#art block advice | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

g3l3mb · 1 year

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how to generate creative ideas:

(i need to get this out of my brain)

Make moodboards, playlists, keep a list of people who inspire you. Before starting a project think about the general vibe you want it to embody. Ask questions like “What would this concept sound like if it was a song?” ,“What would this concept be like if it was a person?”. Create a shirt that looks like a building you like, literally anything can be combined.

Take unrelated things or concepts and mix them together. Let’s take Addams Family as an example. “What if it was a story about a typical suburban family…but GOTH!”. It basically flips everything upside down. Or “What outfit would someone wear, who’s personality is the mix of the vibes of these two songs?” Random word generators are amazing for this if you don’t know where to start from.

Try making something truly BAD and then add a twist to it. It’s a great way for your brain to let go of expectations and then think outside of the box. But you can also use this to find out what you do not wanna do under any circumstances.

Think without worrying about the limits of what you can do and when it’s time for excecution, find a way around what’s impossible. It births more creativity and adds uniqueness.

Consider what your idea is NOT before considering what it is. Limits are the best way to avoid getting overwhelmed and giving up. Don’t ALWAYS do this though (unless you wanna…), it’s just something to try out when you feel like you’re seeing too many possibilities to the point that they’re contradicting each other. Unless your goal is to make something full of contradictions, you’re a Free Man, do whatever you want.

Keep a list of random ideas you have throughout the day in your notes app or something and then at some point actually review them. Keep what you think is worth exploring and then act on it.

Find out how something works very throughoutly so you know which aspect can be changed to create something new.

Take a concept and break it down into smaller concepts, ideas, questions, key elements and then also break those ideas down etc. This will naturally lead to associations, unique ideas you wouldn’t think of without doing this. I found that this is a great way of coming up with metaphors.

This one is similar to the last two: take a piece of art you really love and try to find out the thought process behind. What’s the story, where did the artist get inspiration from, how did they incorporate those ideas in their work. How did an artist combine their personal interests and knowledge into one big thing. For example: Tolkien was an erudite linguist, so much so that he created entire functional languages in his work, such as Elvish in Lord of the Rings. Hirohiko Araki loves 80’s music so much he named characters in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure after music references. This is why no knowledge is useless knowledge.

Think about the times you’ve been the most creative before. What were the specific circumstances? For me my best ideas always come when I have a strict deadline for something unrelated, like school (which I’m way too willing to sacrifice), or when I’m doing something mindless like walking and listening to music, or playing a game that requires no thinking. Most of the time after 10p.m. This doesn’t mean I can’t “force” myself to be creative (tips above), it just means these are the times ideas come most naturally. For some people this might be being out in nature or experiencing high emotions, maybe having their life on the line idk, to each their own.

You can’t just create. You also need to consume. The more information you absorb, the more possibilities you have with your ideas. So if you’re not feeling that creative, that’s fine, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn something new.

If you don’t already do these things and you’re looking to get more creative my advice is to ACTUALLY TRY THESE OUT. You’ll best understand them in action.

#creative #writing #creative writing #art #artist #creativity #entp #enfp #infp #intp #art tips #writing tips #writing advice #art block #writers block #creative ideas

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paranoia-art · 1 month

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◦•◦Need apps/websites for art? I got you!◦•◦

Art Apps:

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Artrage

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Procreate

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ IbsPaint

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Adobe Fresco

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Krita

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ FireAlpaca

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ ZenBrush

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Huion Sketch

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Corel Painter

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Medibang

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Mental Canvas

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Sketchbook

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Paper by Wetransfwr

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Art Set

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Painttool SAI

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Bamboo Paper

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Paintwork

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Clip Studio Paint

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Artworkout

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ After Effects

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Artstudio Pro

Animating/Modeling:

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ C4D - 3D modeling

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Flipa Clip

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Zbrush - 3D modeling software

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Daz 3D - Animation and can be used for body refrence?

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Adobe Animate

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Stylist3D

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Blenders (Credit to @boldymoldedcheese)

Refrences:

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Design Doll - Unique refrenced

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Artbreader - Make people using AI

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Sketch Daily

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ pixels.com

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Posemanics

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ quickpose

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ line-of-action

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ senshi stock

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ pintrest

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ justsketch.me

If I'm missing anything, don't hesitate to add! <3

Follow @paranoia-art for more!

Apr/14/2024

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barananduen · 10 months

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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]

#art block #art advice #art tips #art help #art resources #artists on tumblr #art #how to #art tutorial

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mcromwell · 1 month

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Genuine question, sorry if it's dumb -

How do you work when there's something on the line? I find I freeze, and it's just so much more difficult to properly organize myself to produce something I'm proud of. But you've been to conventions, and you sell your work, so I'm assuming you feel pressure at least *sometimes.* do you work with it? Around it?

Hey Tymbul, it's not a dumb question, it's actually a really good one. I can only answer it to the best of my own abilities, in regards to my own art and practice, so mileage may vary.

This feeling of something being is "on the line" was what burned me out hard in 2019/20. I'd been making and sharing art for decades and all the while my thoughts took the shape of, "it has to be GOOD, it has to SAY something, it needs to hit X and Y requirement to be worthy" etc. Wherever that habit of pressuring myself came from, it wasn't helpful. I would glare at the blank page and curse every sketch I made because it (and by extension, myself) wasn't ever good enough.

