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"I NEED TO DRAW" and how I learned to take it at face value.
2 months ago
You feel it don't you? Sitting back and relaxing after a long day of working, and then it hits.
"Gosh... I really need to draw more!"
This has been happening to me and while yes, I DO seem a little inactive at times, I am pretty busy. From comms (open BTW) to projects to personal art to PUBLIC art, it doesn't hurt to take breaks right?
"No," I murmur, "I need to draw, I WANT to draw... I have to make something, NOW."
Then I get up and stare at a blank canvas, yawn and find I have no ideas.
What the hell is going on?
The truth is; I didn't feel like drawing in that moment. I wasn't thinking of how nice it'd be to sketch out some ideas nor did I have one to begin with. I wanted the results, the aftermath, that rush of relief after finishing a piece and finally getting the opportunity to appreciate it in full.
However my hands were aching, my eyes tired, my thoughts a dripping blur of nothing and barely capable of piecing together any ideas that could get me started. It's not that I wouldn't try either, even wandering the page with my pencil did nothing but make me feel hopeless. Working on LIVEWIRE, drawing out sketches, putting together script, getting together a Patreon, day after day after day... and my brain-matter suddenly meets the walls of my closet.
I have the tendency to overwork myself. A lot.
"A person with ADHD", as written in the intro of ADHD 2.0 by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, "has the power of a Ferrari engine but with bicycle-strength brakes... Strengthening one's brakes is the name of the game."
I'm a fucking lunatic with all the things I have on my plate. 3... 4... 5? How many projects do I have? I don't even remember, and I jump between them constantly because I am physically incapable of sitting still for more than 2 minutes.
Here's a tip: when working and you feel worn out, take a goddamn break! Even if it's short (and for me they REALLY are) it can help give you time to gather your thoughts, grant a fresh pair of eyes on a piece you're working on, and make you feel a lot less inclined to sleep for the rest of the day because you did Literally Everything in the first 3 hours of it. Hell I get so caught up in things I forget to eat, so the focus for me now is to slow the fuck down.
HEY... since we're here, have you been seeing those art tip posts lately? You know, the ones with the big X and checkmark next to the "improved work"?
You hate them? Do they piss you off? Do you see those and go "man i HATE being told what to do for DRAWING of all things... I should know what's best for my own work!"
Hey, good to hear you're doing your own thing man,
but don't get so fucking twisted about it!
I'm serious! These tips, right, the ones talking about "Tangents" or "Line color" or "Shadow color" or literally anything you can think of,
It's art advice. It isn't written in stone. You don't have to listen to it (as much as they press you to, I'm reminded of a post denouncing the use of pure black for lineart because it "isn't possible in real life!"). You don't even have to get mad at it, it's literally just to help you.
That lineart tip btw I HAVE used, and using a dark color that better falls in line with the rest of the piece can really make your lines mesh way better; and I draw fucking cartoon animals inflating! This is as far from "in real life" as you can get and it's still pretty good advice.
I got to try out Kkoa's shading tips for latex, a really basic tutorial for something that I already know how to do, and you know what?
I liked it! It didn't compare to what i can already do (no offense) but there's brilliance in simplicity (and plenty time saved) and that makes it amazing in it's own right.
If you don't want to improve or experiment, don't care to improve or experiment, or just Hate Yourself then you don't have to listen to all this advice online (and even if you do care you don't have to take everything, pick and choose what you need and run with it!), but don't be an asshole to these guys just because they felt like sharing what they learned during their artistic journey.
"Gosh... I really need to draw more!"
This has been happening to me and while yes, I DO seem a little inactive at times, I am pretty busy. From comms (open BTW) to projects to personal art to PUBLIC art, it doesn't hurt to take breaks right?
"No," I murmur, "I need to draw, I WANT to draw... I have to make something, NOW."
Then I get up and stare at a blank canvas, yawn and find I have no ideas.
What the hell is going on?
The truth is; I didn't feel like drawing in that moment. I wasn't thinking of how nice it'd be to sketch out some ideas nor did I have one to begin with. I wanted the results, the aftermath, that rush of relief after finishing a piece and finally getting the opportunity to appreciate it in full.
However my hands were aching, my eyes tired, my thoughts a dripping blur of nothing and barely capable of piecing together any ideas that could get me started. It's not that I wouldn't try either, even wandering the page with my pencil did nothing but make me feel hopeless. Working on LIVEWIRE, drawing out sketches, putting together script, getting together a Patreon, day after day after day... and my brain-matter suddenly meets the walls of my closet.
I have the tendency to overwork myself. A lot.
"A person with ADHD", as written in the intro of ADHD 2.0 by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, "has the power of a Ferrari engine but with bicycle-strength brakes... Strengthening one's brakes is the name of the game."
I'm a fucking lunatic with all the things I have on my plate. 3... 4... 5? How many projects do I have? I don't even remember, and I jump between them constantly because I am physically incapable of sitting still for more than 2 minutes.
Here's a tip: when working and you feel worn out, take a goddamn break! Even if it's short (and for me they REALLY are) it can help give you time to gather your thoughts, grant a fresh pair of eyes on a piece you're working on, and make you feel a lot less inclined to sleep for the rest of the day because you did Literally Everything in the first 3 hours of it. Hell I get so caught up in things I forget to eat, so the focus for me now is to slow the fuck down.
HEY... since we're here, have you been seeing those art tip posts lately? You know, the ones with the big X and checkmark next to the "improved work"?
You hate them? Do they piss you off? Do you see those and go "man i HATE being told what to do for DRAWING of all things... I should know what's best for my own work!"
Hey, good to hear you're doing your own thing man,
but don't get so fucking twisted about it!
I'm serious! These tips, right, the ones talking about "Tangents" or "Line color" or "Shadow color" or literally anything you can think of,
It's art advice. It isn't written in stone. You don't have to listen to it (as much as they press you to, I'm reminded of a post denouncing the use of pure black for lineart because it "isn't possible in real life!"). You don't even have to get mad at it, it's literally just to help you.
That lineart tip btw I HAVE used, and using a dark color that better falls in line with the rest of the piece can really make your lines mesh way better; and I draw fucking cartoon animals inflating! This is as far from "in real life" as you can get and it's still pretty good advice.
I got to try out Kkoa's shading tips for latex, a really basic tutorial for something that I already know how to do, and you know what?
I liked it! It didn't compare to what i can already do (no offense) but there's brilliance in simplicity (and plenty time saved) and that makes it amazing in it's own right.
If you don't want to improve or experiment, don't care to improve or experiment, or just Hate Yourself then you don't have to listen to all this advice online (and even if you do care you don't have to take everything, pick and choose what you need and run with it!), but don't be an asshole to these guys just because they felt like sharing what they learned during their artistic journey.
JacoTomo
~jacotomo
Yeah I feel the exact same way, that's why I just quit trying so hard on making sure I get a sketch page uploaded every week. If I don't feel like drawing for a month then I shouldn't force myself to, I've got other productive things to do that I'm much more passionate and motivated about right now.
