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Art block is something that, sooner or later, affects all artists. You can’t draw, you might not have any ideas, and it’s generally ruining your art process. How do you beat that?
Now, obviously, art block is different for everyone, and there isn’t one single solution for all artists. In this article, I will share some of my tips on beating art block. Some of them might work for you, others might not.
Get inspired by other artists
One way that might help you with art block, if you’re struggling with insufficient amounts of motivation, is to go to Instagram or Twitter and look at art made by some of your favorite artists.
Think about why you like drawing, and what inspires you to draw. Try to replicate their styles, or push yourself to draw some of their drawings in your own style.
Some of my personal favorite artists are: digitalbobert, Julia Lepetit, Bourassa, or martise.comics.
Draw studies
Studies are a great way to beat art block if you can’t find your creativity. As drawing studies is fairly technical, some types of art block can be overcome by drawing hands, torsos, various muscles, and generally learning anatomy.
For reference, look at photos on Pinterest, or buy drawing or anatomy books.
Learn new skills
Art block might be creative fatigue. One of the best ways to battle creative fatigue is to learn new stuff, and try to improve. After all, art block can be a great opportunity to get better at what you love doing.
One of the best ways to learn is checking out some Youtube art tutorials, or Skillshare courses. Here are two of my personal recommendations for both of those categories:
- Jazza’s art tutorials on Youtube
- Simon Sanchez’s Introduction to Pixel Art class on Skillshare
Try a new art material
Another way to improve your motivation is to try a new material. If you’re more used to digital, you can try a new set of brushes. For traditional art, you can try ink, charcoal, a new set of paints, etc.
Drawing challenges and prompts
If you’re art blocked because you’re missing ideas, the best thing to draw is something inspired by a drawing challenge or an art prompt. Long term challenges like Inktober or Mermay constraint you to a certain medium or topic for several days, while short term challenges, like Draw This In Your Style, give you something to work on in the next few hours.
If you’re looking for specific ideas, try finding some art prompts. These give you concepts, so you don’t have to think about what to do, but rather how you draw it.
I’ve made an Android app and a web app called Art Prompts. Check it out if you’re looking for a bit of inspiration – it has over 800 original prompts that will help you out.
Take a break
Finally, if none of the other tips for you don’t work, or if you’re feeling creative fatigue, just take a break for a bit. Go outside, play some video games, watch a movie or a show, or spend some times with the people that make you happy.
You can’t draw all the time, and you can’t hold yourself to unreasonable standards. Everyone has to take a break from time to time. You will not miss out on anything – all your drawing ideas and projects will be waiting for you.
