I want to draw, but just... can't

[WindBit]

I've got a frustrating problem: I feel like I'm only able to draw spontaneously. Sometimes I'll just be able to whip out a piece of paper, draw, and enjoy myself. However, I can't just sit down and decide to start drawing.

The last time I was able to draw and enjoy myself was about two weeks ago at a Ruby Tuesday's where my family was eating. I had my sketchbook with me, sat down, and went to town drawing. I still feel proud of it.

However, I tried to draw today in my sketchbook at home and couldn't put anything down on the page that I liked. My inability to draw whenever I want and be happy with it makes me furious. I'd love to participate in the Creature of the Week forum, but whenever I try to sit down and draw I only succeed in pissing myself off.

Being a concept artist would be my dream job, but if I want to make art my job I can't just work whenever I happen to be in the mood. How can I overcome this problem, and is there anyone else in the same position as me?

[Abigail the Strong]

Maybe you could try drawing from life. It is difficult to just think something up, and then draw it exactly how you thought it. I used to struggle with the fact that things never come out the way I planned. I still do.
It helps if you think about drawing when your not. Look at an object, then close your eyes and imagine that it's in pencil. When you think about stuff like that it gives you hope and lets you find what to do. Art is hard, and making yourself draw can be harder. But you have to stick to it. Draw when you don't feel like it. Make yourself. I had to, now I can't stop. I'm sure if you work at it you will succeed.
I hope you are able to motivate yourself.
Good luck.

[Grief]

Oh, enough with this patheticness!

every thread on here is turning into "i'm a sad emo who can't work up the energy to lift a pencil", where is this generation of weak artists comming from? is DeviantArt telling kids to eat paint chips or something, why is everyone so tired and burnt out? you kids are doing one drawing a week and feel depleted artistically, what the fuck?

eff' that noise! rip off your shirt, stand on your chair, pump your arm into the air. whip back your hair and hold your pencil aloft. the clouds will part and a beam of light will engulf you. golden big-tittied angels will dance around, as super badass looking aura flames shoot from your body. your pencil will start glowing and sizzling with power. AND DRAW MOTHERFUCKER!

you need to be 100% intense all of the time.
draw as though you have to deliver an ass-kicking ninja-style at any minute with your art skill. eat more beef jerky and use a rattle-snake as a condom.

GET PUMPED UP ABOUT ART

[dose]

Is it that you can't draw or that you don't like what you draw? The biggest obstacle when you're starting out is the ability to swiftly and harshly judge yourself- whether it's your drawing ability, your ideas, or both. If you don't figure out how to navigate around that one you'll never get anywhere.

Pay attention to the difference in what you're thinking when you can draw and when you can't. That's where the problem lies. Lord knows you can certainly move a pencil around on paper any time you want.

[WindBit]

I like to draw, but it feels like I do my best when I just suddenly decide to draw something random, as opposed to trying to draw an idea I came up with while I was reading.

BTW, I've also posted a copy of my OP on two other message boards in addition to this one, and I've been getting a lot of great help. I think I'm cured of my temporary emo-ness, but I'm still open to any great advice you guys have.

[DavePalumbo]

where is this generation of weak artists comming from?

The previous generation probably had just as much of this, they just didn't have internet forums to congregate and discuss it. In these cases, I always recommend watching the first three Rocky movies. I stand by that shit to the bitter end.

"THERE IS NO TOMORROW!"

Damn dude, if Apollo Creed can't get your mojo stirred...

[2100]

sounds like you enjoy drawing. Why would you want to turn it into work?

[tomwaits4noman]

grasshopper the pencil is not heavy its the hand that llfts it that is.... you will draw when you have the strength and willpower to lift your hand.

[Coinpurse]

(awaits for Elwell to say something interesting :P)


series of "stop and take" a deep breath. Yes, Art is something you should enjoy as an artist, otherwise why the heck are you doing it? And although its something that every artist wants, we have to remember that we are human. And their is more to life than just artwork my friend. Go out and have some fun, your young and in need for some discipline. When you feel you've had enough of the fast pace route, pop out the sketchbook and draw again. For your little experiences, you'll surprise yourself with how much work you will produce. What your going through can very well be a burnout, it happens to all artists who get worn out to the point where they "cant" or don't want to draw for the time being. Thats perfectly natural, even professionals get into that stage. What seperates the professionals from the amatures is that they do it for a living. Meaning there's no choice in whether or not they feel like drawing today, because its either that or a career change.

Imo, If this is the way you feel, just relax and take it for what it is. Get your mind off drawing for a bit, and when you see something that excites you, jot it down. Life's to short to be worried about such things ;)

take what you wish and recycle the rest!

