I don't feel like I'm evolving at all in drawing..
1yr
@leilas
Hello everyone,
I've unfortunately reached a stage where I feel that I'm no longer learning enough (or that I'm perhaps learning with the wrong method) and I'm gradually losing the desire to draw. For almost a year and a half now, I've been drawing every day. At first, it was simple portraits, poses (gesture drawing) for example, and this for about 1h/2h or even just a few minutes at times, because being a student and working, my schedule is very busy. But I don't seem to see myself evolving any more... What's more, there are a lot of fundamentals I haven't yet mastered, like perspective, values (lights, shadows) and composition. Should I change the way I learn? How can I love what I do again, or at least just the process of drawing?
(I apologize if there are any mistakes, English is not my native language, but I hope it remains understandable).
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1yr
Hey, @leilas, it seems to me that you’ve run into an art block! If it makes you feel any less bad, feeling like this about our own work, progress or learning process is just as common as it is important for our artistic growth. When faced with these difficulties, instead of quitting, you’ve chosen to reach out for this community and ask for help about how to overcome them - and that is a hint of your commendable will to keep growing.
Whenever I talk about art blocks or face them myself, I always remember these charts (which I’m attaching here). I think they’re helpful to remind us that evolution is not necessarily a straight line, but, more commonly, a succession of cycles.
I agree with @Patrick, it’s hard for anyone else, rather than yourself, to find answers for questions such as how you can find motivation again… but, hopefully, conversations like this one might help uncloud thoughts a bit at least and maybe even spark ideas. Ultimately, I believe Patrick sums it up well: it all comes down to finding out what makes the process fun for us. Perhaps consider what is it that you WANT to do now regarding your drawing journey (rather than what you THINK YOU SHOULD do).
Hope this helps!
Hi there,
drawing is, like any other skill, a set of practice. Everyone learns different so it's a bit hard to give a good suggestion on how to change the way to learn.
For me I always set myself a goal. For example I'm a hobby worldbuilder, so I wanted to create maps and characters and trough that goal it was always clear to me, which skill I'm currently missing. So I took the "project approach". When I want to design a creature, I learn everything about creature design. How to study animals, proportions, how to tackle design etc.
This provides me with intention and a map of what I need for this particular task. Of course there is no shortcut but it provided me always with a meaning, so my motivation is high trough my purpose.
And yes, I'm currently enrolled in Prokos fundamental art class because I need to get my basics improved.
Try to find what brings you fun working towards too.
Cheers.
