The LTA challenged the players at The Progress Tour Women's Championships to creatively mark their tennis balls in 30 seconds
Thursday 23 July 2020 07:48, UK
Britain's Katie Boulter and Katie Swan are getting creative on court with Mark Your Ball.
Mark Your Ball is part of the Play Your Way campaign to get more people into tennis and the initiative motivates players to add their own unique spin on the traditional tennis ball with personalised designs and markings.
The idea being that the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) want to encourage players to express themselves on court and celebrate their own style, encouraging them to get out on court and play.
The LTA challenged the players at the Progress Tour to come up with their own designs in 30 seconds to see who came up with the best creations.
The LTA has also teamed up with emerging artist Marcus Method to bring the spirit of its latest #PlayYourWay initiative to life.
Mark Your Ball invites players to showcase their artistic flair and unique style of play no matter their background or ability and to express their individuality through the sport.
Mark Your Ball design tips from Marcus Method:
1. You could try basing your design on your name or initials! Add patterns and colours inside of around the letters to make it unique.
2. To make it easier to draw on your ball, why not place it in an egg cup to stop it rolling around.
3. Use a pen that is permanent. Try using fabric marker pens, Sharpies or paint pens such as Posca.
4. Try adding designs to the lines of the ball. This could be patters, stripes or even text.
5. Why not use your hobbies and interests as inspiration for your design, such as your favourite music, TV shows, YouTubers or games etc.
6. When adding colours start with the light colours first and then darker ones later, this will stop them mixing together.
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