How to Do Basic Neurographic Art

Neurographic art is a relaxing and intuitive drawing technique that turns stress into beauty—literally. Developed by psychologist Pavel Piskarev in 2014, this style of abstract drawing transforms negative thoughts into flowing lines and shapes. Neurographic art is a gentle, meditative process that encourages creativity and calm.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create your first basic neurographic artwork.

What You’ll Need

You don’t need any fancy tools to begin:

• A sketchbook or watercolour paper, or any sheet of paper (any size, but A4 or 9″x12″ works well)
  
• A black pen or fine liner (waterproof if you plan to add colour)
  
• Colored pencils, markers, or watercolour (optional)
  
• A quiet space and a few minutes of uninterrupted time
  

What is Neurographic Art?

At its core, neurographic art is about drawing lines that reflect your inner thoughts or feelings and then reshaping them into something new. The name comes from “neuron” and “graphic,” reflecting the idea that drawing can reshape our mental pathways.

If you’d prefer to watch me create neurographic art, check out my YouTube video How to Make Neurographic Art below.

The key techniques include:

• Neuro lines: Freeform, meandering lines drawn intuitively
  
• Rounding: Smoothing out intersections so that no hard angles remain
  
• Connection and transformation: Bridging elements and evolving your drawing with colour or detail
  

Step-by-Step: Create Your First Neurographic Drawing

Step 1: Focus on a Thought or Feeling

Begin by thinking of something on your mind—maybe a word, emotion, or challenge. Don’t dwell on it; just acknowledge it quietly. This is helpful, but absolutely not necessary. You can just randomly draw the lines without giving it any thought.

Step 2: Draw Your Neuro Lines

You can start by drawing a border on your paper to create a set area to work in. This is not necessary, but it might be helpful. 

With your black pen, start anywhere on the page and draw a curving, wandering line. Let it cross over itself or loop around, but be sure to start at one edge and finish at another. Don’t stop or start in the middle of the paper.  Then draw 2–4 or more of these lines across the page. Let them intersect freely and organically.

Tip: Avoid straight lines. Think of how neurons might grow—fluid and branching.

Step 3: Round the Intersections

This is the heart of the neurographic technique. Wherever lines intersect, use curved lines to soften the angles. The goal is to eliminate sharp corners. This “rounding” creates a calming, cohesive look.

Mindful Tip: As you round the corners, imagine smoothing out the tension in your thoughts.

Step 4: Add Connecting Lines or Shapes (Optional)

If you want to build on your drawing, add more neuro lines or even basic shapes (like circles or waves). Connect areas that feel isolated. The idea is to build harmony and flow in your composition. Again, round the corners wherever the lines intersect.

Step 5: Add Colour (Optional)

You can stop with the black-and-white version or use colour to enhance your drawing. Colour in the spaces between your lines, choosing hues based on mood or intuition. Some people use just one or two calming colours; others go bold.

You can use coloured pencils, markers, acrylic paint, or watercolours to colour your work.

Colour Tip: Use soft transitions or gradients to emphasize connection and unity.

Step 6: Add Embellishments (Optional)

Add shading, dots, lines, circles, or even stickers or glitter to the shapes formed by the lines or the lines themselves. This is a great way to release your creativity and enjoy creating for creation’s sake. It can be very freeing to just play around with colour and shape and enjoy the process.

You can also add written affirmations into the spaces before or after adding colour. Write what you feel, famous quotes, motivational messages, or whatever you feel like writing.

There’s no wrong way to do neurographic art. It’s more about the process than the product. Each drawing reflects your state of mind and a step toward expressing yourself creatively.

This technique is especially helpful for:

• Managing stress or anxiety
  
• Boosting creative flow
  
• Relaxing your mind before or after painting
  
• Practicing mindfulness
  

If you live with a neurological condition like tremors (as I do), neurographic art can be a comforting and empowering creative outlet that doesn’t require precision—just presence. I work with the tremors to form unique lines that aren’t always smooth but still produce a pleasing result. 

The colouring in is a little trickier, but making the lines thicker helps to hide mistakes. Also, using a larger sheet of paper and markers or pencils with a thicker barrel makes them easier to hold.

Want to Go Deeper?

Download my free “Neurographic Art Prompts and Colour Palettes” (PDF), which contains colour palettes, calming drawing prompts, and affirmations to expand your creativity.

If you have questions, you can leave them in the comments below. You can also join our free Facebook group, Trembeling Art Creative Corner, where you can ask questions, post your work and get to know some fantastic artists from all genres and skill levels. 😊