james-art-rambles

[james-art-rambles]

Hey, if anyone reading this has advice I'd love to hear it. I have this horrible mental block where I have a lot of trouble starting and finishing art projects. It's not even a matter of me not knowing how to do it, it seems so clear, but when it comes down to actually starting, and the rare times I do start, moving past the planning stages I can't do it. I can't even brute force it, my brain refuses to think, my body refuses to move.

It's not a fear of failure, I don't think. I am a bit of a perfectionist, but I've accepted that I'm gonna make shit art before I make something good, and tbh I'd be extremely happy to make something shitty, as long as it exists! I really don't know what to do and am kind of at my wits end. If anyone has any advice I'd love to hear it.

[james-art-rambles]

really helpful technique ^ once you know how to divide by halves and thirds it makes drawing evenly spaced things in perspective waaay easier:

[james-art-rambles]

The full thing for anyone who wants it!

[james-art-rambles]

houseplant type friend

[james-art-rambles]

So cool to see the growth!

[james-art-rambles]

a sluge 😔

[james-art-rambles]

I giggled :). This is honestly the cure to my artblocks. Going back to the media that ignited my interest and passion so it can fuel me again.

WARNING do NOT start reading books and comics or watching movies or looking at art!!! you will start wanting to create art yourself. or god forbid. writing.

[james-art-rambles]

my dad likes to call the stretches of time where you’re not creating “dreaming periods” and says that they’re meant to allow you to absorb all of the beauty, life, and inspiration from the things around you so that when you’re able to create again, you will have fanned your spark back into a flame. sometimes its hard to see those moments as anything but stagnation, but he always says that they’re natural and healthy and needed—things that should be embraced rather than feared.

[james-art-rambles]

Silly kuromi doodle

[james-art-rambles]

Art is hard rn! It's good because I'm regaining my ability to make art (depression fucked with it) but I'm overwhelmed with ideas that exceed my current skills or would take more energy than I have. Also kinda trying to balance sharing art with drawing for myself. To be honest, sharing my art with friends and family is good enough for me, hell, keeping it to myself is fine.

I like throwing my art into the internet void too! And maybe sometime in the future I could have a job in art (who knows nowadays...) and would like to have some sort of online presence. But I end up in a state of stasis because it immediately becomes "what can I draw that people will like?" which does NOT do wonders for my art, lol.

[james-art-rambles]

I wish I had this mindset

tozozozo

[james-art-rambles]

STOP BEING SELF CONSCIOUS ABOUT YOUR CREATIONS STOP SECOND GUESSING WHAT YOU REALLY WANNA DO STOP DEBATING IT'S WORTH. LET YOUR ART SERVE YOU INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND

[james-art-rambles]

Thumbnail sketches never fail to surprise me. Every single time. They're so helpful. Idk why I don't use them off the bat. What.

Moral of the story: USE THUMBNAIL SKETCHES!!!

[james-art-rambles]

The Shape of Ideas

[james-art-rambles]

i love you visible brushstrokes. i love you glue warped scrapbook pages. i love you awkward poems. i love you junk journal with faded receipts. i love you poorly composed journal layout. I love you unintentionally blurry photographs. i love you asymmetrical beading. i love you curling freeform crochet. i love you fingerprints on pottery. i love you reused materials. i love you improvised instruments. i love you mistakes. i love you bravery to make it anyway. i love you creativity that hasn't been wiped clean of every drop of humanity and sanitized and commodified.

[james-art-rambles]

Background Design/Environmental Art

I like doing character art, but I want to take a break to start learning how to do background art. More specifically:

Fantasy environments

Architecture (most likely medieval)

Interiors (I'd love to design a fantasy armory! Or an adventurer's room. All of the fantasy inspired things!

I'm excited to dive in and learn about how to build an environment. I'll also get to practice perspective more, which will help me in the long run. It'll also help me have a place for my characters to go (they yearn to leave the white void).