Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are Creative Cue Cards?

A: Creative Cue Cards are a card-based art prompt system created by Brisbane artist and arts educator Jenny McNamara. Each card provides a specific prompt — a shape, pattern, colour, or theme — and artists combine cards from different categories to generate unique composition ideas. They’re available as printed physical decks and instant-download digital versions.

Q: How do you use Creative Cue Cards?

A: Draw one card from each category — shape, pattern, and colour — then use those prompts as the foundation for your artwork. You can add extension cards to challenge yourself further, or mix cards across themed decks for thousands of possible combinations. All you need is paper and coloured pencils to get started.

Q: Are Creative Cue Cards suitable for complete beginners?

A: Yes, absolutely. The cards are specifically designed to work for beginners who feel overwhelmed by the blank page. By giving you a set of creative decisions to start from, they remove the paralysis of not knowing where to begin. No prior art experience is needed.

Q: What materials do I need to use Creative Cue Cards?

A: Just a piece of paper and a box of coloured pencils. The cards are designed to work with basic, accessible materials — there’s no need for specialist art supplies, though you can certainly use whatever media you prefer.

Q: What is the difference between the Still Life, Abstract Faces, and Universal decks?

A: The Still Life Deck focuses on flowers and vase shapes. The Abstract Faces Deck focuses on face shapes and portraiture in an abstract style. The Universal Collection brings together all the shape, pattern, and colour cards from across the themed decks into one versatile system, making it the most flexible option for open-ended creativity.

Q: Can Creative Cue Cards be used in a classroom?

A: Yes — they were partly designed with classroom use in mind. Jenny McNamara has a background in arts education and the cards work well for group settings, individual studio practice, and structured art lessons. Teachers find them particularly useful for giving students creative direction without prescribing a specific outcome.

Q: Are Creative Cue Cards suitable for art therapy?

A: Yes. The structured but open-ended nature of the cards makes them well suited to therapeutic art settings. They provide gentle creative prompts that encourage engagement without pressure or expectation of a particular result, making them accessible for a wide range of participants.

Q: Are there downloadable versions of the Creative Cue Cards?

A: Yes. All decks are now available as instant-download digital versions in addition to the printed physical decks. This means you can purchase and start using them straight away from anywhere in the world.

Q: How many cards are in each deck?

A: The Still Life Deck contains 45 cards in total — 9 shape prompts, 9 pattern prompts, 9 colour prompts, and 9 extension cards, plus an information sheet — all packaged in a hard plastic case. Other deck sizes vary; check individual product pages for card counts.

Q: What age group are Creative Cue Cards designed for?

A: The cards are designed for adults and older teenagers, but they work across a broad range of ages. They are particularly popular with adult beginners, practising artists looking to break creative block, teachers, and art therapy facilitators.

Q: What is the Botanical Add-On Deck?

A: The Botanical Add-On Deck is the latest themed expansion pack. It works as a standalone deck and pairs beautifully with the Universal Decks or any of the themed decks. New Add-On Decks are released regularly to keep expanding the creative possibilities.

Q: Can I mix cards from different decks?

A: Yes — this is one of the key features of the system. Cards are designed to be interchangeable across themed decks, so you can mix a Still Life shape card with an Abstract Faces pattern card and a Universal colour card to create entirely new combinations. This cross-deck flexibility is what gives the system its thousands of possible outcomes.

Q: Where are Creative Cue Cards shipped from?

A: Physical decks are shipped from Australia. Digital download versions are available instantly worldwide upon purchase with no shipping required.