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[Lil' Dice]

Ever since i can remember, drawing has been in integral part of my life. I wouldn't feel complete unless i sat down to draw for a few hours a day. Every now and then i would have dry spells, during which i would go a few months without picking up a pen/pencil. These would usually subside and I'd be back to my craft with a renewed vigor.
Lately however, i've had absolutely NO desire to draw or color my pieces in Photoshop. I have dozens of incomplete PS designs which I will probably never finish. I simply don't have the urge to draw any longer.

Despite the fact that I'm an artist, i work in management, managing artist; I'm the person any artist should be despising, not aspiring to become.
What can i do to get back on the saddle?

Have any of you gone through an extended amount of time without practicing your craft?
It's been almost 6 months since i've sat down to draw....

 

[Slo]

I don't get it. Are you saying that you *wish* that you were still interested in drawing? If so, take a job as an artist somewhere else, so you can hate the manager just like everybody else. Otherwise, if you don't mind not drawing anymore then what's the problem? Go do something else.

 

[Blacklion]

What can i do to get back on the saddle?

Easy ... Pick up a pencil there is no remedy for artist block... Just do

 

[Lil' Dice]

I don't get it. Are you saying that you *wish* that you were still interested in drawing? If so, take a job as an artist somewhere else, so you can hate the manager just like everybody else. Otherwise, if you don't mind not drawing anymore then what's the problem? Go do something else.

Yeah, i *wish* i could somehow rekindle my interest in art. I need to be inspired...

 

[Shig]

Find a style you like that's fairly far removed from your usual one, and work to emulate it. I used to do standard manga-style stuff pretty much exclusively, but it wore thin and my production slowed to a halt.

But then I started experimenting with more basic, cartoony stuff, scritinizing on what works and what doesn't for that style. Now I have like 3 styles I can play around with confidently: a detailed manga style, an uncomplicated cartoon style, and something between the two (kind of a Tin-Tin style, I guess). I sketch a lot more as a result, because those styles run the gamut from a small time investment, to a large one.

Of course, my production of finished pieces is still horrendous, but at least I kept myself from falling out of the game entirely.

 

[Blacklion]

The last time i had artist block i changed mediums....maybe it's time to pick up some clay and try your hand @ sculpting? ....

in the long run it actually make your drawing better

 

[Brian Fellows]

Just dont give up hampster style.

 

[Attack You]

I haven't drawn anything to completion in over eight years, and it's depressing. Going to school now to remedy that whole "inspiration" thing. Also agree with Shig. I have two styles to reflect the tone of stories they illustrate.

 

[belgurdo]

Do what I do when I have artist's block...read comic books. Keeps you entertained and helps you discover new art styles.

My current poison:

 

[WordAssassin]

Sometimes when I can't draw for a while I put down my stylus and go to the keyboard. Depends on what kind of art you do I guess (I'm a cartoonist/animator) but if you can think up a story that interests you, then you'll have an excuse to draw again: to tell that story.

And I'll pitch in with the multiple styles people. I have like, nine styles, each completely unique and each used to tell different types of stories. Pretty handy, if something funny happens to me, I can draw it in one style, if something tragic happens draw it in another, etc.

Just dont give up hampster style.

I love you. :lol

 

[saelz8]

I crashed. Drew alot from early elementary until a little after highschool. Drew all the time. Then eventually it started fading away, I guess something I thought was my passion really wasnt and slowly removed itself to the wayside. A blurry activity of yesterday. Now I dont consider myself much of a artist as much as I consider myself a fan of other peoples art. People change, hobbies change.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Partly I gotta agree with the Power of Many Styles folks. Switching up your styles (or even subject matter) is one way to get interested again.

Personally, I study art from time to time for inspiration with regards to wanting to make art. I don't just mean comic books either. A few years ago when I realized I wasn't enthusiastic enough about landscapes to really improve the quality of my background (in art that required them), I went and studied Monet and impressionist painters to get an entirely different perspective on non-figure oriented art than I had been exposed to. For me, it worked.

I've had low tides of productivity but am pretty harsh on myself with regards to dicipline. One bit of advice another artist who is quite accomplished and worked through hard times gave me once:

"You do not have to be enthusiastic about what you're doing in order to keep producing output."

Now, this seems at first to go against a lot of 'common wisdom' about artists and artistic output. How often do we hear about art quality declining because an artist hates what he's doing and isn't motivated?

But the key there is output - to get something done. Look at it this way. If you're feeling unmotivated, you can either do nothing. Or you can produce workmanlike efforts to keep the mechanical skills flowing (and improve them and experiment) and finish off the unfinished piles of abandoned projects that end up merely becoming a depressing reminder that 'you can't do art anymore'.

