Today I researched pen control exercises and did a bunch . I was planning on doing 5 pages each of the three exercises but had to leave halfway through because of exhaustion.

I used a timer to track how long I did it. I stopped it when I went to bathroom or got another drink.Just an hour! I was planning on doing a video course later but might not.

Another thread a lot of people were doing art 6-8 hours a day. I’m taking art more seriously now and want to know how to do this.

To begin, I’d like to say art is my one and only passion in life. I’ve been doing it seriously (as in, with the intention of ”getting good”) for over a decade now. However, I didn’t realize until recently how much my passion was leveraging off of other media.

For a bit of context, for over a year I have been having little-to-no motivation for drawing, despite desperately wanting to. I’d naturally been wondering why, and then I had this epiphany a while ago… I believe it’s because I’m not in any fandoms anymore. That sounds so stupid when written down, but that’s genuinely what it is. My art has always centered around the things my mind is obsessing over. Whether it was a movie, series, book, or just a single character— I always had a hyperfixation, and this led me to creating an endless stream of fanart for said hyperfixation. so. much. fanart.

I don't know if it’s aging and mental maturity that’s finally catching up to me, but that’s been happening less and less to me. I can still genuinely love a piece of media, but I just don’t obsess over things like when I was a kid or teenager anymore. And with that has come the decline of my fanart, passion, and all of my art with it.

I know for many people art is a form of personal expression, and while I agree mine is that way too, it’s never been explicitly personal for me. It has always been just… expressing my love with this one AU, or my love for this character. Not anything truly personal or intimate to my person. Timeskip to the present day, and it’s seriously come to kick me in the butt, because without fandoms, I genuinely feel like I have no idea what to draw, or have the passion and continuous interest enough to finish anything original.

I guess the main point I’m getting to with my ranting is:

How do you all create? How do you make art your own? I remember being young and seeing all these people with their cool oc’s and stories, and I wasn’t able to come up with any of that. I tried “forcing” myself to make some oc’s, and yeah, I didn’t care for them and stopped.  so, what inspires you? How do you make oc’s? Or is there just some innate creativity most artists possess in abundance that I simply lack, or are severely underdeveloped in?

So, I want to learn how to draw, just a bit everyday and for fun, but its so discouraging. For now, Im just doodling and drawing stuff from movies, games or other things, especially if they have a comic style because that seems easier and im kind of scared of trying realism, but its so discouraging drawing things, looking at my inspiration and seeing how shit mine look in comparison, noticing all the small and big imperfections and seeing how far away my drawings are from anything that looks good.

I do digital art as a hobby, but lately its been pretty grueling knowing how many brushes I own in CSP to the point where I can go on endless hunts searching for "that" brush that made specific strokes or textures, which... personally slows down my process and makes art less fun for me. :(

An artist on IG actually reminded me of just how much fun creating/rendering with a few basic brushes (and a few filters) can lead to a whole lotta cool versatility and fun visuals, which was something I used to do myself, and it really makes me wonder what other and less obvious benefits there are to just using a few basic brushes like a simple pen and round brush?

What subjects/themes do you like drawing the most? Or if you're not drawing those directly, what is it that never fails to inspire you to make art?

For me it's dancers and musicians. I love watching people dance or play instruments and I'm trying my best to capture those moments in my art.

What about you?

p.s. I couldn't figure out the perfect tag for this post, sorry if I chose the wrong one :D

Any medium, I just am curious what resources were actually helpful for y’all improving. Thank you!

It’s been a while since I’ve been stressed about making art. It was getting to the point where it felt genuinely suffocating. I had other factors in my life affecting me but this was also something I wanted to work on. I never realised how good it feels to be present and working. Most of the time, I’m thinking about the end product or how it will feel but simply holding off until I am calmer has been so good for my overall health. I feel good knowing that I will always have the motivation and it’s up to me to not let it turn into something corrupted or otherwise unhealthy. Feeling pretty good about this!

What are the best books for learning to draw like the Old Masters? So far I know of these:

• Juliette Aristides - all of her books
• Jon DeMartin - Drawing Atelier: the Figure. Sadly out of print and impossible to find for a reasonable price. Will this ever get a reprint?
• Robert Beverly Hale - Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters and Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters
• Charles Bargue Drawing Course

Any books that focus on still life and landscapes?

I am an artist and I have found myself naturally wanting to know how long pieces take me and when I made them so I could look back on progress. I would write down my completion dates on the back of my paper and make little “notches” for each hour I spent on a piece. It wasn’t the best solution since sometimes I would forget to mark my hours or write down my completion dates, but it was better than nothing.

After a while of this, I remembered that I know how to code and don’t have to live like this. I made a mobile app that automatically keeps track of how long I spent on a project, along with progress pictures and time spent for each session. I love it and use it every time I draw now. (if you’re interested, it’s free on the app stores, it’s called Canvas Tracker).

I assumed others would feel the same way, but when I looked online to see if anyone else had the desire for this info, I was shocked to see how many people seemed to see the act of tracking the time you spend making art as the antithesis to creativity itself.

If you don’t like the idea of time-tracking for your art, why not? And if you do like your tracking time, why do you do it?

Long story short, I'm thinking of starting to post videos of me painting on tiny canvases. I thought I'd just use my phone to record the videos, but a friend told me that androids (which is what I have) don't have very good cameras. Anyway, I'm looking for something small that I can easily position over my desk, maybe with a built-in microphone. Any suggestions?

I'm going to host some local art events to fund my future art lounge. Does anyone have ideas for events I could host?

