Where do you get your ideas?

[giggolo]

Hi guys,

I have a question.Where do you guys get your Ideas for your Paintings?Iam sitting most of the day in front of my Computer,looking for Figures i can Paint.But i dont have Ideas.i dont know what i can draw or Paint.Like i said before,iam Sitting most of the time in front of my PC and i just dont know what figures i can draw,cause i dont have any Idea.So,where do you guys get your Ideas,or where do you get the Figures?Can anyone help,please? :(
Iam so hopeless :(

Thanks for answers !

~giggolo

[Maizan]

One way to improve is to try looking at other people work for inspiration. Now Im not saying copy it line for line or copy the figures posture to a T but using other peoples art as a reference point is a good place to start. Sometimes even just doing random doodles can lead to an idea. Maybe a form will pop out from all the shapes and lines you are making that will get you started. Let your mind wander and see where it takes you.

[MachineKit]

Maizan's reply is true ^^

Myself, sometimes when I'm feeling short of ideas, I just sketch quick, stay loose & after a few pages I might come up with something interesting. Then I expand that into a more detailed drawing. I'm still practicing but It's good to losen up & have fun for a while, to break the study cycle for a short time.

I also should heed my own advice after the last topic I posted :S

[Mirana]

Maizan's suggestion is what I use when I'm uninspired. To get IDEAS, I brainstorm a bit and give myself a direction. Why don't you go over to the Community Activities forums and see what they're doing this week--or even what they've done in the past. I find when I read up on the challenge that always gets my gears moving.

[Jasonwclark]

I have basically the opposite problem right now, too many ideas (without the skill and time to execute them properly), which can be even more torturous than having no ideas at all. It could come at you from any direction; a book you just read, or a dream, or something you saw that was compelling. Anything really.... That's why you'll be better off if you just work on drawing what's around you for now, getting more comfortable with the process, so that when the idea does hit you'll be ready work with it immediately.

If you're having problems with the human figure, and getting frustrated, then switch it up a little and try more forgiving subjects; like plants and stones, animals, or objects from around the house.

[J Wilson]

iam Sitting most of the time in front of my PC and i just dont know what figures i can draw

The get out from behind your computer. You need to shake things up. Inspiration is all around you, all you need to do is go out and experience it. If you want to find inspiration for body positions, as an example, go out and watch kids at a skate park. Go out to a club and dance and watch other people dance. Go to a park or mall and sit someplace off to the side and draw people you see. Go to a museum. Watch a kung fu movie. Inspiration is everywhere you look, but you might have to leave that spot in front of your computer, because you need to jump start your brain with a break in your routine sometimes.

[Musselfarmstudios]

Also try watching movies or reading books, you might see something to inspire you. That's a method I use but I would much rather just head out doors take my Nikon or sketch book and see what's goin' on. I've seen everything from house fires to cowboys, its just a matter of having something to document the occasion.

[Ilaekae]

If you find the button mechanism that allows you to get ideas, let me know where it is, because I'd like to turn mine off for a while so I can get something finished...

[Flake]

Then get out from behind your computer.

^Winner.

A recent Microsoft DNS update killed thousands of peoples internet connection if they were set to auto update Windows and were also using Zonealarm.
I was in this particular subsection of the interwebs and whilst it was initially annoying , looking back I found I'd got roughly twice as much done that day as I usually would have done.

Step away from the PC. Go to a club, go to the park and draw people. Go to a museum or gallery. Read a book, watch a movie. Hit up a library and learn something new.

Away from the PC, delete MIRC/Messenger, remove World of Warcraft, Kill Your Television.

[Samurai_em]

"Looking for inspiration" is also another form of procrastination. You have to paint the uninspired paintings too, nobody makes only amazing art (you may only see the amazing stuff they do because why would they show you the stuff they hate?).

remove World of Warcraft.

Noooo! I just got my Death Knight to Ouland!! I can't delete it now!!

[JParrilla]

Ya.. sitting behind the computer.. unless your looking at art or reading an art book.. isnt gonna do much. There are things to draw ALL AROUND YOU. Sometimes if you just go draw something you see, youll get inspired. For instance lets say you sit on your porch and draw the cars on your street. Maybe youll imagine your street as some sort of futuristic sci fi landing strip.. and the cars are mini ships. Then you can do more studies of the street and start adding your own ideas. You cant get inspired if you dont look for it. If you dont wanna do that.. draw your hand, your face, your foot, etc. Not every drawing needs to be a masterpiece... just fill your sketchbook with life studies when your not doing a "finished" piece

[tomwaits4noman]

I keep a file of random photos painting drawings some mine some others if I ever stuck for ideas and pluck out images at random until I am inspired.

[chaosrocks]

DSG= daily sketch group in the activities forum


easy
its fun I'm trying to do one everyday
keeps your mind flexible

[Smarty]

Sounds like sitting in front of your computer too much could be killing how creative and motivated you ought to feel. Get out more and experience these things first hand, even if you find something to draw by looking at the tinternet its only going to be from referance as a second hand study. The more you draw the little ideas, even if completely unfocused, the more the biggger ideas fit together.

[Black Spot]

Sketch more. Sometimes something may pop out that you want to explore more. Also listen to music and try to visualise it.

[VulgarDragon]

I find that reading magazines or books help. I like to thumb through magazines looking for some pictures that catches my eye. Also, going out for a walk (shopping at mall, park, nature trails) helps too. Sometimes I'd spot an interesting tree or rock formation, building...or even an item in the store. Observing all those little things can help spark your imagination. Be sure to bring a little notepad to sketch or jolt down notes of all your ideas to take to your drawing table.

I agree, sitting in front of computer (unless you are browsing other artwork for inspiration) or television kills the imagination, because your brain is in a "passive" mode...all the crap is coming in and nothing is coming out.

[Dusty]

My ideas come from everything I love in life. Movies, comic books, video games, books, music and everything in between. Surely you have a top ten list of things that you love in this world...just take that list and pull out the details that you love most and use it as inspiration for your own work.

:D

-D

[Ian Mack]

ideas are everywhere. Think of life as a giant box of tools for you to use in your artwork. Decide on a point of departure and go from there. Say, take a fire hydrant. Do things like make it millions of times bigger, smaller. Change its function. Draw it in love. Give it a second function. Make it mobile. Draw it on drugs. Go out and actually do draw one. Do a colour study of one at different times of the day.

You have one life and not nearly enough time to draw everything so decide on your larger goals and find the ideas that will help you to achieve those goals. who knows, it may be that a fire hydrant is just what you need! esp. if it gets you outside. ;)

[Farvus]

I won't say anything new here. When you sit too much in front of computer, you constantly go into repeating pattern that stops the brain to work creatively.
You can focus more on culture or life. The fist one would be literature, movies, music, comics, games, theatres, operas, galleries, other art. Much better are those things that make think more actively. For example to me literature could be a bit better than movies beacause it forces you to think more about the things you read. The more you think about it, the more creativity you can achieve. The brain starts to produce images.
When it comes to life it could be either going out and just observing things or looking at photos (which gives poorer impression but it can be some alternative) :).
Recently I was on Street & Open-Air Theatres Festival in my city and it made the strongest impact on me. I think it's beacause it was some art but at the same like observing life. It was all happening right in front of me.

Oh. And the third thing would be all those Community Activities like EOW, ChoW, COW or Daily Sketch Group or maybe those random idea generators like 3CH.

[t0po.inc]

From my space bar.




Seriously though.
I find Wikipedia to be a good source.
Book are pretty fabulous too.

[xsdk01]

Where do you guys get your Ideas for your Paintings

:^^: When I sleep.