Six months later, you'll either have nothing to show for six months of feeling blue except a stack of failure. Or you'll at least have cleared through the cobwebs building up around you. I remember somebody once saying that inspiration is overrated; people only get truly inspired once in a while. The rest of their time is spent working through that inspiration. It's that drudge work that beats many, or most, people down.

But all this is simply more bits of advice that may or may not apply. Pick and choose as suited.

 

[D-X]

Try churning out a number of rough sketches per week/day. As long as it's not too much you consider it a chore it's a good way to ease yourself back into it. A rival also helps you raise your game.

 

[Bobety]

I crashed. Drew alot from early elementary until a little after highschool. Drew all the time. Then eventually it started fading away, I guess something I thought was my passion really wasnt and slowly removed itself to the wayside. A blurry activity of yesterday. Now I dont consider myself much of a artist as much as I consider myself a fan of other peoples art. People change, hobbies change.

Shit that's just like me. I used to draw all the time ever since I was about 6 years old. I failed classes because all I really did in classtime was draw in my schoolbooks, I had to buy a few books per-class each semester because I would end up filling most of the pages with drawings. Even though i used to be really passionate about it it just slowly faded away and I did it less and less...It's been about 3 years since I stopped and now I really regret it, I feel like if I try to draw again all my skill will be gone and I wont be able to get back into it

 

[Keyser Soze]

Try churning out a number of rough sketches per week/day. As long as it's not too much you consider it a chore it's a good way to ease yourself back into it. A rival also helps you raise your game.

I am thinking in a completely different way!

I would say that you should draw something very complicated or something you have never attempted before, atleast something you think is above you talent and when you complete it you should be proud of it and it may rekindle some love in your drawing

 

[pnjtony]

Draw me some sweet looking comedy/tragety masks. That'll renew your interest. Or get into logo making, I could use one of those too

 

[Shig]

Shit that's just like me. I used to draw all the time ever since I was about 6 years old. I failed classes because all I really did in classtime was draw in my schoolbooks, I had to buy a few books per-class each semester because I would end up filling most of the pages with drawings. Even though i used to be really passionate about it it just slowly faded away and I did it less and less...

Yeah, I was like this too. I still draw some, but my output then was through the roof comparatively.

Our muse is boredom, and the situations in which we are most bored tend to be be ones in which drawing is forbidden. The difference is that in school you could get away with it, but at work you really can't.

...Although, I do tend to go through post-it notes at an abnormally faster pace than my co-workers.

 

[Laguna X]

Maybe you should look at other people's art. Expose yourself to different styles and mediums. Perhaps you'll find a style that you may want to mimic or incorporate into your own. Or maybe you'll find a new interest in other mediums like clay or metal. You may want to check out the forums at conceptart.org and/or eatpoo.com.

I myself, went through a period where I didn't produce any art. It lasted about 6-7 years. I'm back in the groove, though I find that I enjoy looking at other's art more than I do creating my own.

 

[Phoenix]

Freelance baby, freelance. If you're good and don't just turtle in a shell waiting for customers to find you - you'll get jobs

 

[Zensetsu]

I've allways thought it would be cool to be able to draw, and recently I actually started trying to teach myself. I'm having a lot of fun with it.

 

[Laguna X]

I've allways thought it would be cool to be able to draw, and recently I actually started trying to teach myself. I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Hey, that's great! Have a lot of fun with it, but don't bother with the grid method. The grid method works, but it doesn't require much skill and you won't actually learn how to draw.

 

[DarthWoo]

Start drawing porn. It sure helped me.

 

[lexy]

Maybe you should find other interests?

I don't really believe that you can master something like drawing/art unless you have passion for it (something beyond, "I like to draw"). If you aren't honest with yourself, you are only going to end up regretting it later down the line.

If it's strictly a hobby, maybe you should try visiting an art gallery or going to some art workshops. There really isn't one magic thing that will get you out of your slump. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to do it.

 

[Laguna X]

Start drawing porn. It sure helped me.

:lol Funny because it's sorta true. I haven't done it in ages though. I still do a few tasteful nudies every now and then.

 

[D-X]

I am thinking in a completely different way!

I would say that you should draw something very complicated or something you have never attempted before, atleast something you think is above you talent and when you complete it you should be proud of it and it may rekindle some love in your drawing

True. The problem that some people have is sitting down and thinking they have to draw a masterpiece each time, then getting frustrated when they don't. Drawing an increased amount of rougher pieces may help an artist progress before returning to more complex ones.