• want a quick way to warm up before making art

• feel stuck or hesitant to begin

• need a light, playful entry point

• love simple shapes but want surprising results

It’s five minutes of color, curiosity, and zero pressure.

Materials You’ll Need

This exercise is incredibly accessible. Just use what you already have on your table.

• A sketchbook or loose sheet of paper

• A simple black pen or fineliner

• A handful of markers (any colors work)

• Optional: colored pencils or brush pens if you want extra texture

No fancy tools needed. Imperfection is part of the charm.

Instructions:

Here’s a step-by-step guide you can follow (and adapt freely):

1. Draw loose circles.
   Start with one circle anywhere on the page. Draw a few more, letting them overlap naturally. No measuring, no planning.

2. Add more circles in different sizes.
   Let the shapes intersect. These little in-between sections are where the magic happens.

3. Choose colors without looking.
   Seriously, just grab a marker randomly. Let the randomness help you switch off perfectionism.

4. Color in the small shapes.
   Every time two circles overlap, new shapes appear. Fill them in with your random colors. There’s no pattern, no rule. Just playful color patches.

5. Keep going until the page feels “done enough.”
   You don’t need to finish every shape. Stop when your curiosity feels satisfied.

6. Step back and enjoy the surprise.
   The final result always looks more intentional than it felt while making it. That’s the beauty of this warm-up. But remember it's about the process, not the end result.

Ready to try it yourself?

Grab a pen and a few markers, set a timer for five minutes, and just begin. Once you’re done, I’d love to see what you made!

Share your warm-up on Instagram and tag me @annabvl_official, or drop a comment below.

If you enjoy simple, playful exercises like this, you’ll love my online course Creative Boost . A series of bite-sized prompts designed to help you reconnect with your creativity.

Don’t forget to explore the full Creative Warm-Ups Playlist on YouTube for more.

Another overlapping shapes blog can be found here