Female Distractions and the Blurry Viewfinder

[WillDrawForFood]

so you may or may not have seen that i started a progress thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19658). basically it was to motivate myself to draw every day, which was going well, until this girl came along. although we've not been seeing each other long, my concentration is shot to bits, i've drawn once in two weeks and that took two hours due to not being able to quiet my mind. i've had two weeks of constant anxiety attacks and frustration due to my not drawing and this chick scenario. has anyone else had to deal with this? I may have to end this before it stuffs up my drawing practice.

my other (more relevant i guess!) problem is with the viewfinder exercises in 'Drawing on the right side of the brain'. I've made my A4 viewfinder with the 1" x 1 1/4" aperture, but when i put it in front of my eyes, at the distance to frame what i want, the inside edges become all blurry and it becomes harder to start drawing because of the lack of a sharp edge. it would seem to me that you'd have to use a viewfinder that was A3 size with a massive aperture to be any use, or your scene/object would have to be considerably further away to be able to frame it with your A4 viewfinder at arms length. does anybody who's used viewfinders have any advice on this? it's kinda stopped me dead in my practice on top of my girl problems!

[jetpack42]

dude, good luck with the chick. Sometimes it's really hard.

women, we can't live with them, and we can't make more men without them....

[Chris J. Anderson!]

WillDrawForFood - I know exactly what you mean about trying to find time for your art as well as your girl. Every man on Earth must go through it, it's apart of growing up into adulthood that you usually learn on your own experience, no one really teaches.
You mentioned:
I may have to end this before it stuffs up my drawing practice.
I think that would be a bad idea. I think that breaking up with someone so that you can have more time for yourself and your work is only going to prolong the problem. You are always going to have artwork in your life, so are you going to ignore all women the rest of your life so that you can put all your time into artwork? I doubt it, and if you break up with your current girl now, you'll find a new girl in the future and the problem will still be there, there's no escape. So, unless you are going to become a Monk, I would try to learn from this experience and learn how to budget your time with your art and technique, along with your chick. But at the same time, make her realize that she needs to respect the time you need for your art, at the same time, you gotta respect she wants your time as well. Life's all about balance. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to balance my shite when KIDS come into the picture one day.

[WillDrawForFood]

jetpack42: too true :)

Chris: wise words there. i'll have to mull them over. I guess what the problem is, is that i've only started learning to draw again on march 1st and i didn't want to lose the momentum and drive i had at this early stage.

oh and that's some VERY nice work on your site by the way. I hope to get to that stage in a few years! (with LOTS of work of course...)

so, anybody have any advice on using viewfinders and my problems with them?

[WillDrawForFood]

just been out and bought the new edition of 'drawing on the right side of the brain' which has a big section on viewfinders, so i should be ok. it's a lot better than the sickly pink version i've been reading.

[bizarre]

hey, man... do what i did. don't sleep, and draw while she sleeps. well... then you'll go insane.

i'm serious, though. if you both work, and your hours are different, you've got free time when she's not around.

-just my suggestion.

[nardfrog]

Yeha man I didnt draw for liek 4 months, when i had a girl. I mean sex is just cooler.

Bizzarr, lol i tried that shit!!

Woman, cant live with em, and ya cant kill em.

I recomeend this for getting back into drawing: Use her as inspiration. Ask her if you can draw her, preferably naked. And ask what kinda stuff she like and then draw them for her. THen you are pleasing both sections, girl and art.

Good luck!!!!!!

android once told me, an artist is the loneliest man on earth; the sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner youll feel better.

In other words, if you really want your art, youll prolly have to lose the girl.

[Wolfen]

Well, from a lady's point of view, it is the same way for us... hehehe, but I know how you feel. I would also go for the idea to have your girlfriend as a live model. It is a great way in helping you draw, and it might add some magic to your relationship! In college, one of my art teachers did A LOT of artwork with his wife in most of his work, both on paper and in pixels! He was a real good artist too. At the time, they were married for 10 years and they still acted like teenagers.

[DeDSoL]

:rolleyes: Women, cant live with em, cant pee standin up

[Chris J. Anderson!]

Disagreeing with Nardfrog, you can look at it this way, Craig Mullin's has a wife and a new born child, and is a master at digital painting as well as other art crafts. He didn't have to lose the girl to be as good as he his. And he's not the only artist who's able to do it. So an artists life is not a lonely life, unless you choose it to be.

The only reason I'm saying so much about this topic is because I've just figured out the whole juggling act between having time for my girl and art, and the importance of it. ANd I figured I should say something because I know other artists go through the same thing. I look up to artists like Mullins and others who are great artists and are able to have time for the girl. Ever since I learned in school that Norman Rockwell worked so hard, that he never had much time for his wife and children, I figured I never want to be like that, that there must be a way to be better than that and still create your absolute best artwork, because, and maybe because I'm just weak and enjoy being with my girl too much, but I wouldn't be happy without her and my artwork. But I know what you mean about not getting involved too early in your career. If she's not the right chick for you then by all means end it.

[PT Osborne]

I'd say look at it this way...

you are only as good and credible as your influences...
If you don't live life, no one really cares what you have to say about it...

and, she.. a lady or any other influence are what makes the work a bit deeper than the screen..
we need our muses, in whatever form they come...


who are you making all this art for in the first place? all of us on the board? I'd hope not


Thats the way I've always looked at it at least and so far so good

[Presence]

WDFF, Well I have to say I know EXACTLY what it is you are going through, my girl and I had known each other for a year, then finally came to terms with the fact we had serious connections, 3 weeks later we were engaged, five weeks after that she left to tour and we have been el long distance for a year now.

So I know that "my mind will not stop wandering" feeling but it will come to a point in time where.....

wait a second how old are you? Lol

I'll break it down....

12-15 - dude relax, you have a ton of time ahead and it you are worried she will leave or you have to leave because you need to draw then do it.
16-18 - Take some more time and figure out where you want to be, where you see yourself in post secondary, what you want career wise. Then decide if drawing or her needs the immediate attention right now. If it is perfect one will be fine with being placed second.
19-22 - this is tough, career is usually just starting or school is just finally finishing. Let her know what it is you want in the future with your partner, that you have to make hard choices right now but if it is worth it you may have to divide some time between them.
23-26 - time to get things straight, if you are not on a clear path to where you want to be or are, then you need to take some serious time for yourself or you are both going to go down with the ship.

I guess it comes to the ol cliche' of balance once you get older, but I think it sounds like you know exactly what you want and that is half of the battle. Communication man, communication.

[WillDrawForFood]

Nardfrog: Good idea, i may have to see if i can draw her nekked! :D

PT Osborne: Good point about muses. I'm creating this art because I need an outlet for my imagination and eventually want to make a living out of it. Making art has never been about anyone else, I just wanted to get feedback on my work to get better quicker and also (hopefully!) to inspire other people to start like mindcandyman did for me.

Presence: Dude, i'm one year out of your age range, hence my anxiety about getting distracted and losing my focus. But I know exactly what I want, just took me a while to realise it.

[jetpack42]

Originally posted by PT Osborne
If you don't live life, no one really cares what you have to say about it...




I might be nuts, but this seems like one of the most profound things I've ever read...