Need advice on choosing subjects

[Xeon_OND]

I'm working a 9 - 6:30 PM job and by the time I reach home and finish dinner, eat, rest and bath, it's around 10:30 PM.

Nowadays, I draw from 10:30 PM - 12:30 AM from Mon - Fri to improve, and because it's late at night, I'm doing the drawings in my house, from still life set-ups.

The problem is, I'm running out of things to draw. I've pretty much drawn everything in my house (still life). It's enjoyable, but I wish there was something new and more challenging.

Do you guys go out late at night and draw? At my area, there's barely a soul at night (aside from punks and drunkards and potential stalkers / robbers / rapists).

Some ideas would be nice. I only go out for public sketching on weekdays.

I wish I could summon ghosts to my house so that I can do life drawing sessions at night.

Thanks!
Xeon :D

[dpaint]

Get a wardrobe mirror and draw yorself is one option. Also do you have places you can get things for cheap like flea markets? I'm always hunting thrift shops and flea markets for still life material. also how about things like a group of glasses of water lit from behind or in interesting ways? I know it is tough but how about cutting and arrange flowering plants or weeds for subjects. I don't recommend painting or drawing late at night by yourself because being stationary makes you a target. Even though I'm 6'7" and 225 when I paint in parks or remote places I'm always hyper aware of my situation because of the potential for being robbed or harrassed; and I know people who have been threatened while out painting, so yeah stay in and be creative.

[Xeon_OND]

Get a wardrobe mirror and draw yorself is one option. Also do you have places you can get things for cheap like flea markets? I'm always hunting thrift shops and flea markets for still life material. also how about things like a group of glasses of water lit from behind or in interesting ways? I know it is tough but how about cutting and arrange flowering plants or weeds for subjects. I don't recommend painting or drawing late at night by yourself because being stationary makes you a target. Even though I'm 6'7" and 225 when I paint in parks or remote places I'm always hyper aware of my situation because of the potential for being robbed or harrassed; and I know people who have been threatened while out painting, so yeah stay in and be creative.
6'7"? Maybe you should quit art and change career to basketballing. :D

Anyway, yeah, that flea market idea is interesting. I've a pot of artificial flowers which I haven't drawn yet, so I could try that. It's complicated, but I guess that's the challenge. :D

Thanks!

[Two Listen]

Draw a puppy who's snout has no skin on it so you can see part of his skull while the backside of his head is exploding.

Seriously, you're only limiting yourself by only drawing stuff that already exists. Life exists to be studied, and to fuel your mind and knowledge base. It does not exist to limit you to copying what's right in front of you.

[Xeon_OND]

Draw a puppy who's snout has no skin on it so you can see part of his skull while the backside of his head is exploding.

Seriously, you're only limiting yourself by only drawing stuff that already exists. Life exists to be studied, and to fuel your mind and knowledge base. It does not exist to limit you to copying what's right in front of you.
Wow, I've never tried that before. So, you're saying like, to add and modify what we draw? As in, a water bottle in front of me, and when I draw it, I delibrately leave out some parts and add in some parts of my own?

[crossmirage]

Toys make for great still life subjects. If they're highly poseable, they can double as your 'models'! :D

Seconding what Two Listen said as well. Add, subtract, modify, mix things up.

[Kraus]

At my area, there's barely a soul at night (aside from punks and drunkards and potential stalkers / robbers / rapists).


Umm there you go... I would get bored out of me brains drawing still life late at night unless i incorporate it into a bigger project, so draw the lampost you see out of the window, a buncha punks scartering from it like roaches as the police lights flash nearby.

[Xeon_OND]

Umm there you go... I would get bored out of me brains drawing still life late at night unless i incorporate it into a bigger project, so draw the lampost you see out of the window, a buncha punks scartering from it like roaches as the police lights flash nearby.
I wish my neighbourhood was as interesting as what you said. :D

[Purrdey]

How do you commute?
I'm sure that Singapore has far superior transport structures than London, but I take advantage of the 20 mins I often have to wait for a train just roughly sketching the poses of the people hanging around. I always have a little pocket sketch book in my bag. The people in the sb can then be used and abused in other ways later on :)

[Xeon_OND]

How do you commute?
I'm sure that Singapore has far superior transport structures than London, but I take advantage of the 20 mins I often have to wait for a train just roughly sketching the poses of the people hanging around. I always have a little pocket sketch book in my bag. The people in the sb can then be used and abused in other ways later on :)
LOL, commute by those modern rail trains (something like the type in London's The Tube). :D

I have the courage to draw still life and architecture in public but no guts to draw other humans in public. I dunno, but it's weird. Say, if I see someone sketching me, I would freak out myself. :D
If it's done in groups (meaning you go out with a bunch of artists and draw people), then it's different.

