How to Conquer Artblock

Okay, so you got artblock?

"Yes, I do have artblock. It's blocking me from drawing, etcetc, blah blah blah, nag nag nag---"

Yeah.


What is artblock?
I can't really describe it but if I ask a fellow artist/friend to describe it, they'll say, "Artblock is the most evillest thing alive, DEATH TO THE ARTBLOC--" which doesn't explain what it is, but if I ask the almight Urban Dictionary it says, "Also known as an 'artist block', a usually random occurence in which one loses inspiration and motivation to draw.". That explains much.


I myself have artblock at random times every year for quite some time(sorry, its too random to be estimated). So, during those times, instead of trying to draw something(which leads to unproductive-ness), I think of ways to conquer it(and be BOSS).

1#

Don't force yourself to draw. Without inspiration, motivation and a lack of ideas, it will only lead to unproductive-ness and no success. Try get some fresh air and find some inspiration by going to the park or some place. Random times and places give you random inspiration. Heck, even looking at food might give you inspiration.

2#

Get some inspiration. Brainstorming won't help; since you are having artblock, which prevents you from getting or thinking up an idea. Watching good movies are good. If you like some good ol' movies with a mysterious storyline, I'd say try to watch Paprika or Paranoia Agent. Studio Ghibli's movies are good too. If that fails, go to Google to find some ways to find yerself good inspiration.

3#

Don't think, relax. Laze around your house; my favorite place to do so is my couch. Get a nap, maybe you can't think straight because of stress or some issues(?).

4#

If you can't seem to conquer artblock, then don't. Go do something else like literature or photography. While doing something else, its like your evil artblock will be bored of trying to mock or disturb you, thus it will disappear till next time. By the time your artblock is gone, you're free to say, "IN YO' FACE, ARTBLOCK" or something like that. But, don't blame me if karma decides to kick you in the ass afterwards.

5#

One of the reasons of artblock is that you got demotivated. But, I doubt you will know HOW you got demotivated in the first place. Don't bother trying to become Sherlock Holmes, you aren't. Try retracing your steps back to your favorite artists and your friends who have a better skill than you have(not trying to offend anybody) and observe their artwork. Then, ask yourself, "Did I get jealous?". I doubt you will get a straightaway answer for that question, though, but, if you did get jealous, try improving. Use them as a motivation for you to reach the finishing line. Then, tell yourself, "Did I improve?"

6#

Take a recent drawing and ask another person's opinion about it. Another person's opinion is always good. Don't be afraid to listen your own flaws; polish it till its perfect. If its anatomy, find references for different poses, if its hands, try observing your own, if its gender, observe another artist's drawing. DO NOT ask yourself for your own opinion, you wouldn't know your own flaws at times.
Its just like making a mistake in a maths equation and you don't know where you got wrong; so your only option is your maths teacher.

7#

Observe things around you; chair, sofa, computer, apple and etc. It doesn't matter what item it is, you just have to try to draw it. Draw other things like animals, objects or clothing. Don't be afraid to try something new.

8#

In my previous article, there was a part where I stated;
Mix and jumble up words together. What I do is;
'person', 'activity'(is or was) and 'item'.
I jumble em' up and I get; '(person)A Queen' '(activity)is bashing' '(item)an apple'.
Or, 'person/animal' with/and 'an animated item/animal/person', 'activity', 'place'.
It becomes: '(person/animal)A little girl' with/and '(an animated item/animal/person)a flying duck' '(activity)is dancing' '(place)on the Moon'.
Don't try to choose your words, you would be debating what to choose. Ask a friend or a relative 'give me a random person/animal/action/item/place' and your answers are there.

9#

Make fanart of any cartoon shows like Spongebob Squarepants, Fairly Odd Parents or Tom and Jerry. Draw them in human form or something. Either way is okay.

10#

If you have many active watchers; post a journal entry and ask them what to draw, go to a dA chatroom and ask or find a random words generator for random answers.






Good luck to those who have artblock, I hope this helped in some way! Remember, conquer your artblock and be a BOSS.

I salute to you!