[artboy]

I really want to improve my drawing skills, but when I try and draw what's in my head I go blank and just stare at a blank sketchbook. I can draw looking at a reference pic, but can't seem to get what's in my head onto paper. If you get "artist's block," what do you do to get past it?

Thanks in advance,
-artboy

[nova]

ok, i'm going to try to help, since i just got past a huge block myself

Here are my tips to you, I also keep these in mind when i've reached a block..

- Go carefree for a second, relax and take it easy. I've found my main block has been stress, either from work/school or something. I'ts also the thought that what's in my head is not good enough to put on paper. Judge it after you've drawn it.

- If you're looking for ideas from a reference, don't stare at a single reference, look at a ton of them for a short while each, and let your reference inhibit your ideas, or block you further.

- Keep drawing or painting. Just do it.. the worst thing you can do is sit there and not do anything. Kinda like working out

- Try something completely different.. totally break away from what you've been doing and come back to it later.

- Look for inspiration.. from your favorite artist, song or thought.

- Anything goes in art.. you can paint a movie, a book, an emotion, a moment, or a phrase. Doing stuff like this has worked every time for breaking through blocks, and making me keep drawing.

- Keep a text file in your 'in progress' art folder or whatever of stuff that comes to your head, that you want to paint. Personally, i got mine from the Themes thread a while back, and have kept adding to it.

- Get the idea out there in one form or another, then worry about the details, like technique or anatomy.

Gosh, this sounds like some kind of therapy session, heh Anyway, hope i helped.


- l

[ May 10, 2002: Message edited by: nova ]

[HawkOne]

1. Reading massive fantasy books about strange worlds and the creatures and places in them. Sci-Fi or Classic Fantasy, whatever floats your boat.

2. Sleep deprivation ....

After only about 40 hours without sleep, my brain starts sputtering out all sorts of stupid/crazy ideas, and then it's time to jot down sketches and elaborate descriptions in your sketchbook.

There are two unfortunate side-effects (in my case anyway).

One is that the eyes, back and neck really suffer unless they have some rest, so it is advisable to lie down flat for a few hours, resting without sleeping, just "meditating" while listening to some music for example.
Make sure you're not listening to Pink Floyd or Radioheads sleep inducing songs, cause you'll just pass out. Listening to music this way can also trigger nice ideas, unless you like Britney Spears or thoughtless crap like that. Tool is pretty cool (hey that rhymes)

The second "issue" is that sometimes it is quite hard to switch off that "forced awareness of the sub consciousness" and you find that you can no longer sleep because you can't turn the damned thing off ...

It's probably not good for your health though ... And I have only twice needed the aid of "chemicals" to regain a relatively sane mind ... Usually I just twist and turn and sleep miserably for a few days more, and then it is back to normal ...

If you just cannot snap back into a normal state of mind, then it may be time for some Xanax, which just slowly turns down the volume of your sub consciousness, until your mind is yet again in a nice, quiet and controllable state.

When you then wake up again the next morning, you can have a look at your sketches and think ... holy shit ... that's some weird shit ... and proceed to make some cool stuff ... hopefully ...

Rinse and repeat when neccesary.

[ceenda]

Go for a walk in the country (okay, maybe if you live in LA or London or somewhere this is slightly impracticle, in which case go to the park or something). Something about fresh air clears the mind and tends to fill you with ideas. Take a little sketchbook along and collate those sketches so that you can use them as a start when you get back.

[Dr. Bang]

http://www.eatpoo.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1262&highlight=

Go and say thanks.

[artboy]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I'll try them all.

And Dr. Bang, you are absolutely correct! I'm headed there now to give my gratitude.

-artboy

[Light]

I wouldnt plug my article so much but it really addresses this well.

This should be useful to you:
http://light1.home.mindspring.com/magic.txt

Also, one other good tip: close your eyes and draw from your mind to lose up first without looking at the paper.

[colonel kurtz]

Everyone may be done with this thread, but I gotta put in my 2 cents.
Just having got over a nice long block myself I thought I'd share. I stopped watching TV, and read as many Sci-fi and Fantasy books that I could get my hands on. I rearranged my work area so that my computer and my drafting table were in closer proximity to one another, and both faced a window. The view isn't much (driving range) but just having something to look at besides a wall was a very nice change. Playing with the styrofoam packing forms that come with the electronics etc. that I recieve was a HUGE new reference source.
OK thanks, I feel better now.