[k4pka]

Second on Rocky! Even if I watch one of those at 3am after a night on the booze, I still need to go for a run afterwards.

[Seedling]

If you want to do this for a living then you need to treat it like a job that you get up and do every day regardless of how you feel about it. You could try doing methodical daily studies like what I have been doing in my sketchbook. I find that being in a daily habit of painting keeps me primed for when inspiration does well and truely strike.

[Farvus]

It's a matter of good organisation, keeping it daily and constantly searching for something new.

Here's what works for me. I still have small burnouts but they are limited to minimum.

- I write a big list of what I want to draw or study and sometimes look into it.

- If I'm unable to draw something from imagination then I draw from life. If I can't find something interesting to draw from life then draw I from photos.

- I have a big folder with photo reference (right now it's 65 subcategories of 200MB image data). From time to time I fill it with new stuff. Much more than I'd be able to draw during one day.

Oh. And there's recently some thread that might be related with your problem > http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=99167

[dose]

I like to draw, but it feels like I do my best when I just suddenly decide to draw something random...

Then do that!

[cmoreland]

HAHAHA GRIEF!!!

whew thanks for that...

Anyway, try this exercise:

Turn most of the lights off, throw a headset on and listen to any new age/classical or World music piece. Write down on paper where it takes you mentally. Write down every detail you can for about 3 minutes, then pick up your sword and draw.

[Earendil]

Good idea cmoreland! And Grief, that is so inspirational I'm putting it on my desktop wallpaper. :yayca:

I think there's a mental block that a lot of newbies have to get over before they can enjoy their drawing. "Damnit, why the hell doesn't it look the way I want it to? This (unsaid: "I") sucks! I don't want to see this shit anymore"

Thus, drawing is postponed indefinitely, ad infinitum.

When you are trying to get better, you need to have the ability to separate yourself from your work, and get a clear view of what needs to be improved, without cutting yourself afterwards. :davi: <<why is this named davi? :D

But I digress...:) It might just have been me (/sarcastic)

[Hyskoa]

Sitting on your pc puts you in an automated state which drains any will to do anything else.
Same with tv, music stations and so on.

Stay away from all of those and go into the mountains for a few weeks to hike with a sketchpad or 10. You'll be doing an insane amount of work.

Enjoy.

[HunterKiller_]

I think we need to have a stickied thread for 'Artists in Crisis'...

[dark-vein]

I had the exact same problem. I had lost my spark for painting. After a month or so of this frustration, I was sitting in my visual arts class, when we were told that we had to do a painting, specifically, an underwater portrait.
It ended up turning out crappy, but it got me back into my painting, and now i just can't stop myself.
Anyway, maybe you just need to find a subject that you like drawing, or if you already have, try to challenge yourself more. if you're only doing drawings that you're really good at, try doing something completely different, like me. I like painting landscapes and animals, yet we had to do a portrait.

[artmessiah]

The life of any artist works in circles. All of us at one point or another will get burned out. I joined the military and the whole time I was in I had no creative juice, but prior to joining I was artist supreme. Once I got out it took me forcing myself to fall back in love with drawing and discovering different aproaches to drawing. Now I feel as though the hiatus I took actually benefited me. I was more critical of my previous work and I longed to become better and more open to trying new things. Talking with other artist helped me see that everybody at one time or another, sooner or later, will need a break, but let that break be just enough for you to find yourself again. Like an earlier post said, all generations of artist have this problem, there just wasn't always a public forum to discuss it. Leonardo Da Vinci even had his moments when he didn't want to draw - and he left many unfinished works of art. Try not to think of you art life framed in your Teens and twenties, but as a lifetime achievement that will be with you for a great long time. There shouldn't be a rush in your mind to get good or to draw at will - like yoda said "do or do not".

[Justin.]

Elwell has the best quote in his sig to resolve this.


"Work is more fun than fun."

In my opinion, it's all in how you look at it. Try to just absorb everything. I don't know how to say it... throughout the whole year of 2006 I had all these mini "epiphanies" where I would just keep plateauing over and over, raising the bar.. then stopping, then raising... then stopping, and it would just come randomly. I think you just need to get into the mindset that makes drawing a fun excersize, like playing video games.

[John]

In my opinion, it's all in how you look at it. Try to just absorb everything.

I think you just need to get into the mindset that makes drawing a fun excersize

I think this is key. Your drawings have to come from somewhere. You have to have a clear idea of what you want to draw, and why. If that keeps you from drawing, sit down and figure out what it is you want to do with your art, where you want to go with it. Consider it time spent on your drawing skills. Then you can sit down with the intention of brushing up your observation skills, playing with curves vs. straights or any other design basic you're interested in, copying your favourite comic character, working on your gesture or learning about what makes a good comic. The possibilities and skills you can learn are near endless, so get a good idea of where to start.

