Mindful Overlapping Squares: A Calm Drawing Warm-Up (or Creative Cool-Down)
Some creative exercises help you wake up your imagination and some help you slow down, breathe, and ease out of your day. This one does both.
The Overlapping Squares warm-up is one of my favourite little rituals: a simple, low-pressure drawing exercise you can use as a creative warm-up before you start something new… or as a creative cool-down when you want to end your session with a clear and quiet mind.
By layering squares in different sizes and filling the tiny spaces with black, white or loose pen lines, you create a slow, steady rhythm that feels surprisingly grounding.
It gives your hands something to do while your thoughts gently settle and is structured enough to calm your mind, but playful enough to open up space for new ideas.
This exercise is perfect if you:
want to gently begin or end your creative practice
need a way to release tension or mental noise
enjoy minimal, modern shapes without overthinking
want a meditative sketchbook moment
crave a simple, low-pressure way to reconnect with creativity
It’s a small practice, but a powerful one.
Materials You’ll Need
You only need a few basic supplies:
a black fineliner or pen
a sketchbook or loose sheet of paper
optional: a thicker pen for solid black areas
That’s it. No rulers, no special markers, no perfect lines. Just you and your pen.
Instructions:
Start with one simple square.
Place it anywhere on your page. Don’t analyze the placement. Just let your hand begin.Add more squares in different sizes.
Overlap them freely. Let them cross each other so small shapes appear in between.Let go of planning. Once a few squares are on the page, stop thinking about composition. Let your hand decide where the next square belongs.
Fill some of the small shapes with solid black.
Choose them randomly. The point is to stop overthinking and simply respond to what you see.Leave some shapes empty.
White space adds calm, balance and breathing room.Fill the remaining shapes with loose lines.
Add simple textures: horizontal lines, vertical stripes, diagonals, hatching, slightly imperfect, hand-drawn marks, etc. You don’t need precision. The charm is in the human, wobbly lines.Step back and enjoy the rhythm.
Slowly, a pattern appears. Not because you planned it, but because you let it happen. This is where the meditation lives.
Ready to try it yourself?
Grab a pen and a scrap of paper, set a timer for five minutes, and just start layering squares. Use this as a warm-up to ease into your creative flow… or as a cool-down to gently transition out of your project and reset your mind.
Want more warm-ups like this? Discover the complete warm-ups playlist on YouTube here: Creative Warm-Ups Playlist Or read this colorful blog on overlapping circles
Want more creative spark? My course Creative Boost is full of bite-sized exercises designed to unlock creativity when you feel stuck or tired.
More mindful art? Check out my Skillshare class Mindful Grid Art
If you try this warm-up, tag me on Instagram It truly makes my day to see your sketchbook pages.
