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How to be Rid of Artistic Blockage
By Sylver
 Hey, all, me again. As artists and/or writers, we experience what is known in laymen's terms as artist/writer's block. It's very frustrating and annoying. Getting rid of it is sometimes as easy as listening to a CD you have/have not heard in a very long time or just watching some movie you liked as a child (be free to be varied). Yet, what happens when you go insane trying to think of something to draw? When you get bitten by the bug and end up twiddling your fingers with a mess of yarn? Well, not sure, but here are some suggestions one how to break out of it or deal with it, given to you by Elfwood's grooviest(looking?). ::grins::
Block happens, Sometimes it just the drive to work that gives me an idea for
something. Or I'll see something on TV that just clicks, saying draw
something like this.
As far as music goes, that kinda depends I tend to use the music to add the
mood for a drawing, slower music for romantic drawings and more quicker
music for more action drawings.
Once in a blue moon I will do a pre-sketch of a pose then re-do that into
something more real..
hope that helps..
Lee
Can we include looking at Alex's (Aboudalev sp?) stuff as inspiration
for getting over artistic block? Or just talking to him? That boy just
draws and draws and he's like another one of my muses...he always kicks
my butt and gets me psyched to draw again...so include him k??? <= D
Oh an your stuff too!
Jeremy
I'd recommend picking up the last Spectrum Annual. The new one should be coming out next month. Practically endless inspiration can be drawn from these sources.
g.A.Priest
So, does running Anime in the background count? Roleplaying games?
Playing Marathon on my Powermac?
Sex? (I'm not kidding, honestly...)
Staring at a blank piece of paper until something reaches out of it and throttles me?
Painting fantasy and SF miniatures?
Jim
 Our Peter Keres suggests...
i wait. some things can't be rushed. * goes off singing... "remember mama said.. you can't hurry love.. nooo you just
have to wait ..." *
::blinks:: He didn't mention anything about drawing cats if you were blocked? Oh my.... ;D
For what it's worth, when ever I have artistic block, I go to the coffee
shop and get really juiced on Java, bring a pencil and paper, sketch like
mad and see what comes out, of course, I have a great coffee shop that
helps.
-Ian Rath
Favorite Goergette Tan told me on #Lothlorien...
i just broke out of a 6 month artistic block
but in that 6 month my writing instincts kicked in :)
i just have a season for everything
sometimes i do art and nothing else..stay up all night to do it too
sometimes art takes a break and i do poetry, or stories, or songs *shrug*
 Artistic/writer's block meaning when you can't do what you're supposed to do?
1. Sleep! And while you're on bed and not sleeping, fantasize. Of course, this works only to people that have insomnia like me.
2. Or just fantasize. I'm used to do that (esp. in classes. uh. . )
3. Read/see other's works? Some ideas might pop up after seeing others'.
4. or just don't think that you can't do it. The inability to do what you usually can is just what our mind tell us. Try to forget that you can't. Just enjoy the day, watching TV, wash the dishes. By the time you forget that you can't and get back to your pen/pencil/keyboard/mouse, you usually can.
5. The ultimate solution for me when everything else fails is to watch "Kiki's Delivery Service"
Adrian W
Ahem... here goes the list of what I do:
-watch old movies (medieval/historic stuff, westerns, fantasy, sci-fi... you get the idea)
-go out and take photographs or make sketches of anything even vaguely interesting.
-browse through my CD collection and see if any of the song texts or the music itself might bring an idea about.
-play computer games (ok, so this one sounds stupid, but it helps me to relax and there's actually a couple of fantasy/sci-fi games with AWESOME plots, especially older ones. Some have great art, too.)
-look at pictures/sculptures by other artists
-try to draw all the things I always wanted to draw but had no time to draw (or not the ability).
-read old books I like (I actually once wrote a whole story about a SINGLE LINE in one of my favourite books)
-try to convert sci-fi ideas to fantasy and the other way around
-try to improve my technique if I can't think of something creative to draw.
-experiment with different medias I never tried before (and most of which I probably won't try again...)