Maybe I could try drawing them from a distance (30 - 50+ feet away)? The last thing I want is to look like a stalker, and they've those cameras all over the station. ;)

[vineris]

Yeah, I sometimes draw people on the bus. Bonus points if there's a traffic jam. I also occasionally use my lunch hour to go someplace interesting near work (although I work at a Uni, so there's all sorts of odd things here if you happen to know the buildings well -- I don't know how much stuff you could draw if you, say, worked in a strip mall).

Flea markets are a good idea if you have space to store all the junk you buy. If you don't, try drawing food. If you get bored of apples and bananas you can draw strudels and sandwiches -- and the best thing is that you make your subjects disappear as soon as you're done with them.

Look up people's sketchjournals or painting-a-day blogs. There's lots of people who record their lives out there and it's interesting to see what subjects they choose and how they treat them.

[Slothboy3000]

If you haven't got it already, I think you'll find Imaginative Realism by James Gurney interesting. It's a great way of showing how using what's in front of you can be implemented in to drawings from your imagination.

[Xeon_OND]

Flea markets are a good idea if you have space to store all the junk you buy. If you don't, try drawing food. If you get bored of apples and bananas you can draw strudels and sandwiches -- and the best thing is that you make your subjects disappear as soon as you're done with them.
Yeah, I'm thinking of going to flea markets and then dispose the junk away once I'm sick of drawing them, and get new ones. As for food, their shapes are simple, only that the rendering of texture of their skin is hard (I haven't reach that stage yet).

If you haven't got it already, I think you'll find Imaginative Realism by James Gurney interesting. It's a great way of showing how using what's in front of you can be implemented in to drawings from your imagination.
I've added that book to my list and will get it later this year. Been buying so much books recently that my pocket is empty now. :D

[Purrdey]

I must admit I don't normally draw the people close to me - usually people standing on the opposite platform, if someone looks at me like "what are YOU looking at?!" I usually just casually turn my head a little and move to someone a bit further down the line a bit :)
It's not usually an issue in London because people usually avoid eye contact so don't notice other people.

[Diarum]

I must admit I don't normally draw the people close to me - usually people standing on the opposite platform, if someone looks at me like "what are YOU looking at?!" I usually just casually turn my head a little and move to someone a bit further down the line a bit :)
It's not usually an issue in London because people usually avoid eye contact so don't notice other people.

lol I think in most cities that are a decent size almost no one looks eachother in the eye, not sure why maybe because they have low self esteem or something.


A good place that you could get some Still life drawings could be like go to a toy store and just sit there and draw. Or at a mall or something, I don't know what malls look like where you live but here they have coaches and stuff to sit on that would be a great place to just sit and draw people and things, and they almost never look at you and they cant stand behind you. If that isn't possible then any where you can sit and draw stuff. Lol if you don't want to do that then you could borrow stuff from someone, draw it and give it back or stay at their house and talk and draw.

Or depending on how much money you have find a cheap place with a good return policy and buy lots of things that you would think is cool to draw and then return it when your done.

Oh yeah, trash, you never know what could be there, some cool stuff you could just happen to walk appon that isn't to gross or something, and I don't mean like shitty diapers or anything like broken toys or something that you can find on the ground. Used stores i'm sure you could find something if you looks hard enough and i'm sure that you could find a spot to sit at and draw, then again maybe where you live there isn't any there. Or draw stuff you already have, rearrange stuff that you already have to make something new to draw so its surreal in a way while still testing your ablility to draw in still life and you don't have to spend money and/or go places.

I just thought of this, I don't know if you drink a lot of soda or any other drink that comes in a can or bottle, what you can do is get a lot of them and glue then in to something crazy and then draw that so your being artistic in two ways at once, your exploring something you might not have tried and challenging yourself beyound what you would have normally done.


Hope some of these ideas help if not that...sucks.... hehe :yayca: :lounge:

[Xeon_OND]

lol I think in most cities that are a decent size almost no one looks eachother in the eye, not sure why maybe because they have low self esteem or something.

A good place that you could get some Still life drawings could be like go to a toy store and just sit there and draw. Or at a mall or something, I don't know what malls look like where you live but here they have coaches and stuff to sit on that would be a great place to just sit and draw people and things, and they almost never look at you and they cant stand behind you. If that isn't possible then any where you can sit and draw stuff. Lol if you don't want to do that then you could borrow stuff from someone, draw it and give it back or stay at their house and talk and draw.

