[shinji69]

Yeah, I am lazy. I don't carry sketchbooks all the time and for the most of time I just want to stay still... Sometimes I simply don't know what to do.

I just can't pick up the pencil. I don't know why. Am I just lazy or do I fear of failure? I made a resolution to draw 7 pages on my sketchbook everyday, but I can't stick to it. I don't feel like doing anything other than producing meat starch... Yeah, I am THAT lazy. After making some starch, > I get so tired and relaxed so I have to take a shower and go to bed.... -_-;

I think jerking off is the second worst enemy of an artist...

[Pat]

Many are called. Few are chosen.

Doesn't even the fear of living a life of mediocrity motivate you?

-Pat

[Etict]

I'm pretty lazy myself too. I The problem is, I'm not very motivated to go back drawing when I can't draw very well. Right now I'm trying to learn anatomy. It's pretty hard and I often lose my motivation to draw. Sometimes I'm just sitting there and wondering why I can't pick up the pencil. =/

[corvax]

Everybody has the same problem at some time or another; art takes practice, and practicing can't always be fun.

I've been doing the same thing as you, Shinji, having recently purchased a new sketchbook in which I plan to practice doing some realist pencil drawings... My only advice would be to be a bit more reasonable with your resolutions. 7 drawings is a lot, and if you burn yourself out, you won't enjoy doing any drawing. I'd say (now, obviously, this depends on what you're practicing; it's pretty acceptable to do 7 gesture drawings in one sitting) that you should do one drawing a night... it's enough that you'll get used to the regular practice, and you'll see improvement, but you won't exhaust yourself or get sick of drawing altogether.

Practice is great, but don't make something you like doing into work... yes, you'll like it more when you're better, but you have to like getting better, too.

[Muzman]

I wouldn't call it lazy exactly. Maybe it's just not as much fun as it was. Could be time to relax for a while. Chuck the lil rulebook, all the faux discipline you think you're putting in place and chill.

[Golongria]

I vote for the latter...that being fear of failure. I've been in the same place MANY times and I've come to realize that if you just push through it, you usually get good results, and if not, then you definitely learn something at least. So my advice is to just do it, take time, and don't set some insane limit like 7 pages a day unless you can actually handle it. Set only goals that you know you can accomplish.
-Matt

[Svanur]

I vote for the fear of failure too. Been there so many times.

[Ian Jones]

WOW, you hit the mark here for me.

That sounds exactly like me. I will have these really cool ideas at 11:00pm at night then the next day when I goto do them I say to myself.. err... I'll go watch a little tv, or I'll just spend a short time on the net, then I'll get to it... (never end up doing anything!)

(ive done that a thousand times or more)... why oh why cant I break out of it.. I dunno..

I have the same problem as you!

WE ARE BONE IDLE!

[Ian Jones]

AHA! I have an idea...

I reckon that if we try to start out slowly.. then we can't set any unrealistic goals.. say to yourself that you'll do at least one drawing this week, and the next.. and sowly increase it a little.. maybe that will help with the practiality of practising...

[Brain]

At least one sketch a day is more realistic than 7 pages. If you do more, great! If you only do one, at least you're sticking to your guns.

Trains are a great place for this, especially if you have to ride one everyday (tho only good if you get a seat @:-)

[Rohan]

Hey guys!
I know i've got the same problem as most of you. I seriously need to start slugging at the sketch books so i can improve my drawing skills, but i really just cant find the motivation.

Most of the time i will sit at my computer and think about what i should do but i never end up doing it. Instead i'll goto Sijun or some other cool place to find art and look at their stuff :P

Etheir that or i'll just start playing Baldurs Gate II or something. . hehe

Although recently i've made an effort to draw a few pages of stuff from 'life, and in my other sketchbook i've been working on characters based on this cool Anime i just finished watching. Its hard to get started, but i find once i start doing something its pretty hard to stop myself. . i just get absorbed into it and usually dont stop till i've finished the whole drawing (though it seems to take forever for me to finish anything!!). I think one of my main factors of 'lack of motivation' is my inability to draw. AT least when i draw something, even anything. . . it helps boost my confidence a lil bit more. Maybe if i keep it up i'll feel more confident in drawing and i'll do it more often?

Is there any ppl out there who found it really hard in the beginning but now can't stop themselves drawing? Is there any ppl that were really crap at drawing and thought they had no skill but now they can draw anything AND make it look awesome?

Jason M . . . anyone? *jk* I just hope theres some light at the end of the tunnel, hehe.

Cheers

[christian cox]

Yeah, sometimes I'll get a bit lazy and call it a creative block. I really could draw something but I would rather be lazy, I think. Usually I'll see something though that inspires me and I rush to a pad of paper, or my Wacom tablet (whichever takes less energy and start putting the idea down. The alternative of this is to get hopped up on caffeine late at night while listening to music on the headphones!

But if you just go full force and obsessively work at drawing and art, you'll start developing. Don't let yourself be frustrated until you just don't want to do it anymore. OF course, I'm probably not the best person to give this advice... but I'm sure a great artist said it once

I've seen some artists in the Hash community, as well as other places that went from being nothing special to just incredible. And it's because they but a lot of work in it, took criticism from others and kept at it.

Well, that's enough of my rambling.

