Drawing Productivity Tips

[radiator]

Regarding the time thing, I've pretty much entirely stopped playing videogames these last few years (unthinkable five years ago). Haven't even switched on my Xbox in nearly two years and have no plans to buy a current gen console. It literally came down to a choice about which hobby I cared about more.

[blackmocco]

"But why shouldn't my work be hard? Almost everybody's work is hard. One is distracted by this notion that there is such a thing as inspiration, that it comes fast and easy. And some people are graced by that style. I'm not. So I have to work as hard as any stiff, to come up with my payload."

Not the world's biggest Leonard Cohen fan but by some weird coincidence, this ties in nicely to the discussion:

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/07/15/leonard-cohen-paul-zollo-creativity/

[radiator]

I think the thing you said about 'making it look easy' is key. It can at times feel like it is all so effortless for other people. Watching 'speed paint' or time-lapse videos on Youtube always makes me wince, because it is never, ever that straightforward for me. It can take me weeks, even months to finish a single piece. I frequently have to scrap the whole thing and start over.

Its not always the case, but I do quite often find the drawing phase of a project to be the gruelling, unpleasant thing that I need to get out of the way before I can get to the fun bit (ie the finishing, tightening up, and adding colour) which feels like the 'reward'.

Which makes it all the more frustrating when friends say that they 'prefer the original pencil drawing'. It can't be just be me that this happens to..? 

[Conceptulist]

Its not always the case, but I do quite often find the drawing phase of a project to be the gruelling, unpleasant thing that I need to get out of the way before I can get to the fun bit (ie the finishing, tightening up, and adding colour) which feels like the 'reward'.

For a writer, this part comes when you type 'The End'. In fact, I purposefully won't add 'The End' until it's ready to send off so it feels like a writingasm. 

Of course, I'm a newb, so that event hasn't occurred much.

[Dark Jimbo]

I think the thing you said about 'making it look easy' is key. It can at times feel like it is all so effortless for other people.

My favourite blog ever - one of my favourite things ever - is/was Mick McMahon's blog, because he was so painfully, brutally honest about the process. His comments were almost nothing but apoligies, self-doubt and criticisms - 'this didn't go right,' 'I don't really like how that looks,' 'I could have done much better', 'I didn't manage to do what I was attempting' - and you just think OhmyGod, it's not just me! His stuff all looks superb, sure, but he's sweated blood to get there, just like any of us.

[blackmocco]

I think the thing you said about 'making it look easy' is key. It can at times feel like it is all so effortless for other people. Watching 'speed paint' or time-lapse videos on Youtube always makes me wince, because it is never, ever that straightforward for me. It can take me weeks, even months to finish a single piece. I frequently have to scrap the whole thing and start over.

Its not always the case, but I do quite often find the drawing phase of a project to be the gruelling, unpleasant thing that I need to get out of the way before I can get to the fun bit (ie the finishing, tightening up, and adding colour) which feels like the 'reward'.

Which makes it all the more frustrating when friends say that they 'prefer the original pencil drawing'. It can't be just be me that this happens to..? 

Haha! Yeah, my only "process" is an exhausting tornado of anger, frustration, procrastination, despair and self-doubt which leaves me wondering why I even draw in the first place.

I tend to overwork everything so by the time I get to the finish line, I've managed to destroy any joy whatsoever I started out with. Everything I want to do inevitably becomes something I have to do and then I resent that I even started it in the first place.

I mentioned Inktober before, but I found that I quite enjoyed it once I got into a groove, because the art wasn't actually for anything other than my own enjoyment and as a working artist yourself, I'm sure you can sympathize with the feeling that everything you draw is always for some other purpose. You tend to forget that before you made a living doing this, drawing is something you did to relax and unwind. It's taken a long time for me to realize that I need to get back to that feeling if I'm going to be able to relax with my own personal work.

More perversely again, I'm so used to an approval process working on FG that I feel I'm operating without a safety net on my personal work. Like, if there's no-one there to yay or nay it, can I judge whether it's any good or not...?

Jesus. We're all messes.

[blackmocco]

I think the thing you said about 'making it look easy' is key. It can at times feel like it is all so effortless for other people.

My favourite blog ever - one of my favourite things ever - is/was Mick McMahon's blog, because he was so painfully, brutally honest about the process. His comments were almost nothing but apoligies, self-doubt and criticisms - 'this didn't go right,' 'I don't really like how that looks,' 'I could have done much better', 'I didn't manage to do what I was attempting' - and you just think OhmyGod, it's not just me! His stuff all looks superb, sure, but he's sweated blood to get there, just like any of us.

I was so genuinely saddened when he announced he wasn't going to do it anymore. There was something so encouraging reading about his same struggles and insecurities. It's a stupid thing to feel bonded over but I took great comfort - if that's appropriate - from that blog.

[radiator]

I tend to overwork everything so by the time I get to the finish line, I've managed to destroy any joy whatsoever I started out with. Everything I want to do inevitably becomes something I have to do and then I resent that I even started it in the first place.

I have almost the opposite. When I'm working on something, especially in the finishing stage, it's like a constant endorphin release. However, after its finished I only see the things I don't like about it. I'd say at any one time I 'm only really pleased with the last two or three things I've done, so I never really have a substantial amount of work I'd be happy calling a portfolio.

I used to have quite a common issue when I first got into digital art, in that I became overwhelmed by the amount of control I had over an image, so I would just tinker with it forever and quickly find myself paralysed by indecision, but luckily I've put all that behind me now. I think the key thing is having a strong idea before you start and not wavering on it.

So shall we change the name of this thread to 'Artists Anonymous' or what?

[Dark Jimbo]

I think the thing you said about 'making it look easy' is key. It can at times feel like it is all so effortless for other people.

My favourite blog ever - one of my favourite things ever - is/was Mick McMahon's blog, because he was so painfully, brutally honest about the process. His comments were almost nothing but apoligies, self-doubt and criticisms - 'this didn't go right,' 'I don't really like how that looks,' 'I could have done much better', 'I didn't manage to do what I was attempting' - and you just think OhmyGod, it's not just me! His stuff all looks superb, sure, but he's sweated blood to get there, just like any of us.

I was so genuinely saddened when he announced he wasn't going to do it anymore. There was something so encouraging reading about his same struggles and insecurities. It's a stupid thing to feel bonded over but I took great comfort - if that's appropriate - from that blog.

Yeah, to a non-artist that must undoubtedly sound fairly negative - for Mick to write it, and for us to enjoy it - but it's genuinely uplifiting and reassuring to hear from an artist of his calibre.

[blackmocco]

Mick's response when I told him I'm always terrified to ink my pencils: "I'm terrified of inking my own work as well, but I just remind myself that the initial heartbreaking first ink line won't even notice when it's finished."

[blackmocco]

Its not always the case, but I do quite often find the drawing phase of a project to be the gruelling, unpleasant thing that I need to get out of the way before I can get to the fun bit (ie the finishing, tightening up, and adding colour) which feels like the 'reward'.

For a writer, this part comes when you type 'The End'. In fact, I purposefully won't add 'The End' until it's ready to send off so it feels like a writingasm. 

Of course, I'm a newb, so that event hasn't occurred much.

I can never write "The End". That would mean I'd finished! Haha!

[radiator]

I've only just got to the point where I actually enjoy inking, and think the resulting drawing looks better for it. Up until a couple of years ago I dreaded it, and always found that inking would just throttle every bit of life and energy out of a drawing.

I think being able to do it digitally took the pressure off and allowed me to relax. Before photoshop I tried everything - brushes, markers, brush pens, dip pens. And no method ever worked for me.