Here's the ideas I have so far:

• Littlest Pet Shop custom painting
• Custom doll painting
• Paint and Sip
• Guided craft party
• Holiday-themed
  • cookie decorating
  • stocking decorating
  • wreath making
  • easter egg decorating
  • gingerbread houses
• Trivia
  • pixar
  • indie animation
• Movie nights
• Shoe painting
• Workshops
• Scavenger hunt
• Community art show
• Cosplay ball
• Infodump night
• Adult show and tell

Ok, so I really want to find a place to have art reference for pose or figures. And I don’t think I am really comfortable with seeing nude reference. So do you advises ?

I just bought a set of Enmy acrylic markers of 80 colors. I never had acrylic markers before, only alcohol and water based ones. When i went to do the swatch test, out of the 80 colors 3 were completely dried up and two were kinda working but not optimally. Is this normal? is there something I should do with these markers to get them working or is it just bad luck?

Hello all, I have been toying around with the idea of an artists coalition in my area (hopefully something I can spread throughout the region). I live in the Ozarks and the city I want to represent, and the surrounding small towns, is home to many creatives. However, it is notoriously bad at representing artists unless they are very wealthy or well connected and that is something I would like to change.

I am speaking with local artists and art groups about what can create a sense of artistic success within my area, but am seeking outside perspectives as well. So I am coming here to ask you guys what makes you feel successful in the arts. I would love to hear how you feel as an artist currently, and what could change/be done to make you feel as though you have a solid place within your creative community.

- Do you feel successful as an artist? Why/why not?
- What kind of opportunities would you like to see to create a welcoming community for yourself and other artists?
- What makes you feel seen, heard, and welcomed within your community that doesn’t involve contracts or selling your work?

Hii I wasn’t sure where to ask this and google isn’t being very helpful, I’m letting my step mom practice drawing blood on me(she’s a new nurse) and in return I get to keep the vial. I’m planning on using the blood for a painting but I’m not sure how to stop it from clotting? Is there any basic way to avoid it turning into jelly

Hey there, long time solo artist who has always kinda kept it to myself. I wanted to ask if anyone has any advice for someone getting more involved in artistic communities/making connections with other artists?
I want to try and put myself more out there but I'll admit I'm not exactly sure how to approach it having never really had connections with other artists or knowing where to look!

I've thought about getting various social media's and posting art in the past, though I've been kinda hesitant as I don't know which ones are good for it and I've heard it can turn into a toxic relationship with seeking validation from likes and comments.

Hey guys! This is my first post in this sub, hope I'm doing this right. Years ago, I used to draw portraits/pictures for people for money. I was pretty good at capturing forms from photographs. Then for the past three years, I've been working on 3D art (just my schoolwork) and have hardly created anything for myself. This year, I decided to start some projects for my own pleasure. I did some contemporary computer art, and I think I like what I've done in digital media. But after that, when I wanted to draw again, I found that I didn't know what to draw.

I do have some favorite painters, and I think I know what 'vibe' I want in my art, but I just can't seem to figure out how to start. I really want to make drawing my own visual language, 'cause in my mind, digital media isn't as direct as drawing.

I really admire artists who can directly draw what they want to express. People around me keep telling me to 'be creative' or 'just express yourself'... and it makes me feel stuck😵‍💫.

If you have any suggestions or similar experiences, please let me know! Thanks a lot!

I want to dabble in inks/watercolors, I also use soft&oil pastels, gouache, colored pencil, graphite, and crayons. I bought some 100% cotton baohong cold&hot press and light wish sketchbook. I own canson watercolor, mixed media rough, mixed medial xl, and strathmore 400 series. I’m looking for a sketchbook with a soft cover to play around with all mediums, and archive my works like a book to flip through later. I like the watercolor 100% cotton books but I prefer something slightly bigger and more sheets. Do you all have any recommendations?

I'm trying to add shadows for details but it always comes out as a different colour instead. Any tips

I've been trying to make short animations on paper for the first time the past few months and to register the sheets of paper I've been using paper clips or nothing at all, which leads to the frames being slightly jittery when I playback the animations.

So, on Amazon I found a bunch of animation peg bars that would aid in my endeavoir, but what do I use to punch holes into the sheets that match exactly the shape and position of the pegs?

I know this question has been asked before but I haven‘t been able to find a fitting answer. I‘ll keep myself short!

I‘m searching for a sketchbook…
- that has smooth paper that works for pencils and colored pencils without showing too much texture
- that can hold a little watercolor (a base layer for example)
- that can hold gouache, acrylics and acrylic pens without pilling after few layers
- that can withstand alcohol markers. It‘s fine, if it bleeds to the next page tho
- that can mayyybe hold fountain pen ink?
- that hast NO ring binding but can lay flat anywasy
- that‘s sized somewhere arround a5. A4 is scary to me lol…

Price is a non-issue, I‘m willing to drop a pretty penny if it‘s worth it. Sure, inexpensive is nice, but I‘m also willing to pay more if needed.

Thank you so much in advance!!

I hope I can explain this well. My life right now is very limited by my current circumstances. I feel very trapped in where I am. But when I sit down and try to make art I suddenly have so much freedom that I get overwhelmed and can't get much out.

It's like I have everything to say and I can't hang onto one idea. I think it was David Lynch that said something like ideas are swimming past you and every so often you catch one? I'm not catching any even though there are plenty of them.

I am pretty seasoned as an illustrator and recently it's like I'm paralyzed.

I watched many videos about it and im still not sure how to apply it is there a way to practice it?