We all love the satisfying feeling of working on our art piece in a state of flow and total focus.
We feel our mood enhanced when we manage to express our ideas on a canvas, and we are pleased with the results.
Our motivation grows, and our self-confidence in the art skills we cultivate is also enhanced.
But there are days or periods when sitting in front of the white paper feels intimidating, and we are unsure what to draw. Or days when we don’t feel that creative, but we still wish to practice our artistic skills to become better at what we love to do.
In those situations, we have to be kind to ourselves and don’t shy away from searching for help and inspiration.
Understandably, how we perceive ourselves can significantly impact our motivation to create art pieces.
If we believe we are or should always be creative and authentic, we would like our art pieces to reflect our perceived identity.
No matter how much we like it when we can finish unique art projects, we are not always our best selves.
So it’s okay to remember that practicing our skills with references doesn’t make us less creative artists.
On the contrary, recreating your favorite artist’s work can lead to a better understanding of the art techniques used in creating that art piece, and many times, it can lead to new reinterpretation ideas of that work.
So when you are out of ideas, search the internet for inspiration, take a walk and draw from what you see around, draw from what you see online, from around your house; any practice is better than a blank paper and the feeling of being stuck.
We know drawing better and coming up with great ideas takes practice, takes time, and a certain mood to get started, but we shouldn’t let ourselves succumb to the pressure of creating great art pieces.
Making art can be about playing with lines, shapes, and colors. It can be about expressing ourselves or conveying a message; it can be about relaxing, discovery, and abstract concepts.
We prepared a few ideas for people who would like to practice and play while making art and feel creative without any pressure.
For this practicing idea, you will need a black marker, a mid-tone color, paper, and a movie.
Start by playing the movie you choose and pause when you notice an interesting composition.
Try to draw that scene in a simplistic way using just the black and mid-tone colors and the parts of the paper you choose to leave blank for the brighter areas.
Focus on the shapes and do not use many lines. See what stands out and what details get lost or fuzzy from the composition.
You can try this exercise with whatever colors and art mediums you want, but if you wish to make something easy and fast, we recommend giving it a try with markers.
Writing down thoughts might be common sense for some people but not so simple for others. Getting inspiration just from living takes self-awareness, and forming a habit of writing down your thoughts and ideas can help tremendously.
It often happens to us to think about some potentially great art project ideas during the day while we carry on with our work or we read a book.
Or perhaps we have a talk with our close friend that gives us food for thought, but later, when we find ourselves in front of the blank canvas, we can’t remember all those moments of inspiration.
So try to carry a small notebook and a pen around in case an exciting idea crosses your mind. Check what you wrote in the notebook later and see if you can work with those notes.
Maybe you read a fictional story, and you’ll want to illustrate it the way you imagined it. Or you come across a good article and try to transpose the main idea into imagery. You never know what ideas the little details of everyday life might inspire.
When we feel good at doing something, we might notice ourselves a little scared or uncomfortable of getting out of that zone and trying something new and unfamiliar.
For instance, if we honed our skills working with acrylic paint, we might not feel too courageous using watercolors.
We already know how acrylics blend, how much water we need, what kind of brushes to use.
Or we love drawing and sketching people, but we didn’t yet consider different art subjects.
However, getting out of our comfort zone can be a good exercise and might help you improve and expand your confidence.
Think of what you usually create, draw with ease, and where you feel you lack skill. Focus on exploring different art mediums and subjects.
Draw random ordinary objects from your house, yard, or city that you never paid much attention to before. Draw various plants and animals, patterns, buildings, trees, or anything you don’t have much experience with.
Give yourself a gentle push out of the zone you’re already comfortable with, and challenge yourself to get better at drawing.
