FA+
Shop
Update 20 May 2013 - Paw Day & Art Block
12 years ago
Hi folks,
Before I begin, here's wishing Happy Paw Day to everyone!
I've been asked by quite a few people as to whether I was producing any artwork for today. Well I'm sorry to say that the answer is no, for two reasons - firstly because, like every year, I forgot Paw Day was coming up. But secondly, it's because I'm not really drawing anything at the moment.
I'm afraid I seem to be going through another bit of an art block lately, much as I did back in 2009/10. I can't remember if I've voiced this theory somewhere before, but I personally believe there are three types of art block: Inspiration (where you don't know what to draw), Execution (where you can't draw things you normally can), and Motivation (where you just don't want to draw). I believe mine - as it usually does - takes the form of the third type.
I never have a problem with ideas. I've always got loads in my head. But as I've mentioned before, I don't tend to draw unless I'm in the right mood, and even when I'm in the mood to draw, I need to be in a particular mood for subject matter, dependent on species or scenario. Just lately, I've been finding that I'm rarely in any particular mood, and even when I am, I experience a complete lack of enthusiasm for the idea of actually putting pencil to paper.
Part of this is down to my current circumstances. I'm still out of work at the moment - as I have been for nearly a year now - and I'm in that frustrating state of constantly waiting for people to get back to me re applications and interviews. As a result, I tend to find I can't enjoy my free time during the usual working hours because I'm either expending nervous energy in anticipation of getting a call back, or I'm giving myself a hard time that I'm not doing more to find work.
In addition to that though, the truth is that my plan to return to my cartoon style - as explained in my journal last year - has not exactly gone to plan. The Gantu pictures I did back in January were relatively consistent with this approach, but then once I started drawing my own characters (as in the Cassie and Seb pictures), I couldn't make myself draw them cartoony and ended up doing exactly the same as I was last year.
I'm actually finding all this 'new approach' has done is made it very difficult to determine what it is that I'm going for with my artwork anymore. On the rare occasions that I have been sketching things recently, I feel like anything I draw out quickly in a cartoon style isn't finished, because I haven't done it "properly". But when I sit down to try and do something "properly", I find I can't even be bothered to start. Even when I try cartooning, I feel there's a distinction between 'rough' cartooning and 'proper' cartooning, the latter of which I have less motivation for.
I'm not yet sure exactly how I'm going to go forward with my art at this moment in time. I think the fundamental problem for me at present is that I don't like uploading anything that I feel isn't 'finished' in some way, i.e. done "properly" to a particular level of completion. Perhaps I need to upload more sketches, but the trouble is that I don't like my sketches - they are usually either a dreadful mess or something that I've knocked together in ten minutes that just isn't really worthwhile sticking on the internet.
I may find I get over this relatively quickly. I may find that I suddenly get work and my ability to relax and enjoy artwork returns. Or I may have to go through some complete re-assessment of why I'm doing art and whether to bother with it. As such, I'd be grateful if people refrain from sending me too many messages along the lines of "what are you working on" or "when is your next picture coming out", because the simple truth is that I don't have an answer for you.
Thanks for reading, folks. And sorry for the rather glum outlook.
RRRex
Before I begin, here's wishing Happy Paw Day to everyone!
I've been asked by quite a few people as to whether I was producing any artwork for today. Well I'm sorry to say that the answer is no, for two reasons - firstly because, like every year, I forgot Paw Day was coming up. But secondly, it's because I'm not really drawing anything at the moment.
I'm afraid I seem to be going through another bit of an art block lately, much as I did back in 2009/10. I can't remember if I've voiced this theory somewhere before, but I personally believe there are three types of art block: Inspiration (where you don't know what to draw), Execution (where you can't draw things you normally can), and Motivation (where you just don't want to draw). I believe mine - as it usually does - takes the form of the third type.
I never have a problem with ideas. I've always got loads in my head. But as I've mentioned before, I don't tend to draw unless I'm in the right mood, and even when I'm in the mood to draw, I need to be in a particular mood for subject matter, dependent on species or scenario. Just lately, I've been finding that I'm rarely in any particular mood, and even when I am, I experience a complete lack of enthusiasm for the idea of actually putting pencil to paper.
Part of this is down to my current circumstances. I'm still out of work at the moment - as I have been for nearly a year now - and I'm in that frustrating state of constantly waiting for people to get back to me re applications and interviews. As a result, I tend to find I can't enjoy my free time during the usual working hours because I'm either expending nervous energy in anticipation of getting a call back, or I'm giving myself a hard time that I'm not doing more to find work.