Or depending on how much money you have find a cheap place with a good return policy and buy lots of things that you would think is cool to draw and then return it when your done.

Oh yeah, trash, you never know what could be there, some cool stuff you could just happen to walk appon that isn't to gross or something, and I don't mean like shitty diapers or anything like broken toys or something that you can find on the ground. Used stores i'm sure you could find something if you looks hard enough and i'm sure that you could find a spot to sit at and draw, then again maybe where you live there isn't any there. Or draw stuff you already have, rearrange stuff that you already have to make something new to draw so its surreal in a way while still testing your ablility to draw in still life and you don't have to spend money and/or go places.

I just thought of this, I don't know if you drink a lot of soda or any other drink that comes in a can or bottle, what you can do is get a lot of them and glue then in to something crazy and then draw that so your being artistic in two ways at once, your exploring something you might not have tried and challenging yourself beyound what you would have normally done.

Hope some of these ideas help if not that...sucks.... hehe :yayca: :lounge:
Ah! Those ideas are more than enough! Thank you!
(btw, drawing shitty diapers can help you learn drapery and texture) :D

[Diarum]

Ah! Those ideas are more than enough! Thank you!
(btw, drawing shitty diapers can help you learn drapery and texture) :D

lol well I'm not sure how your gonna draw with that smelly poopy diaper right there :P

[armando]

I just looked at your newest sketchbook update. You don't need any new subjects because you have not Drawn, yes a capitol "d", the ones you already have. Part of the criteria of being a visual artist is an enthusiasm for appearances. Take the time to appreciate the appearance of what you see, get your drawing to match this as exactly as possible in the amount of time that you have.
For now don't bother imposing your fancy on things, don't "Add, subtract, modify, mix things up." Because isn't it obvious that the time you spend drawing what isn't there, is time wasted because you're not appreciating what is there? It lacks humility. The predominating quality of the Greats is awe. For now just gather your facts. Edit: this isn't to say that you shouldn't be sketching out imaginative ideas, and studying various subjects.

[Xeon_OND]

I just looked at your newest sketchbook update. You don't need any new subjects because you have not Drawn, yes a capitol "d", the ones you already have. Part of the criteria of being a visual artist is an enthusiasm for appearances. Take the time to appreciate the appearance of what you see, get your drawing to match this as exactly as possible in the amount of time that you have.
For now don't bother imposing your fancy on things, don't "Add, subtract, modify, mix things up." Because isn't it obvious that the time you spend drawing what isn't there, is time wasted because you're not appreciating what is there? It lacks humility. The predominating quality of the Greats is awe. For now just gather your facts. Edit: this isn't to say that you shouldn't be sketching out imaginative ideas, and studying various subjects.
Thanks Armando! Haven't heard from your posts for a long time! :)

So, what you're saying is that my sketches are lacking in accuracy (perspective wrong etc.) and that I need to work on it before I even move on? Pls let me know! Please!
I'm really confused sometimes, because sometimes I read stuff like "You're an artist, not a meat camera."

Thanks!
Xeon. :D

[armando]

The way to get your drawing to match what you see is by giving yourself up to what you see, all your effort and concentration focused within an amount of time. Enthusiasm means to be possessed by a god. Do you get the analogy? The more you look the more you get. Appreciation means to raise the value. Go back and forth between your drawing and what you're looking at, get the effect of the drawing to match the effect of the things that are being drawn as closely as possible. You just keep making adjustments.
There's no reason to worry about becoming a meat camera. Nevertheless there are low grade artists who show us that there is such a thing as having no talent and nothing to say. We have no control over things like talent or intelligence they are revealed over time, we can just work and see what happens.

[Xeon_OND]

The way to get your drawing to match what you see is by giving yourself up to what you see, all your effort and concentration focused within an amount of time. Enthusiasm means to be possessed by a god. Do you get the analogy? The more you look the more you get. Appreciation means to raise the value. Go back and forth between your drawing and what you're looking at, get the effect of the drawing to match the effect of the things that are being drawn as closely as possible. You just keep making adjustments.
There's no reason to worry about becoming a meat camera. Nevertheless there are low grade artists who show us that there is such a thing as having no talent and nothing to say. We have no control over things like talent or intelligence they are revealed over time, we can just work and see what happens.
Thanks Armando! I went to check out the stiff life which I already have drawn in my home, and you're right....there's still so much to 'D'raw from them and it will never be finished. Time to improve on my accuracy further! :D

Again, thanks for your inspiring words! ;)