barananduen

[barananduen]

Art Advice: How to Deal with Art Block

Welcome to my Art Advice Articles series! In this issue, we'll talk about the different types of art block and how to break through them.

TYPE 1: I want to draw, but I don't know what!

TYPE 2: I want to & know what to draw, but it doesn't come out right.

2a) I've never been able to draw the way I want

2b) I used to like my art, but not anymore

TYPE 3: I have ideas but no motivation

TYPE 4: I want to draw, but I'm scared my new art won't measure up to my last good piece

Choose your type of art block from the list above the cut, and skip to the corresponding section below:

🌟TYPE 1 - I WANT TO DRAW, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT!

This is the easiest type of art block to deal with. DRAW ANYTHING! It doesn't have to be something spectacular; drawing an object on your desk or in your room will do; it will help you break out of this art block. Here are some ideas for you:

Ask people for suggestions. You don't have to draw all of them; just do the ones that appeal to you, in any way you wish.

Draw random objects: decorations, an insect, a slice of pie...

Close your eyes, draw a doodle/random shape. Open your eyes, try to make a creature out of it. Now redraw the creature with purpose.

Draw a scene or character from the last movie you watched / book you read / song you listened to.

Experiment with a different art form, like photography, crafts, dancing, etc. or a different medium (acrylic, pastel, pencils, etc.). This will shift your focus while still keeping your mind thinking creatively. Working with different art forms will: 1) loosen you up, and 2) give you ideas that you can apply to your main form/medium.

The last idea has another benefit. While working with a new art form, you will hone different skills, that will help you with your "main" medium if you have one (or the media you normally do). For example, if you draw and are stuck, working on photography can help you with composition and depth of field, among other things. Scrapbooking or making collages can help you with textures, color palettes, and also composition. Sculpting can help you with volume and angles. Dancing can help you with poses. You see things in a different light and can come up with new, fresh ideas. :)

🌟TYPE 2 - I WANT TO & KNOW WHAT TO DRAW, BUT IT DOESN'T COME OUT RIGHT

This type can take two forms:

a) You've never been able to draw the way you want; or b) You used to like your art, but now you no longer do.

The good news is: both are temporary!

⭐ 2.a - I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DRAW THE WAY I WANT

Many, many people who are starting with art are under the misconception that art learning is a relatively quick process, that you can get good at art in just a couple of months, whereas the fact is, it takes years to get to the level we want, with art as with anything else.

Exercise what I call The Three Ps:

Patience

Practice

Perseverance

We must have patience! It's important to give yourself time; focus, don't rush, and don't get exasperated when things don't go the way you wish they would. They will, with time.

In the meantime, practice! Do studies (from life or photos, not from others' art so you don't accidentally copy other artists' mistakes). Learn how to use shading to convey volume. Practice different light sources. Learn and practice anatomy. Learn about lighting and colors. Try different subjects, styles, genres - experimenting and learning to draw different things is super important! Branching out will not only aid in building your skill-set, but can also help you find what you like.

Keep going and don't give up! You must persevere!

While you're doing that ...

Focus on the journey, not just on the end goal. It is important to enjoy the process for its own sake. This attitude will help with patience and perseverance, and will keep you happy longer.

While you're doing this, don't feel discouraged when things don't turn out the way you want! EVERYONE makes mistakes! And everyone has had to go through a learning process. Just because you don't see others posting things with mistakes doesn't mean they didn't happen. Take mistakes in stride, have a little humor with yourself, and learn from them.

⭐2.b - I USED TO LIKE MY ART, BUT NOT ANYMORE

Usually, when you feel you've hit a wall, when you feel like you're no longer happy with your art, it's right before you begin to improve again, so don't let that feeling make you quit.

What happens is that your brain (your inner art critic) is no longer satisfied with your current work because you've seen things you like better, and, subconsciously, you're going "my work would be better if I could do _." The thing is, once you become aware of what that blank is (which will happen), you'll start working toward achieving it, and you'll be moving forward again.

Sometimes it's helpful to take a short break to clear your mind a little, like when you've been working on a project/paper too long and need a break from it because you can't think anymore. Take a few days, maybe a week or two, but don't quit entirely! In the meantime, you can use your creativity in other media. Try photography, crafts, decorative cooking, anything! Give yourself some time and approach things with a fresh perspective. Give your brain a break from what's bogging you down.