[artboy]

Thanks for the article link, I'm gonna read it this weekend!

Styrofoam sculpting, eh? A friend of mine use to make logos and signs for raves out of styrofoam and a hot-knife. He'd spraypaint them with dayglo colors and they looked really cool, esp under a blacklight.

-artboy

[colonel kurtz]

Not so much sculpting as playing with them. Looking at the shape and visualizing different guns, ships, vehicles, monsters, etc... Sometimes I do hack away at it with an xacto knife.

[Dragonmun]

What I do when i'm in a slump:

1.) Program Webpages, even if they're not going to be used (sleep deprivation =^_^=.)

2.) Listen to my newest favorite songs while "meditating" (tying to sleep, but not allowing myself to do so because of the music).

3.) Sit in a math class (so boring... must draw! =Oo=).

Okay I'm done =^_^=

[bearsclover]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Light:
I wouldnt plug my article so much but it really addresses this well.

---

Mwahahahaha! I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. As soon as I saw the first post in this thread, I KNEW. I knew you wouldn't be able to pass up the opportunity. So when I saw your post, I just about did a spit-take. "I wouldnt plug my article so much"? Uh, yeah, you would! You DO! All the TIME! (Sorry, I am not really trying to give you a hard time! I am sure it's a fine article and all that, but you have to admit, this is getting a big hilarious!)

Regarding the artboy's post: being inspired by novels is good, and just honing your skills. When you have more confidence in your skills, you are more apt to "stretch" yourself. Also, try doing "color studies" - using different color schemes (moody, bright, sunny, etc.) and try to create an interesting scene that will fit the color scheme.

HawkOne's suggestion about music as inspiration is interesting, but I wouldn't be giving such specific music recommendations! We all have different tastes. Maybe someone would be quite inspired by Britney Spears! (Not me, but maybe someone!) I listen to Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone and Jean Sibelius - but I don't think such composers would be "inspire" all artists!

[ May 10, 2002: Message edited by: bearsclover ]

[HawkOne]

@ bearsclover ...

Hooterville eh ... heheh ... sounds like a nice place ...

About being specific about music suggestions, I'll openly admit that if someone say Britney Spears is REALLY good shit, I will just think "idiot" and leave them be.

Furthermore, since I was the one who wrote my post, I based my views on my views, and therefore giving out some of my examples of what I might listen to.

It's all about moods and personal preferences of course, but I figured that would be pretty obvious, but since it seems to have slipped past you bear, I figure I'd just make it clear.

I'll make sure to send everything I post from now on past my lawyer, to ensure that nothing is personally biased, and/or might be misunderstood.

I'm not gonna try very hard to be diplomatic and neutral about whether "manufactured bands" are good or not, and in the defense of the real bands out there trying to get into the limelight, (no, I'm not a musician) I will openly say that 98% of what is more marketing than music, IS JUST SHIT ...!!!

Top 40, what a bloody joke, bands pop straight into the top 10 without even having launched the record, now that is a case for the X-Files if you ask me ... maybe it's divine intervention ...

MTV = Marketing TeleVision



[ May 10, 2002: Message edited by: HawkOne ]

[bearsclover]

quote:

---

Originally posted by HawkOne:
Hooterville eh ... heheh ... sounds like a nice place ...

---

Oh yeah. Don't get me started.

quote

Quote:

About being specific about music suggestions, I'll openly admit that if someone say Britney Spears is REALLY good shit, I will just think "idiot" and leave them be.

Eh. Who cares what anyone else listens to! As long as they don't expect me to listen!

quote

Quote:

It's all about moods and personal preferences of course, but I figured that would be pretty obvious, but since it seems to have slipped past you bear, I figure I'd just make it clear.

Oh give me a break! You can't bullshit a bullshitter!

quote

Quote:

I'll make sure to send everything I post from now on past my lawyer, to ensure that nothing is personally biased, and/or might be misunderstood.

Be sure to do that! Don't want you to suffer undue stress!

quote

Quote:

I'm not gonna try very hard to be diplomatic and neutral about whether "manufactured bands" are good or not...

What? ::blink blink:: Uh...sorry, I nodded off there. You see, I DON'T CARE!!! I listen to Classical, mostly Classical, and then...some more Classical. And film scores, which only play on the Classical stations. Sibelius' 4th Symphony is a particular favorite, and Jerry Goldsmith's "Under Fire". And you're preachin' to the choir when it comes to Top 40. It's like fingernails down a blackboard to me. But if other people love to listen to it, fine by me. Just as long as they don't subject me to it!

quote

Quote:

MTV = Marketing TeleVision

Don't.
Care. It doesn't play anything I listen to, I don't care. Never have. (I grew up listening to Classical, and never have tired of it.)