-read books about art
-ask friends/family/teachers/people on the 'net for ideas
Uhh.... I guess I could think of more, but once I did all this I'm
usually full of ideas. One more piece of advice you might want to
include: When you have good ideas and can't work on them for
some reason, write them down and save them for your next
artist's/writer's block.
Of course, you can also go and admire my stuff at the gallery
or read my short stories to get inspired. ;-)
Well, hope that helped you...
-Sascha
Michael Anyiwo had this to say!
Hiya, Sylvia! In response to the artist's block question, I usually try to listen to music in addition to looking at other people's pictures. For professional inspiration, I usually look at Hiroaki Samura's "Blade of the Immortal" art to find ideas for neat poses 'n fight scenes. For web and amateur inspiration, I look to peter keres, meilin wong, amadeus, and YOU. Their criticism/art usually rev me up for more drawing. Hope this helps. [=
I kind of sit at a table and force myself to draw something, anything. Or I get up, pick up a book, and look at the cover, thinking to myself, "How do I copy that in my style?" (If you want to remain a morally upright character, change that question to "how would I *improve* that picture?").
Bing
Fear not! I have not forgotten about you writers out there! Here's something from a Wyvern-er.
I get writer's block on a fairly regular basis. Several of the books I have about writing suggest that "writer's block" (and, by extension, "artist's block") are merely forms of procrastination. Sometimes this is not true; sometimes you just can't think of something to write/draw. However, on occasion, it _is_ true. I have found (in the five or so years I've been writing) that the best way to overcome the block is to sit down at the computer/typewriter/piece of paper and simply start writing. Write nonsense if necessary, but get the juices flowing. Hope that helps some.
-Stephen (WL 70)
::coughs:: Whoever said artists were crazy was right. Well... there you go ;D I'll update as chatter flows to me. Signin' off! *S* >^..^<~
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| |  | A Whack on the Side of the Head : How You Can Be More Creative
This book helped me out years ago to get rid of blocks such as "it has to be the wrong answer or it's the right answer" thinking. I recommend all of this author's books. (Sylver) |
| |  | A Kick in the Seat of the Pants : Using Your Explorer, Artist, Judge and Warrior to Be More Creative
This man really isn't as violent as his titles are. He's just... very zealous? (Sylver) |
| |  | Creative Whack Pack
It's not what you think! It's "An illustrated deck of 64 creative thinking strategies to enhance every player's creativity. Complete instructions are included with cards." (Sylver) |
| |  | Affirmations for Artists
Sounds intriguing, worth a try. (Sylver) |  |
FARP Article Guestbook
| Date | Name | Comment | | | 4 Feb 2008 |  Caroline J. Anderson | Ooh, very useful! I’m going to go and draw something now*grabs a pencil and some scrap paper* | |
| 8 Feb 2008 |  Renee | Ive had artblock for a very long time before generally 6mths to 1 year. Nothing really ever works to get out of it but I do make sure that I am spending the same amount of time on art I normally would. So no I’m not sitting down and finishing the painting I want to do. But I do force myself to sit down and do tutorials, study color theory, fulfill avatar requests, do sig commissions. So that I stay in practice and Im at least producing something even if its not important or if I don’t like it. Ends up just being dis satisfactory period where I at least manage to make "something" and learn a few things  In an artblock atm and Ive set myself to learn how to paint clouds really well. I’m on probably my 12th cloud painting now and I’ve started working on finishing my other painting I wanted to. Whenever inspiration flees again. Or I feel artistic but not enough time. Clouds again!! lol | |
| 3 Mar 2008 | PurityLillyLead | my best advise is to (step one) think of two common names, one a specific gender name, the other a unisex name. I last chose Sally and Nadia (yes, Nadia can be unisex) and then I (step two) blended them together for Salia. Then i thought (step 3) of if it was male or female. Salia sounds female to me. So, I began to (step 4) think of what type of descent Salia would be. I chose European. Than i thought of (step 5) how she might look or what she might do. I decided she was a gypsy, and before long, Salia the Gypsy Healer was in my scetch book. If this does not work because you can’t blend names, simply find an exotic baby name on the web ^.^
Hope this helped! | |
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