When you come back, you can do three things:

Try again. Sometimes things just "click" after you've taken your focus off of the matter for a while, like how you can better spot errors in an essay after you've laid it down for a day or two, than right after you've finished writing it

Go back and review the basics again. You don't need to spent ages doing this; it's just a refresher. Sometimes, we get hung up on our methods and forget something we once knew we should be doing. A refresher's always good. Personally, I make it a point to go back and briefly review the basics every couple of years.

You can try approaching things in different ways. Experiment! Do things in ways you didn't do them before. Try different types of lighting, coloring, shading, for example. Maybe you'll find something you like better than what you were doing before.

The important thing here is to realize that this sudden dissatisfaction with your work is a GOOD THING! It means you're about to make a leap and get even better! So, embrace it and don't feel discouraged by it!

🌟TYPE 3 - I HAVE IDEAS BUT NO MOTIVATION

This one might be brought on by other things going on in your life, maybe things that are making you feel down. Sometimes, even music or books or whatever used to get you in the mood to do art doesn't work.

Force yourself to draw -ANYTHING- (See TYPE 1 for ideas). This will help jump-start you, and then you can get back to drawing cool things. The same applies to writing - write anything! A poem, a haiku, an anagram. Do a few and you'll get back in the mood. If you do photography, just take your camera and head out. Take pics of ordinary things from different angles; try a type of photography you don't usually do. Don't worry about the results being good. Just focus on doing the thing.

When I've had this type of art block and did these things, I got out of it fairly quickly. When I didn't, and sat it out hoping it would go away on its own, I stopped doing art for five years, and in the process forgot many things I already knew about how to make art. Different people work in different ways, but I do recommend that if you feel this type of art block has been going on for too long, actively do something to try to get out of it, like the examples I mentioned above. You don't want it to drag on long enough to set you back in your progress.

🌟TYPE 4 - I WANT TO DRAW, BUT I'M SCARED MY NEW ART WON'T MEASURE UP TO MY LAST GOOD PIECE

Lastly, I want to address the mental cage that is choking under pressure. You can feel pressured by external sources (other people, social media) and by internal sources (yourself). Sometimes, you might feel like you have to perform at a certain level, and that pressure may make you perform below what you usually do. In worse cases, it may make you freeze and scared to even try! Don't let pressure play you wrong. Breathe deeply a few times and clear your mind… and draw without worrying about it! Just draw!

It's like how, sometimes, doodles on lined paper come out better than things you draw on a white sheet or on a canvas… it's because you're not putting pressure yourself to come up with a masterpiece.

Draw without worrying about how good or bad the outcome will be. If it's not as good as your last piece - nothing bad happens! Honestly! But you know what does happen if you freeze up because you're afraid you won't measure up to your previous works? You will not create equal or even better works at all! So, let go of the pressure, don't worry, and just draw. You WILL make better works; it's natural and makes sense. More practice and time leads to improvement, no matter what level you're improving from. Just give yourself the opportunity to do so!

Let go of pressure and expectations and just draw for the sake of it! You'll do fine.

Yes, it's important to challenge yourself and break out of your comfort zone to learn new skills, but sometimes (like when you're in this type of art block), going with your own personal strengths will give you the morale boost you need to draw again, and then you can keep moving forward and tackle challenges and new things with more confidence.

Believe in yourself! And remember: don't stop or you won't create the next awesome artwork you didn't know you would make, because your future pieces will always be better than your past ones. Don't forget that!

🌟CLOSING

I hope his article can give you some ideas and motivation to help you plow through your art block, whichever type it may be, and you'll be back on your way to creating beautiful works! 💟

~B~

You can find the index to all Art Advice Articles [here]

[barananduen]

"Inspire" - fanart of Chinese actor Li Dai Kun - Digital painting

I'm really proud of this >.< 🙏dontflop dontflop dontflop🙏It's the first proper (so, non-chibi) painting I've finished this year - it's been a busy/stressful year.

This started off as a practice sketch that, one night, I decided to paint "just for the lulz."

As such, I had no plan for ... well, anything other than was was on the sketch.😅 And then things (literally) grew from there.

Referenced from [this scene] in his commercial for Hua Niang skincare products.

