This is a super easy writing exercise that works for individual writers or any size group! Grab some of those free paint swatches from a hardware store and write poetry or tiny stories incorporating the names of the paint colors! We did one round where each person wrote their own piece on a single swatch, then we did a collaborative one where everyone wrote only one line at a time, then passed the swatch to the right and continued the new poem in front of them. After we did the exercise as a group the first time, I’ve since just included the leftover swatches in my picture prompts box for anyone to use for free-writing time whenever they want. Here are of our recent “Paint Color Poetry” pieces! The text is typed below each image.
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Collaboration
She sang Rockabye Baby while she ate a frosted tulip and some salmon-flavored salmon pink salmon. Briquette took away her salmon, but Briquette’s friend threw a burnt red skateboard at her face, and the friend popped a red gumball in her mouth, and blew a big bubble like a savage.
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Collaboration
The pretty orchid lane was where the frogs held frurch — frog church. The sky was a dusky lilac during their meetings. It was always like that. A faint, dusky, lilac haze. The blood that dripped from the flower was of purple essence. I watched a violet eclipse. Mirabella the Fairy killed it. Mirabella wore a perfectly purple dress.
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Collaboration
Maggie’s magic is great because it’s Maggie’s magic. She cast a jade spell and changed everyone’s name to Jade. How diabolical. The flowering cactus would try to stop her, but Laurel Wreath, her only true love, could only break the spell with a kiss of true love. Little did she know, Laurel was a tiny leprechaun molester in disguise. He became a molester because he was mad because he didn’t get into an Ivy League college, and will soon seek revenge.
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Collaboration
She was unusual, to say the least. Instead of a scarlet red, her blood was a milk paint. The blood was the consistency of heavy cream. I looked at it while I sat a sand fossil. It was seasoned with salt and spiced vinegar. It was gross. The tweed tasted good with the spiced vinegar though. She then jumped into a muddy river because she was too fabulous for da world.
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By Moose Angel
Her name was Violet Echo. Her eyes shined in the February frost. She used paint and painted the snow a frosted lilac color. She loved silverberry. She dyed her hair a plum shade color. I think she cast a magic spell on me.
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By Twyla Rose
The light fog surrounded the ship. Jamie was awed. It was making him sleepy, the darkness was. It was like a blue lullaby, trying to lull him to sleep. Turns out it was a lullaby, a sea sprite was floating above the water. Like discount Jesus. “Don’t let her come near the captain!” said Parakeet Pete. “She’ll steal the smokey emerald!” (The gem that they’d worked so hard to steal.) “Throw the holly leaf at her!” Jamie cried. Jamie had saved the day.
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By Ahmed Rashid
Jimmy prepared for a feast. He picked peaches from the peach tree, got iced melons (which he called melon ice), and built a small boat made of shrimp, the S.S. Shrimp Boat. Then, D. Trump stole the orange delicacies to apply to his skin. He sailed away on the Copper River and ordered the military to burn all Chinese lanterns, and smelled the lovely orange poppy.
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By Iris Young
Bob was bashful. His blush was diamond blue. He blushed when he saw Ariel. She looked like a beautiful horizon haze. Also like a bellflower. And Bob was the Neptune to her bellflower horizon haze.
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By Iris Young
Gordon Ramsay liked scalloped shells. He flavored them with flamingo and peach. It smelled like a sweet angel. They looked like a coral serenade. But they were as raw as rustic pottery. So he eliminated himself and made a cinnamon stone of life.
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By Pennywise
Everyone loves that harbor mist. It’s magical. My beach house is a place we can rendezvous, if you think it’s best to look through a kaleidoscope. Wanna eat my chinese porcelain? My favorite kool-aid is blue tang.
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Collaboration
Ginger cream, the tastiest cream. The ginger of cream. The cream of ginger. That’s what he said. By he, I mean Brandy Alexander. Brandy Alexander was a famous strawflower gardener. he had a floral tapestry in his fabulous home. The horizon would glow a dark red as he was watering his gorgeous flowers. Brandy turned ruby red after death.
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Collaboration
The rainbow was just perfect. The gays wont’ forgive the homophobes quickly and by that I mean ever. They went into the mysterious Misty Moor. With their gracious glow to lead them through the fog. The fog where loveliest leaves lived. They sat there in their sanctuary, their legs crossed like those of a frog.
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By Bill
The pig was colored like a pale orchid. He was basking in the brisk lavender haze. His name flowed off Sam’s mouth like a wild lilac. Sam’s favorite flower was french violet. He smelled like purple grapes. His decomposing body turned imperial purple.
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Collaboration
Gene the emoji smiled. He was a little slice of happy emoji. Gene’s personality was super happy. People would describe him as star bright. His twinkle toes made him squeal with delight. Not only did he get the majestic shoes, he also got to get a taste of split pea soup. He loved soup in the winter after knitting his woolen mittens by the fire. The autumn festival, he attended.
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Collaboration
The cat wasn’t afraid of the watery blue, just cautious. But he wanted to sky dive under the water. The depths terrified him. He stood next to her, colored blue with fear. He had a symphony of blue surrounding him. While she ate her feelings along with her superstition. Her heart was black as a minecraft block of obsidian.
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Collaboration
Smelling the precious nectar of the sea anemone made me feel special, like Romeo, until Romeo and Juliet committed ritual suicide. Ashes of Roses were burned at their funeral. A raffia cream was at the funeral, coloring their faces as to keep them safe after death. The blood that stained their clothes was earth rose. She ate brick dust.
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Copyright © 2017 by Moose Angel, Twyla Rose, Ahmed Rashid, Iris Young, Pennywise, Bill, Fatimah Rashid, & Oliver Brexton. All rights reserved.
Imaginators 