[Blade]

I have had the same problem as all of you.I think I have finally gotten out of it...maybe cause Im back in school too =D
Anywho, I used to play games on the computer all the time and then one day I took a deep breath and deleted all the games. I just got my tablet as well. So now since I know I have an addiction to the computer and I have a wacom tablet, I work on art on this instead.
I just do quick little paintings when I cant think of anything and discard them as pieces of shit cause I know they suck, but if I dont do them I will never get good.
I hate those crap drawings I do, but I finally learned to finish most drawings I do no matter how horrible I hate them.
If your surfing the net all the time instead of doing that, get yourself a tablet and then work on the computer instead of surfing the net or playing games all the time...easier said than done (I know i went through it)

[Anthony]

My worst enemy is a lack of knowledge in general. For instance, if I were to try to paint an ice chamber I wouldn't know how the light would be filtering in. If I were designing a big mechanical arm I wouldn't REALLY know how the mechanics should be designed. I'd be back to figuring it out for myself, which probably would mean less realistic mechanics. Pity :]

[Zaphod]

The worst obstacle for me isn't drawing, it is to actually scan some pictures and then color them. Mostly because I suck at coloring and values. And secondly because I lack the skill to do it quickly.

Another problem I have is to find good colors in digital media. If I paint with oils or something I have a much easier time when I can mix and see the color develop. Any takes on this?

/Magnus

[shinji69]

In fact, I haven't even finished the foundation studies. My knowlege on anatomy is very shaky and I don't have a solid understanding in color theory. My personal goal was to draw human figure W/O references. It might be easier than painting with zero references, but I find it still hard. I haven't even memorized the names and shapes of muscles yet.

And I live in a dorm with nil natural lighting. I live in Las Vegas area, so having a natural lightsource in summertime means.... >_< And yeah...going outside for landscape painting practice is hard too. Too hot in summer and too cold in winder. Sometimes I wish I get booted out from the military and marry a spoiled filthy rich chick so that I won't have to worry about financial problem and take loads of classes in AiA and also get my BFA in illustration from either CSULB or CSU Fullerton. CSU Fullerton doesn't offer an art anatomy class but has internship programs and liaison with Disney Studio for entertaiment design program.

Well.... I wish I could paint like Tom Browning or Harley Brown. ^_^ Or that Japanese illustrator Yuji Kaida.

BTW, nobody ever seems to notice about my...eh....'self help' problem. It makes me so tired that I have to go to bed so early...

[nova]

If you enjoy drawing, you don't need much encouragement [or energy] to draw Do you have any favorite artists? A lot of what kept my going when I started really drawing was at first almost copying the artwork of the artists I really liked. Another reason I drew was because I played a text-based roleplaying game and wanted to draw out my character. I'm trying to say you could start by drawing something you're familiar with or want to visualize.. like do art after games, movies or books that you like. We all have different inspirations and stuff that keeps us going.

[edraket]

This summer the company I worked for as an art director went bankrupt and I had almost two months off.
This is something I had really been hoping for since in the time I had been working there I had had a lots of great idea's but no time to work on them (due to four hours of commute per day)
But once I had that time. I would just sit there and I could't produce anything. My inspiration disappeared and when I would just try to draw or model something brainless it would look terrible. I spent my time getting more and more frustrated and I never actually produced anything in that enormous wealth of time that I had.
Then I got a job again and everything started coming to me immediately. I work on projects almost every night after work. And I am quite satisfied with myself.
This was a fairly weird experience for me. But I learned that I function better with a full life. (Although I do feel like a wet rag all the time)
Anyways I thought that was an interesting addition to this fairly sad discussion. Do with it what you will.

Here are some things that help me or people I know to get going:

Some music immediately gets me in a specific mood. I have art music. Although for art almost anything works. But I also have exercise music to get me off my lazy butt. Meditation music..etc..

Reading good books, watching good movies. Basically anything that inspires me.

I have this friend that I sometimes plan creative days with when we are both in need of inspiration. We review each others work. Work on a project, brainstorm, or just have interesting discussions.
We kind of keep each others progress in check and that helps.

Writing down what you've done./Writing down what you are going to do and when. Basically planning stuff and keeping a log of what you've done so far.

I find that the circle of vegetation and procrastination can be broken by doing those exact things.
So I plan vegg-nights or even days. I rent a movie get unhealthy food and loads of chocolate(note...not included in unhealthy food). A person needs vegg time. Just face that fact and do it. But do it for real. Don't feel quilty about it. It's hard to explain how but this makes the need to vegg disappear for me. The TAO of vegging..very important..

Ok...well I guess thats it..and .. er..my rendering is done.. so back to work..

eddy

[J Bradford]

It's all about breaking the habit and being consistent in the thing you want to do. The more you do it on a daily basis, the farther away you distance yourself from not wanting to do lazy, easy stuff anymore.

I would suggest everytime you aren't in the "mood" to do something like draw in a sketchbook, that's where you piss yourself off and do it anyway. After some time you will discover it wasn't something you dreaded on doing or didn't have ideas for, but you simply lacked enough motivation to jump into it.

[J Bradford]

And if your having artist block or something, don't limit yourself to drawing from simply your imagination. Draw from life as much as you can, go browse some web sites that have movie stills and draw scenes from those. It's all about getting your hand moving, practicing that undescribing feeling you get when drawing.