More CDrama art: [#fanart - asian media]

[barananduen]

LI DAIKUN AND SHEEP FRIEND AKA "LOOK AT A HANDSOME PHOTO AND TURN IT SILLY"

Happy 0704 birthday to him! 李岱昆0704生日快乐 (❁´◡`❁) Part of my square cdrama series.

I love this photo series so much! ♥♥♥ (See the tumblr post linked below to see the whole set) I would like to draw Nie Xiying, too, but it's Li Daikun Day, so he goes first. :3

The horse is the one in the background of one of his other photos in the set. It's so stylish with its windswept fringe. XD

By the way, he'll be in the upcoming drama Coroner's Diary, so you can catch him there if you'd like. (July 16th on iQiyi)

REFERENCE:

My current favorite photo of him. (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

SEE THE WHOLE PHOTO SET HERE:

[barananduen]

"Exhale" - fanart of Chinese actor Li Dai Kun - Digital painting Bonus under the Readmore. Also, happy BDay to him!

He doesn't give us enough stubble photos, so I had to feed myself. :<

The crop may seem unorthodox, but I was painting emotions more than just a portrait.

Though this painting does not have a direct reference, I did do a whole bunch of studies in the middle of it (should have done them *before*) to acquaint myself with his features and fix things that didn't look right to me, though. Some mouth studies I did:

Trivia: The background of the painting is based on the embroidery on different traditional Chinese outfits that the actor has worn:

For more, click this tag: #fanart - asian media I have a few of him there, including [this one]

ARCHIVE LINK

Originally posted to my DeviantArt on May 24, 2022: https://www.deviantart.com/barananduen/art/Exhale-917064558

[barananduen]

DANCE OF THE GINKGO LEAVES

A cdrama-inspired plushie chibi

Uploading again because I sure know how to schedule things for no-one-online-o-clock. 😭

I've been wanting to draw a scene with ginkgo trees for A While, and when I saw the April teaser trailer for "Fate Chooses You" (or whatever it will be called when it's actually released) and saw that scene with the bridegroom going down the little street with ginkgo trees on either side, I couldn't resist and decided to recreate it with my own twist.

I'm kind of sad that my ginkgo scene ended up being a semi screencap-redraw instead of something completely original, but this is what it turned out to be.

DETAILS WATCH!

TIP!

Do not dance on wet floors. Plushies, unlike you, have no bones to break.

PROCESS

I made a gif animation from my WIP steps because I know some people enjoy looking at the process. Sorry for the gif compression, though; I'm too tired to spend any more time on this gif; I want to do something else already. x.x

The point of these chibis for me is to just have fun painting loosely and not worry about the technical aspects, like perspective, and normally I just eyeball it (not recommended! but like I said, technical perfection isn't the point of these). However, after first eyeballing the floor tiles (not shown here) and stepping back, I felt it was off, so I went ahead and drew a quick grid (shown). Was pleasantly surprised to find out only one of the lines was off in a visible way (the nearest one) *pats self on back*.

I had some trouble figuring out how to chibify the hand pose I wanted for the left hand, but the process of figuring it out was kind of fun(ny). Check out the [WIP thread on my blogging blog here] and laugh at my woes. 😂 It includes some dance videos that I used as research, too.

REFERENCE

From the April 2025 trailer of the Chinese drama "Fate Chooses You" [trailer link on weibo]

In the original, there are walls on either side of the street, between where the person is walking and the trees. I turned these into a short fence for cuteness.

[barananduen]

"Aedan - Fae Dressed in Ivy" - Digital painting Pencil sketch under the Readmore

I try to include related content under the cut in posts, so please click them if you're interested in some "behind the scenes" goings-on.

Wellp! This was initially going to be a watercolor painting, and I did start it and paint the background panels. But then stuff happened and I had to redo it. Not wanting to do the same thing twice, I redid it as a digital painting and changed two of the panels that I wasn't too happy with, anyway. It looks better as three scenes, instead of one scene (winter) and two pattern panels, I think. Plus ivy for reasons.

ARCHIVE LINK

Originally posted to my DA on Oct. 23, 2019: https://www.deviantart.com/barananduen/art/Aedan-Fae-Dressed-in-Ivy-817785444

[barananduen]

HURRAK - ORIGINAL CHARACTER

Same guy as [here], but this time with correct colors.