Nice little music hijack we've got going here, huh?

[HawkOne]

Note to self ...

bearsclover is a self-proclaimed bullshitter and don't care about most things ...

[Light]

Bear:
"Sorry, I am not really trying to give you a hard time! I am sure it's a fine article and all that, but you have to admit, this is getting a bit hilarious"

I'm just trying to help. A lot of the "newbies" have the same questions so naturally the same information applies to them. Sorry for trying to help people out.

But, I agree I need to make a new article that will explain everything then I can just link to it every post.

Btw, I seen your site. You have some nice portraits. You say you worked under Hogarth? Tell me more about this.

[bearsclover]

quote:

---

Originally posted by HawkOne:
Note to self ...

bearsclover is a self-proclaimed bullshitter and don't care about most things ...

---

Uh huh.... Sayeth one bullshitter to the other bullshitter...

And, I care about a fair amount of things - if they ever found Sibelius' 8th Symphony, I'd care. When Goldsmith comes out with a new score (and one's due out now, I believe) I care. But do I care about what other people listen to? No. Why should I? Their listening habits are none of my business.

[Gecko]

paint/draw the 500 themes

[bearsclover]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Light:
I'm just trying to help. A lot of the "newbies" have the same questions so naturally the same information applies to them. Sorry for trying to help people out.

---

Now, now, don't get your knickers too much in a bunch. It's not the article, per se, (which I'm sure is fine) it's that you keep on plugging it in so many posts! Sheesh! Just put a link to it in your sig, and be done with it! (Seriously! This is what you should do.) And, it is hilarious that you keep citing it. It's even more hilarious because you keep saying "I wouldn't mention my article" or "I don't like mentioning my article"... Come on. Give us a break. OF COURSE you want to keep mentioning your article. Because you do keep mentioning it! See?

quote

Quote:

But, I agree I need to make a new article that will explain everything then I can just link to it every post.

That sounds better. Make it into a full-fledged HTML file, add some of your own artwork as "examples" (this is a must) and then just add a link to it in your sig. A lot of other people here have links to their sites in their sigs.

quote

Quote:

Btw, I seen your site. You have some nice portraits. You say you worked under Hogarth? Tell me more about this.

Thanks for your nice words about my site. Yes, I studied under with Mr. Hogarth. He strayed from New York long enough (I guess) to teach Figure Drawing at Otis in Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to attend two semesters. There were some other "big name" people attending his classes, too. Artists from all over Los Angeles came to learn from Mr. Hogarth. He was wonderful. His books are great, he was much greater in real life. He sure could pontificate, too!

[8105]

Okay, Alot of thoes suggestions.... er ALL of them help.

How I go about removing an artists block, is I go through alot of my old sketch books, WAY back to the beginning, and look at some of the Pictures upside down. ODD I know. but it actually triggers the right side of my brain. then I switch methods of drawing.... IE if I had been using a pencil to draw, I'll switch to a pen or marker. or a different size of paper.... it really makes a difference. because when you do the same thing over and over, you get tired. same with creativity. Do something different. Also, don't draw at all...instead Write. make a short story and draw to that. even if it is "Hi my name is Jack, I am a space pilot stranded with no cash and my ship has been hijacked."

Bam right there, just analyze what he sees...no Cash...hmm he needs cash? he must be in a civilization that is dependent on currency. Space Pilot? Whats he wearing? was his ship hijacked when he was asleep, was he beat up? or stolen when he was having a beer in his street cloths? how far into the future was it? ASK QUESTIONS.

BTW I am doing this for myself as well as others who read this.




8

[Lee Yiankun]

Hmm, Artist block
I surf the net looking for cool art pics to inspire me. But usually I got too tied up in it & wasted the day. :P
Anyway, coloring old pics works also.
& some massive sleeping(either lack or over helps) helps sometimes.

/me rolls & rolls to get past artist blocks

[TheRealT]

Try purposely ruining your own life. Terminal depression does miracles for inspiration...
Well at least it does for me....

[James Bradford]

if you are having a block in one type area of art, give a go at another part. example if you cant draw from imagination at the moment, try drawing from life.