i get the impression that alot of artists have had economical problems latelyand therefore needs to do alot more commissions and it ends up they take in alot of commissioneers but no art is done and they ask or hint to "donations".
so yeah i agree with you, feels like alot of artists have just stopped.
kind of wonder what is happening, maybe i shouldnt say anything about it since they show their art for free, but taking in alot of commissioneers and then dont do their job but ask for donations instead feels a bit wrong.
maybe its a new trend going...........

This POV doesn't make too much sense from this side of the fence.

That's a really odd impression to get. I've very seldom seen artists ask for flat-out donations. I am not saying it doesn't happen, because I have seen it a few times; however, it isn't as often as you would think or seem to imply. I don't know if someone apparently wronged you by doing this, or if someone wronged a friend of yours... or neither~! This whole comment just read a little peculiar to me.

Like I mentioned elsewhere, a lot of artists seem to be enrolled in college and dealing with their finals at this time. It's also convention season. Our economy isn't exactly peachy keen, and most (but not all) artists aren't the best keepers of their checkbooks. I am pretty sure I can guess what's up most of the time. :)

yes, i might be wrong, but i do think it is a bit wierd that, someone is moving, or family member is sick or something else very important in someones life need all or most of their attention, and then it take a fwe days and a new artist is moving, and someone else's family members allso mysteriously became sick and another and another.
to me this sounds a little strange but i dont know how the big picture looks like so i cant really say anythigna bout it, and if i am saying anything, i have seen a few highly respected artists whine about how they cant keep things together in life and therefoe must do more commissions, and that started maybe 1 year ago, and still that list has not moved at all, that makes me think, what happened to that money crysis?

as i said, i cant see the big picture and my mind is free to think and speculate, but i wont point any fingers, im just thinking out loud here.


im not know to be very smart at how i present my "theories" or engage in a conversation, i have however gotten alot of credit for how honest i am

I blame the economy. We have all had to go get real jobs or something. I know of a lot of artists who are moving, and who were in college and had finals.

I tend to draw more when con-season is over more toward the end of the year and then on through February by using my "muse."

I don't have to be inspired to draw. I can push through and draw a technical body and whatever else someone wanted.. I may not entirely feel it is my best work every time, but you sort of have to fake it to make it. You have to pretend to enjoy each piece that you put out or sell, even if you don't like that piece at all.

What gets me the most is work and relocation. Starting your business where it left off after an unexpected move can be quite difficult! Working all day doesn't leave me in the mood to sit still and upright and want to work more. It makes me want to curl up in my bed and sleep.

For a long time I thought that if I just had other artists to draw with, we could all draw together and get some good artistic energies going. But even that seems to backfire, as all of our energies to draw are so low that we just can't even to manage to convince each other to pull out paper and pencils.
The only times I seem to be productive with drawing anymore is when I'm at a convention, surrounded by people and artists in such a creative environment. But I can't go to a convention every day just to draw. *chuckle*

I want to get to a point where I can push through and just draw SOMETHING each day, but I can only manage to get half of a sketch done before the interest to continue just evaporates into the ether. ... which is why I'm not taking commissions anymore. :( But I wish I could, because I need to get better, and I only will through practice... and $ would be nice too. *chuckle* There is certainly enough incentive to do the work, I just can't seem to get the energy to do it. It's frustrating, and it's all me. *chuckle*

seams like you need a new way to look at things, let me pull an example.
i play alot of computer games, really ALOT. the thing that amazes my friends and family is that i dont play to win and i dont play to be the best, i allways ALLWAYS play to have fun, that is afterall why you play "games", right? if you play to get pro then join a championship or something.
now just because i play to have fun doesnt mean i am not good, i whould like to state that i have a natural talent at playing games and understanding how the game actually works in most of its aspects, how to "attack" and how to counter an attack, how to outsmart the enemy rather then just beeing for example a better shooter, or a card player, or a driver.

in most cases i only feel NOT to play when things are going bad, for example when you start loosing really really bad, sure i can take a loss, but not if i dont even know what hit me, over and over again because if i dont know what hit me, i dont know how to adapt or improve and i loose concentration and it feels like god hates me.

sometimes there are just small steppingstones that can greatly improve my day, maybe its music that i like or maybe its something im looking forward to or maybe its just the feeling of beeing alone for a moment, enjoy that great piece of meal that you have longed for, for so long but never really taken the time to make.


i whould say, you should figure out why you draw, and if there is somethign special that you like to draw, for example Tigers, any specific kind of tiger? cute and cuddely or maybe in combat of some sort? do you draw for yoruself, a friend, a family member, a commissioneer or a random? what is the purpous of drawing? to improve, to learn, to make money, to show up or simply because its fun? or a combination.

dont force yourself to do something that makes you feel uneasy unless you really have to, do it because you want to and because you like it.

the life is full of "MUST DO things" as it is allready, dont make more of that, make "i WANT to" instead.

sorry for the long read

Boy howdy do I feel ya there.

No idea. I just keep drawing. I've just started this new thing where if at the end of the day I don't have anything to post I'm going to try drawing something quick, no base sketch, and just post it. We'll see how forgetful I am about the whole thing. >_>

I'm driving 60-80 miles each way to work through Chicago's construction season. Time is short, so is money. And for a long time, I was way out of the game. Not just not having time, no, I was not interested.

Only one thing gets me at the sketchpad these days. A friend came to me, wanting to get his art in gear. For a friend, hell, I found some time to stop by his place, broke out all my old materials, and started drawing with him. Gave him a pile of books, some pencils, blah blah. Strangely enough, I quickly found myself just drawing again on my own. Perhaps the one thing I needed is artistic company, frinds to share with and bounce ideas off of. I also started keeping a chart to keep me on track - I get to fill in little boxes when I do things and it feels pretty good.

I'm not sure how other people feel. I'm really not in contact like I used to be with most of my artist friends. They moved, spreading all over the country for their dreams - graphic novels, archetecture, what have you. Most of them I don't hear from, the rest seem to just be working joe-jobs and shoved their sketchbooks where mine was.