I never posted this one here, so might as well. :)

ABOUT

Hurrak (accent on the "a" ... his name is onomatopoeic for his bird call), a member of the Advances Aves tribe, is based on magpie-jays (a mix of both black- and white-throated) and is a guardian of the forest. Basically a bird-shifter version of a police force.

Advanced Aves are bird shifters. Their primary nature is that of a bird, and they can shift to a humanoid form. However, they tend to stay away from humans and other creatures. Their humanoid appearances vary; while some may pass for humans, others would look non-human beyond any doubt.

ARCHIVE LINK

Originally posted to my DA on Jul. 14, 2015: https://www.deviantart.com/barananduen/art/Hurrak-545111411

[barananduen]

If you're not waterproof, don't worry! 🐟Mu Yuan Fish🐟 will save you. (secret poll game under the cut; come and play)

It might take him three days to find you, but he'll do it! Please be patient; he's doing his best.

◑ . ◐

Details watch! 🌊For anyone who wants to take a closer look at Mo Bin and her friend:

🐢: What is this new game hooman is playing? Is it fun? *tries it*

This is fanart of "Heart of Ice and Flame," a Chinese Drama based on the web novel "Wang Fei Fang Ling San Qian Sui" 《王妃芳龄三千岁》 by Yue Xia Qing Hui (月下清辉). And if you watched the drama... you'll know this scene (minus all the fish) is canon.😅

Reference:

[barananduen]

ORCHID FROM "LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL" "THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW..."

Part of my square cdrama chibis series.

This actress is a good match for my chibi style. 😊 I have a MiaoMiao from Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, too, and I like how she came out there as well, but I'm stuck on a different part of that drawing.

ABOUT THE ART:

She's letting the fireflies go; they're going from the stone into the air.

Another art where I try to use saturation as a compositional tool, for focus. Want to read my partial tutorial on composition? [click here]

DETAILS WATCH:

The pattern on her umbrella is a collection of orchids and the moon pendant.

REFERENCES:

"Love Between Fairy and Devil" - ep.2

☂ I love this scene so much. 🥺 It's so pretty. One of my favorite umbrella scenes in cdramas. ☂ If you like paper umbrella aesthetics, I made a post with a collection of such screencaps from various cdramas [here], in case anyone's interested.

For more cdrama fanart, click this tag: #fanart - asian media

[barananduen]

This is WanWan.

WanWan is an innocent young man🥺 from a good family,🥺 who was unwillingly sold into the city lord's harem.😔 He doesn't want to be there,💔 but...

...this is all a lie that he made up to cover up the fact that he, Zhen Wan, alias Black Impermanence, is the Martial Art World's #1 Assassin™[*], hired to end the existence👻 of said city lord, Liu Qingying!😱 Which he did!😱 EXCEPT!😲 That when he was about to leave🏃‍♂️ after doing the deed that de did while pretending to do the deed that she thought he would do,🤔❔❔ she ✨came back to life!✨😱 But now she doesn't remember anything.🙃 So now he's stuck there.😶 Awkwardly.

AND, TENCENT!! WHY DID YOU NOT TRANSLATE THIS DRAMA; I WANT TO WATCH IT!! *holds Tencent upside-down and shakes them to see if a "Wan Wan Lei Qing" drops out of their pockets*

[*]Two out of three Martial Art World's Number One Assassins are actually terrible at their jobs.

So, since I couldn't watch the comedy mini-drama📺 about the bossy city lord and the assassin puppy who try to escape the very enthusiastic harem,😱 I cope with chibis.😔

Reference:

Text on speech bubble is made up. It's not from the drama. Alternatives include: "Hmm... Are you sure about that?" "Welllll....."

[barananduen]

"INTO YOUR HEART" (JIAN JUN XIN)

Part of my square cdrama chibis series.

🤗"What are you?" 😗"Uh mushishun shunwich"

This was going to be a background for my phone, but I disliked the layout proportions so much, that I didn't want to paint it at all, so I discarded that idea and now it's cute and square.