In addition to that though, the truth is that my plan to return to my cartoon style - as explained in my journal last year - has not exactly gone to plan. The Gantu pictures I did back in January were relatively consistent with this approach, but then once I started drawing my own characters (as in the Cassie and Seb pictures), I couldn't make myself draw them cartoony and ended up doing exactly the same as I was last year.
I'm actually finding all this 'new approach' has done is made it very difficult to determine what it is that I'm going for with my artwork anymore. On the rare occasions that I have been sketching things recently, I feel like anything I draw out quickly in a cartoon style isn't finished, because I haven't done it "properly". But when I sit down to try and do something "properly", I find I can't even be bothered to start. Even when I try cartooning, I feel there's a distinction between 'rough' cartooning and 'proper' cartooning, the latter of which I have less motivation for.
I'm not yet sure exactly how I'm going to go forward with my art at this moment in time. I think the fundamental problem for me at present is that I don't like uploading anything that I feel isn't 'finished' in some way, i.e. done "properly" to a particular level of completion. Perhaps I need to upload more sketches, but the trouble is that I don't like my sketches - they are usually either a dreadful mess or something that I've knocked together in ten minutes that just isn't really worthwhile sticking on the internet.
I may find I get over this relatively quickly. I may find that I suddenly get work and my ability to relax and enjoy artwork returns. Or I may have to go through some complete re-assessment of why I'm doing art and whether to bother with it. As such, I'd be grateful if people refrain from sending me too many messages along the lines of "what are you working on" or "when is your next picture coming out", because the simple truth is that I don't have an answer for you.
Thanks for reading, folks. And sorry for the rather glum outlook.
RRRex
*the miniwolf hugs your leg tightly*
And i hope you have a great week! :D
But if you need motivation, maybe just taking a break from trying for a while is all you need. If you force yourself to do something, there is a good chance it'll develop a certain resistance to wanting to do that thing.
So cheer up, be optimistic, and try to relax and not think about drawing until you're ready! You have an entire gallery of wonderful works and people can (and should) be patient.
On another note, happy ottery paw day to you too *paw-smothers your feetpaws with mine*
Have an awesome day, m'friend. ;3
I'm sorry to hear about your art block Ripster. I hope you get some motivation soon!
You are a very expecifiv guy. You not just need t have mood to do something, but need a specific mood for each pic.
It's really hard to you make something, hm?
Everyone here is diferent so I prefer tp heard everyone opnion about art.
I think you're right on the two things blocking you from drawing. Real life can be a pain to deal with, especially being out of work for a year. I'm really sorry about that. I really hope you find work soon. :C
But I think what is also contributing to your art block is that you set high standards for yourself. I think you've mentioned that in a previous journal as well, and I agree with it. You have definitely proven you are a great artist based on your skill with anatomy, accuracy with fan characters, and just the sheer devotion you have to properly completing a picture. But with that said, I think the problem might be that you have a difficult time balancing your flow of ideas with the pace in which you draw. That is a problem for many folks, especially when they improve their work over time. For many artists starting off, it wasn't always about making things look perfect, sometimes it was just about sharing the ideas you had, and that's probably why you were able to share your drawings more often in the past.
Another thing I noticed is about your cartoon style, you seem to be mimicking said cartoon style rather than making a cartoon style that fits you. Again, it seems you are putting more effort to making the fan character just right. This of course isn't a bad thing, but your time and effort is consumed by one drawing at a time, for a long period of time.
I think one way that might help is to draw, even if they are little sketches, its best to keep yourself flowing than not doing anything. Also, I say look back at your old drawings and see how you could incorporate some of those techniques, one thing I noticed is that you used a lot of thick lines in your older work, that to me seemed very cartoony.
Either way though, I wish you the very best and hope things work out for you, both in your real life and in your art life. :)
I think you might have misunderstood my intentions regarding my cartoon style though. When you say I am "mimicking" a style and not "making a cartoon style that fits me", that isn't really the issue here. When I mimic the styles of Disney, Seth MacFarlane or Warner Bros, it is very much a deliberate bid to make my work match the original, because I enjoy that challenge and find it far more satisfying when the character almost looks like I didn't draw it.
I do have a cartoon style of my own, but I find it hard nowadays to draw the line between what is 'too cartoony' to look decent, because what I used to do back in 2007 was not a stylistic decision - it was genuinely the best I could do at that time. Those big black lines, for example, are not something I like - the only reason I ever used to do them was because I didn't have a scanner and had to merely upload photos of my drawings overlaid with thick black ink outlines on them so that they would photograph properly. I rather prefer the pencil outline, to be honest, though that certainly does bring its own obstacles.
I hope you find work and your mood brightens up. Take care and good luck.