[EricKomans]

Just draw. You don't have to get all dramatic about it.

[CouchPotato]

I snuck into a ballet school to practice on my speed drawings (it's damn tough when the subjects are constantly moving). Now I have the opposite problem. So much materials to draw from that I wonder if I can ever finish them off, with my super slow speed and laziness, lol. I guess you just need to find somewhere and really sit down and observe life. Then you'll have no end of materials to work on.

[Molossus]

Starting is hard for me too but i know that once in the middle of the opera the ecstasy fill me up.
Plus the inspiration is hard to find...when your lightball goes on take the paper and sign what it's in your mind.
Second step consist in find all the element of your idea in others image,life,paintings and photo...eccetera.Just for reference not for copy.
Put all togheter than create your work.
It works for me..

[N1ck]

Think optimistic! When you think negative, you can only achieve less than you want. Even if your results look awfull, try to think that you can get better.

[Robz]

rip off your shirt, stand on your chair, pump your arm into the air. whip back your hair and hold your pencil aloft. the clouds will part and a beam of light will engulf you.

Holy sh!t, your the man!

[Earendil]

Holy sh!t, your the man!

I've got it saved on my desktop. Trying to design an "inspiration" type wallpaper.

[viizi]

Not saying you should do this but the way I am learning to draw is if I make a mistake I punch myself in the face so if god truly loves me and doesn't want me getting hurt he will give me more talent out of blackmail. I find it a good way to release anger when I hate myself. It hurts but doesn't hurt as much as it improves me. I love beating the shit out of myself :D

Edit: just tried doing a still life. I once did a banana very realistic so i tried an orange and garlic then. spent about 1 hour and got worse than a blank canvas. I punched myself so much that my head started bleeding. I got myself good this time because I see myself losing talent (maybe to brain damage) but that is god's fault after all that son of a b*tch.

[Sarc]

it feels like I do my best when I just suddenly decide to draw something random

I struggled with this for a long time when I was younger. The reason this happens is because, when you are working randomly, you don't start with a pre conceived notion of what you want your work to look like, therefor you arn't dissapointed.

As you progress and develop a better understanding of things around you, you will get this feeling less.

[Valen]

Oh, enough with this patheticness!

every thread on here is turning into "i'm a sad emo who can't work up the energy to lift a pencil", where is this generation of weak artists comming from? is DeviantArt telling kids to eat paint chips or something, why is everyone so tired and burnt out? you kids are doing one drawing a week and feel depleted artistically, what the fuck?

eff' that noise! rip off your shirt, stand on your chair, pump your arm into the air. whip back your hair and hold your pencil aloft. the clouds will part and a beam of light will engulf you. golden big-tittied angels will dance around, as super badass looking aura flames shoot from your body. your pencil will start glowing and sizzling with power. AND DRAW MOTHERFUCKER!

you need to be 100% intense all of the time.
draw as though you have to deliver an ass-kicking ninja-style at any minute with your art skill. eat more beef jerky and use a rattle-snake as a condom.

GET PUMPED UP ABOUT ART

I might just tape this whole qoute to my sketchbook. :yayca:

[Elwell]

We miss Grief.

[Cory Hinman]

(?) Well, "Dad", no doubt that's just pithy as all get out--and maybe I have a lisp and maybe I don't--but to get back to the point at hand, you will be frustrated and despondent if you are looking for a finished drawing every time you set pencil to paper. Most of your drawing time has to be experimentation and rehearsal.
To this end, don't always start with the notion of drawing "something". Just make marks. Scribble. Test the limits of your particular medium. Draw with the abandon of a child. Don't judge it, just fill a page, then another, then several after that. Even if you have a subject in mind, you're better off starting with some kind of warming up regimen before tackling it. Think of it as actively seeking inspiration instead of waiting for it to strike you.

[OmenSpirits]

http://www.ayushveda.com/womens-magazine/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Fainting.jpg

I want to draw, but just... can't

[sanya]

Learn to draw when you are the LEAST inspired and you'll be taking your first step to becoming a professional.

[Mute]

To those giving the OP advice, you might want to check the date.

Just saying....

[velderia]

God, what happened to Grief? :( It makes me sad to see him busy.. Or should I be happy? O_o

I especially like the part where he states to use a rattlesnake as a condom. I want what he's smoking. 8D

[Cory Hinman]

At last some context...I suppose.