REFERENCE:

My favorite poster from the drama

Someone won this as a postcard signed by both leads. 🤩 I want one, too! 😆 haha

MORE CDRAMA ART:

[click here]

[barananduen]

RAFAGA, WIND ELEMENTAL OC, DIGITAL PAINTING

ABOUT RAFAGA Ráfaga is an air spirit and the current wind Elemental. No-nonsense and tough as nails, she generally keeps to herself. Strong, silent, and intentionally intimidating. Has trouble trusting others, but has come to trust Fyrron, with whom she maintains a romantic relationship. She is part of his group of destructive Elementals, and both their powers combine to intensify his flares. However, he had better not betray her because hell hath no fury like this woman scorned!

ABOUT AIR SPIRITS The easiest way to understand them is to compare them to pixies, except human-sized and without wings, and usually invisible. They "fly" by altering the air around them, causing small wind currents and changing air pressure. They often are found in groups, as several air spirits together are able to cause a noticeable change in air or wind status. A matriarchal society and mostly female in number (there are very few males), air spirits are usually social and benevolent.

Her necklace is also of my design and making:

🔥🍃VOLCANICA🍃🔥 For part of the story, Ráfaga's boyfriend is Fyrron, the fire elemental. Beads include volcanic rock, red coral, and orange turquoise.

ARCHIVE Originally posted to my DA on Oct. 11, 2016: https://www.deviantart.com/barananduen/art/Rafaga-Wind-Elemental-639560074

[barananduen]

[barananduen]

JIAN SHILIU FROM "INTO YOUR HEART" (JIAN JUN XIN)

Part of my square cdrama chibis series.

a.k.a. "Jian Pomegranate contemplating his cereal." °☆･ﾟ✧ ° ☆･ﾟ✧° ☆･ﾟ✧

I painted this before the drama premiered. And when it did... OMG I'd mischaracterized him SO badly! 🤣 (I haven't finished watching the drama, but, still.)

So I had to draw an addendum that's more in-character, but it's pretty silly and ... non-aesthetic 😂 so I'll add it as a reblog from @barananduen-blog See here:

MAKING-OF:

I had trouble figuring out what to do with the far background. The reference photo had a plain altar-looking table in that general area. But it was very plain, and also, who would keep an altar next to the bathtub?!

The painting was finished and that was all that was left. I decided to wait until the drama started to maybe get some ideas...

And you know what? Jian Shiliu probably would keep an altar next to his bathtub! 😂 But I wouldn't allow it, so I moved it out and moved down the decor from his throne room. Please don't throw your flesh-eating scorpions at me, Mr. Pomegranate! I'll put it all back!

TRIVIA:

Shiliu 世琉 sounds like 石榴, which means "pomegranate" So that's the fan-name for him :B

REFERENCE:

Source: [两天七点等岱岱]

MORE LIKE THIS ARTWORK:

Click the hashtag: [fanart - asian media]

[barananduen]

NAN XUYUE FROM "THE BLOSSOMING LOVE" LOOKING LIKE A RENAISSANCE PAINTING IN PLUSHIE

Part of my square cdrama chibis series.

°☆･ﾟ✧ ° ☆･ﾟ✧° ☆･ﾟ✧

The willpower I needed to resist drawing string lights into this!

ABOUT:

When I saw the photo (see below), I thought it looked like a painting. Then I wanted to do a study of it, but, to switch it up a little, I made it chibi. Nothing like a plushie chibi full of pathos.

The shape of the shining white things is based on the robe patterns from his original form, Tian Ming Shu, or the Book of Fate (photo also below).

POLL:

REFERENCE:

[Pic 1 on tumblr] [Pic 2 on weibo] though it's probably on the above blog, too; I just couldn't find it, but they have a lot of his pics, if you want to look (under their "Wang Duo" tag)

MORE LIKE THIS ARTWORK:

Click the hashtag: [fanart - asian media]

[barananduen]

"The River Snake" - Digital painting

Lore:

Sometimes, when the days start lengthening and shortening in the wrong direction, a portal to a different dimension opens, and you end up here.

Can you see the orangutan rock?🤭

Originally uploaded to my DA on July 21, 2020: https://www.deviantart.com/barananduen/art/The-River-Snake-849100765

[barananduen]

"Haunted Greenhouse" - Digital painting Bonus under the Readmore

I was working on a different facial expression for him, but hurt my hand before I could finish it, so I went with what I'd already finished instead (above). This is what I had of the other expression before I stopped:

ARCHIVE

Originally posted on my DeviantArt on October 6, 2020: https://www.deviantart.com/barananduen/art/Haunted-Greenhouse-855627316