How do I motivate myself?

[Lauren Tyler]

Fellow artists,

I am getting better, I'll give you that, and I'm willing to show some lineart of my improved art (hell I remember when I couldn't even draw a circle.) But the problem is, when I try to move on to more advanced stuff, I still have trouble with that. And that's what discourages me.

Any suggestions for how to motivate myself?

 

[The Bandito]

Electro-shock works for me.

lmao.

I don't think there's any easy answer. The only thing I can say is try not to think of your work as finished pieces for awhile. Just draw for the sake of drawing for a while. Realize that not everything you do is gonna be as good as you might want it to be

And before you know it, you'll find yourself putting out some pretty awesome stuff, and more importantly, you'll enjoy it in the process.

Try to push yourself a bit with each pic, but not so much that you get frustrated.

Not sure if that'll help, but it's the only advice I've got.

;P

B

 

[Lauren Tyler]

Well, I suppose it's worth a try. Try not to think of them as finished works, but rather just as 'doodling' or something like that?

 

[Saeria]

Something i've always done with alot of mine is that i will work until i get to that point where i'm utterly frustrated with it and myself. Instead of being discouraged and trashing it i set it aside for a while, and i mean a few weeks or months. Once you look at it from a refreshed perspective, utilizing some newer techniques that you have acquired since you started the drawing, you learn to become a little more pleased with end results. Art is a funny thing. I know i will never get to a point in which i'm content with my skill level as an artist. I just accept that art is always growing and changing and i'm willing to grow and change with it.

 

[Bohemianne]

A mentor told me to keep on drawing. I can't follow it all the time but his requirement is to never retire the night without drawing a single piece, at least in pencil.

What I do is keep my drawing table always ready and materials very accessible all the time. There should be no room for discouragement.

Draw mindlessly. Don't think it as a curse or chore just to have milestone. Savor it.

Think artist. Sit down, close your eyes and have that suave "artist" feel in your being...like a classic, rugged wannabe. I shamelessly submit to this fancy with a naughty smile.

 

[Lauren Tyler]

Well, if I only had a drawing table. Although, there is that desk right behind me in the computer room, so maybe if I cleared that off?

 

[scavenger]

Indeed! I agree with my fellow artists.

For me, it's not so much the prospect of the end product in itself that motivates me, but the sheer joy that comes with the act of drawing itself. Find pleasure in the fact that you're creating something out of nothing, something that you can guide and give shape the way you want. Like Bohemianne said: draw mindlessly. That's the best way to put it. 🙂

 

[Bohemianne]

Like Bohemianne said: draw mindlessly. That's the best way to put it. 🙂

^

 

[Oekaki-Tickles]

I couldn't put it any better than everyone already has. Sketch like it's no big deal, caring less about how it turns out... and sketch on top of that and that and that, until you start seeing it fix itself. Eventually, you'll be able to sketch a complete mess in pencil, but then work out some fine art with inking on top of that. Then, you'll eventually get to just pure, clean linework.

Be sure to take breaks as well though. It's true you get better with practice, but if you draw all day, every single day, your subconscious mind won't have the time necessary to regroup and attack it from a new angle.

Ciao!

- OT

 

[lemoncake]

this is a great thread, I was losing my motivation too.

 

[Lauren Tyler]

Recently someone suggested working on certain body parts, like feet, hands, etc. several times in a row. I tried, but I still can't motivate myself. I guess I want to see progress, but I ain't gonna get it unless I practice.

 

[Bohemianne]

Go to a nice art museum alone, look at the arts for a longer time and imagine your work hanged there one day. Then rest or take a drink and take one more tour. This will refresh and inspire you.

 

[lemoncake]

I do this a lot, or go to a art gallery. it really is inspiring.

 

[Marquis De Sade]

I used to draw and what worked for me in art works for me in writing. If I get frustrated, I just walk away for however long it takes until it starts to creep back in again on its own without any forcing from me - the images, the story, whatever.

Then I'll still leave it alone until it's all I can think of. By that point, whatever the project is is already complete in my head. It's either been written and finished (every word, every scenes, etc.), or back when it was art, every line had already been drawn. I just had to get it out on paper and it was so much easier.

Also, that creative side of you will pick up on inspiration when you're not even looking for it - another piece of art, a piece of music, etc. It'll log it somewhere in the back of your imagination and feed off of it until good n' ready to channel that into fuel for whatever it is you're trying to start or complete.

Hope it helps. 🙂

 

[Lauren Tyler]

I guess one of my problems is getting the hair done right. Faces are no problem, but when it comes to hair, that's where I seem to foul up.

 

[Crash]

I rarely post much here, but I find it really hard to motivate myself to draw too. Whenever I draw something in a sketchpad, it looks decent. Then I put it in the scanner and it looks like complete crap no matter how much I try to fix it. I don't have any special photoshop program to color any artwork I draw, so when I see some cool stuff coming from someone like Oekaki-Tickles, I look at what I have and I get discouraged to continue.

Also, I don't think I have enough patience. If I work too long on a picture, it starts to bore me and I just want to hurry up and finish it. I guess maybe I should try to take my time and put more detail into things, but I don't know.

 

[wishful1234]

Drawring is not my main thing; Music is. But the same exact hangups apply....

My problem is a type of pride, or self-consciousness. I can scribble cartoons in a notebook all day, but when it comes to "polished" finished works I can't do it.

I lose my un-self-conscious mindset and see how I fall short of everyone else. I want finished works to fall from my fingertips effortlessly and they don't... I re-work it and clean it up and it loses the spontaneity. I try fancy stuff like shading (yes, that's advanced for me) and give up when it doesn't come out right the first time.

But these are skills to be practiced. And you don't really need them unless you're going to be a pro.

I've seen toons on this site that are a step above elementary school, but they get the point across and I love them. I applaud anyone who's not afraid to share his artwork! And that's what it takes; an un-self-conscious mindset, a child-like "soaring mit ze eagles" mind, and then later the hard work and practice of aspects of your craft....

(sorry, I sound like I think I know everything)

 

[Synful Pryde]

I don't post much here these days. I guess there are a few reasons for this, but the biggest one is that I'm a generalist. Unlike the many people who are more talented or more skilled than I, I don't spend countless hours honing and training my technique. Sometimes I feel like drawing. Other times I want to paint miniatures, or make photographs, or play the flute.

Most of my recent drawings are not tickling-related, and to be honest the main reason I don't post more tickling pictures is because I usually can't bring myself to finish one. I get started and realize, hey, this is fundamentally the same pose I used in a picture eight years ago. And then I struggle to make something new, or at least fresh, but although I can sometimes manage to put my thoughts to paper, the hard truth is that when it comes down to the wire, I'm just not very imaginative.

But I keep trying. Maybe it's only one drawing every few months, but you know what? In painting miniatures I learned about light, shadow, and blending. In making photographs I learned about lines, balance, and composition. In playing flute I learned that the most subtle changes can mean everything.

My post in this thread is both for others and for myself. I get frustrated and discouraged sometimes, maybe more than I care to admit. But if I can learn something from everything I do, then I am growing -- I am succeeding.

So let's go. Let's grow. Who else can develop us but ourselves?

Syn