[GuyMontag]

Of late, I haven't had any inspiration for drawings at all. Zero. Zip. Zilch. I think it has something to do with the medication I'm taking for bipolar disorder, because it started at pretty much the same time, very noticable when I look back on it. Not taking the medication isn't an option because my condition is so severe.

But now I don't know what to do. If inspiration doesn't come to me naturaly anymore, how do I find it?

Someone suggest something please. This is driving me insane.

[Mega Muffin]

Sometime, I just scribble a little thing on the page, like a loop or a squiggle, and then look at it. Chances are you will see something, or a start of something in it. Then just imagine more and more, and u'll have a whole composition in ur head! It comes to me pretty easy, and if I were a better drawer I'd probably have alot of neat artwork by now, lol.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you!

[Prometheus-ANJ]

I always have tons of stuff I wanna draw. I like games and systemizing stuff so most of it is:

Game fanart/redesigns. Pick a game you like and draw the characters/monsters as you would like them to look. What designs would you add for a sequal?

Movie fanart/redesigns. What would a 'Giger alien' look like if it assimilated a... giraff? How does the new terminator model look, or the new Starship troopers bug.

Book characters and illustrations.

Paraphrases of famous paintings. Draw a nude girl partly covered by folded silk sheets / drapery, or a classic motif from greek mythology.


Hope that helps. I never get anywhere with random scribbling myself.
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Yak!

[Al Ian]

To get inspired I listen to music or force myself to an emotional high. It always seems to work.
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http://jmarkey77.home.bresnan.net/

[eyewoo]

I find much of my most interesting inspiration happens when I'm just about to fall asleep... I let my thoughts wander. The downside is, if a really good idea hits, it generally wakes me up.

Another source of inspiration is the keyword used with any of the stock photo libraries - bunches of ideas can evolve out of a combination of your own sense of things and viewing photo images - facial expressions, form, shape...
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[dfacto]

doodle. When I am out of ideas, I just doodale all over a page. eventually something emerges and you can take that to the next level.
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It has been clinically proven that other people's pain IS funny.

[beginnering]

perhaps reading a good book or watch a good movie
or go to an artmuseum

[Ian Jones]

"when I'm just about to fall asleep... I let my thoughts wander. The downside is, if a really good idea hits, it generally wakes me up."

Don't you hate that, I can never get to sleep for hours and hours. I toss and turn thinking about it continually. Whats worse is that in the morning the idea has totally gone! arrrgh.

[Agrajag]

Last time I was sitting in the zero-inspiration-hole, a buddy of mine had the same problem. So he made a quick&dirty photo-manip to get a starting point, mailed it to me, and I painted a reply. That went back and forth, and developed into a (very weird) kind of picture-story. It may not be the way to create great narratives, but it gets you painting, especially when you agree on a low level of detail (speedpaintings).

Also true for me: The phase just before you fall asleep, when all those intense images and impressions pop into your mind, is a treasure trove (with a catch). Highly creative, highly frustrating when you can't take much into the wake world...

Good luck!
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"Look...!" protested Arthur.
"HhhhhhrrrrrraaaaaaHHHHHH!!!" explained Agrajag...