drawing from imagination

[km]

sorry if this thread's already been covered, i ran a search and couldn't find anything.. if it does exist can someone pm me the link, and just delete this thread

anyways... i'm enjoying doing still life sketches, anthing from figures to objects to environments... drawing the things that are in front of me, but i just can't seem to draw anything from my imagination. it's like i have no creativity what so ever... my mind just goes blank when i try to draw from imagination, and it's like i get overwhelmed...

anyone have a problem with this? anyone got any advice? it's something i'm eager to improve because i have a nice airbrush sitting on my shelf, and my friend who's a tattoo artist keeps telling me he'll teach me how to tattoo, and even let me practice on him

[Jushra]

I watched a DVD by Nick Pugh recently titled 'Originality in Design'. He went through about 200 pages of scribbles to get some random ideas going in his head. Basically he took a pen, scribbled something resembling nothing for about a second, moved on, did another, repeat (a lot). It breaks up the fog in your head and gets some original forms going. Try not to let yourself get inundated by the abundance of work shown in this forum to make sure your ideas are your own. Pugh said that it could take a couple hundred sketches to get some originality flowing, but its well worth it.

I tried it, it helps. I don't have much in my SB from it, as I'm busy studying anatomy from bones to boobs, but I'm sure if you try it, you'll have some breakthroughs.

Scribble, find some appealing forms, 'go with it', (insert new idea here).

Simple, isn't it? :)

[Ilaekae]

Try these...I went to advanced search and entered "Imagination" and shift-selected the Art Discussion and lounge. Some might help, some won't. Try the search yourself and you'll find another 8,000,000 threads...

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=129201&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=123346&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=50389&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=127324&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=123502&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=102171&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=123014&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=122064&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=117136&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=118079&highlight=imagination

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110525&highlight=imagination

[Alex Chow]

anyone have a problem with this? anyone got any advice?

I have this problem. My only advice is to simply expand your mind with images from photos and life (observe, understand, practice), then twist real-life with your imagination.

[DIMAGYAN]

previsualization is a key element in every drawing in my opinion. let your mind wander, try to see somenthig.feel and represent the idea you have in your mind in the paper.
if you need to act then do it, if you need to make some scribbles(as jushra pointed) then do it...everything that helps the conception and realization of your idea works.

[Samari]

Just keep practicing consistently drawing things from real life out in the open. It will eventually get easier due to the amount of times you see things.

[km]

thanks for all the feedback guys

[JParrilla]

im also concerned about this issue. Ive been greatly inspired by some of the pieces in the environment thread over in the Community Activity section. Many of the pieces are clearly from imagination, especially the ones with the sci fi or fantasy theme. Would you say that in order to produce an environment from imagination or basically anything from your imagination, one should study from life? For instance, If you do many drawings of cityscapes from life, after a while will your ability to create a made up cityscape become better? I see many images of these really cool sci fi spaceship ports, or futuristic cities, and I wonder if the artists started out by drawing many types of real life cities and spacecraft from life or photos, then after a long while began to gain the ability to create these imaginative speedpaintings without reference.

[cmalidore]

I found that the more I buried myself in artwork from other artists, be it on my walls, lurking around forums, or whatever, the more it expanded my visual knowledge. From there I'd draw these out in my own way and refine refine refine. You can't just look at a lot of art for it to help, you gotta apply what you learn. The more you do? The easier imagination tends to get. At least it worked for me. I can't talk for other artists - this stuff works for everyone a bit differently.

I guess the best I can say is to just keep drawing, looking at what your peers are doing, and don't fear mistakes.

(Side note: I always found that by treating my imagination like a body builder treats their muscles, the more it worked. Push, pull, strain, let rest, repeat. It's a long process for many - but it rarely comes naturally)

[Musselfarmstudios]

I found that the more I buried myself in artwork from other artists, be it on my walls, lurking around forums, or whatever, the more it expanded my visual knowledge. From there I'd draw these out in my own way and refine refine refine. You can't just look at a lot of art for it to help, you gotta apply what you learn. The more you do? The easier imagination tends to get. At least it worked for me. I can't talk for other artists - this stuff works for everyone a bit differently.

I guess the best I can say is to just keep drawing, looking at what your peers are doing, and don't fear mistakes.

(Side note: I always found that by treating my imagination like a body builder treats their muscles, the more it worked. Push, pull, strain, let rest, repeat. It's a long process for many - but it rarely comes naturally)


Yes! . . . exactly what this dude said . . . the thing about the body builder is also an analogy that I also use when explaining the creative process.

[Jie Kageshinzo]

I really don't have this problem much. But then again, I am as much a storyteller as an artist so I naturally tend to have hyperactive imagination from stories I read. Even simple drawings can trigger something that branches off it, whether it 's dark and twisted or light-hearted or sad.

I guess my advice would be not to limit yourself in just artworks. Read stories, tales, whatever. Sooner or later, you'll be inspired enough to create worlds of your own. The art that you see will give them structure.

[JParrilla]

I see what your saying.. My problem doesnt lie in having ideas. I have ideas, I can see them in my head. So Im guessing my problems are with actual drawing skill. I read alot of sci fi/ fantasy stories, so Im definetely full of cool ideas. Ive just been taking an academic approach to my learning (Life drawing, casts, bargue, etc) so Im wondering if all of this studying will eventually help me to create what I want from my imagination, and allow me to express what I want to with my art, after all what drives me isnt exactly still life and casts, its scifi, comics, fantasy, heroes, villians, etc, etc

[km]

after all what drives me isnt exactly still life and casts, its scifi, comics, fantasy, heroes, villians, etc, etc

same here..

i mean i enjoy doing still lifes just cause i've improved so much over the passed few months, in which i actually did try to push myself to the limits, and just seeing what i produce gets me excited and motivates me to keep pushing myself.. i wanna get the same feeling with my drawings from my imagination..

on a side note.. man there is so much to learn in art, and so many resources out there, its over-whelming

[JParrilla]

Ya.. Well I've always been inspired by sci fi, fantasy, and comics among many other things. I only recently realized through this site that no matter what type of art you want to create, you need the fundamentals. If you don't have them your work will show it. So I'm planning on spending the next few years learning drawing skills from books and the classic atelier methods. I'm hoping that gaining the drafting skills will help me to create the art I've always wanted to. Hopefully going to illustration school after I finish college. I'm pretty sure that learning to draw is learning to draw.. And just because I'm learning through casts, life drawing, books, etc, I will be able to apply my skills to imaginative work. At least I hope so