I knew something had to change, so I changed. I began trying to make art with no pressure. Instead of pushing myself I let my foot off the brake. I changed the way I talked to myself about art. "I'm going to make this as good as I can. And if I can't, there's always next painting." I began starting a piece with fast, easy, not-precious stuff--random paint smears, doodles, gesture sketches. The pressure was off when all I had to do was start with trash and play around. If it just wasn't working and I had to scrap it or start over, oh well, it was just trash. I still run into this pressure today, though. Growth ain't linear and all that. Old habits die hard. I have to snap myself out of it with a feral screeching JUST THROW PAINT ON IT RRRRRRRRGH and I can usually let up on the brakes enough to get it going. It's a journey.

I like to think of this in terms of dog training. If you punch your dog and yell at it, that dog is going to have fear and doubt and won't be a healthy dog capable of performing the tasks you ask of it. But if you use positive reinforcement, they develop confidence and become dependable and sturdy. If you sit down to make art and every time its a barrage of IT HAS TO BE GOOD! YOU HAVE TO BE PROUD OF IT! EVERY NEW PIECE HAS TO BE BETTER! IF IT ISN'T YOU'LL BE A FAILURE! WHY AREN'T YOU DRAWING YET then man, that dog is cowering in the corner, it is not going to sit or fetch or anything. What if instead you said, "Okay! Time to make something. Let's do warm-ups and thumbnails to prepare so I'm ready to jump in. I am open to surprising myself by making something I'm excited about, but I won't beat myself up if today isn't that day. I know by doing this I'm practicing and getting better, it is never a waste." You are much more likely to Do a Thing if that thing feels good to do. That's just being an animal, man. Positive feedback.

To be honest, though, I still haven't found a successful way to make commissions less like pulling teeth. My method of art-making is to fuck around and find out and that's not a conducive method for a comm, which usually has a ton more expectation and strict parameters and my nemesis: Should-Look-Like. I am good at some things, I am not good at comms. Progress is not linear. I am still learning. My efforts to let up on the brakes made it so the car was a lot harder to control... for better or worse.

Hope this helps. Mostly, my advice is to find out how making art can feel good to you and then make a ton of it. Make more art than you think you should. It gets easier. And don't punch your dog.

#art advice #art block #self-talk #that being said I often fear I have 0 discipline but then again I am sick so I might just be kinda grumpy about stuff

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absurdumsid · 2 months

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I was talking about this

https://www.tumblr.com/onionchives/705592916893106176/so-on-the-set-of-underverse-sans-what-does-cross

It was from uvstudio where you could ask characters questions from underverse questions

its ok anon this isnt the canon blog

X! Sans/Cross belongs to jakei95

Fell! Sans belongs to Fella/Vic

#whats their ship name #idk #this is crack to me im so delirious rn #x sans #cross sans #fell sans #crossfell #sanscest #<- in ur face man el oh el #sans au #anyone can ship what they want and ill avoid the ships i dont like #<- maybe u should do the same and just avoid it if u dont like it too anon #<- genuine advice ive got a good few tags blocked lmao #sid answers #sid art

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art-appreciation-dog · 5 months

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It's not going to be perfect, but it is going to be done.

It's not going to look exactly like it did in my head, but it will be tangible.

It's gonna have mistakes, but it will be finished.

It won't be perfect, but I'd rather it exist imperfectly than die in my imagination.

#artist reminders #reminder #reminders #i am making this post for others because I needed to hear it myself.#art blog #writer #writerscommunity #writers block #perfectionism #procrastination #perfectionist #kill perfectionism #art appreciation #affirmations #positive affirmations #artist advice #perfectionism affirmations

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featherlouise · 1 year

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Tryna get back into the swing of things

*covers up everything I don’t like about these drawings with obnoxiously bright colours*

#this took me nearly a week #but the art block is being beaten with a stick #as per someone’s advice #knock on wood #the hollow knight #hollow knight #hollow knight gijinka #hk pv #hk hollow #hk gijinka #hk thk #my art #pure vessel #eye strain #just in case

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katapotato55 · 1 year

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advice for very specific type of art block

do you ever feel like drawing But you keep overthinking and struggling as you draw? "no that leg doesn't look right" "no still looks weird" and then you spend 500 years redrawing it over and over and over and still struggle ? here is what i personally do

step 1- TAKE A BREAK FROM THAT PARTICULAR PIECE. step away from it! you are being all consumed by it! step away!

step 2- draw something stupid and random, AND MAKE IT LOOK UGLY AND TERRIBLE ON PURPOSE don't try to make anything good, don't try at all. just bullshit on a paper and doodle random stupid crap. don't put effort, just make something awful on purpose if it looks bad, then mission accomplished because that was the goal! it it looks good, then hurray you loosened up your art block a little bit and may be able to progress! free confidence boost baby!

continue until you feel better if that doesn't work, then take a break all together from art as a whole for like an hour. sometimes that works.

#art #artist #digital artist #digital art #artists on tumblr #art advice #art help #art tips #art tutorial #art resources #art block #artist problems

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rolybug · 1 year

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largest star i've caught tonight ! ✨

#oc: worm #my unsolicited art block advice is to draw in a way u dont usually draw + with brushes you dont usually use #also put a silly hat on a beast of course #oc #dragon #digital art #art #drawing #creature #stars #star #fursona

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aceysun · 11 days

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attention all queers!

I like writing but im in a creative rut atm

so if you're queer and have feelings of any kind (loneliness, joy, anger, love) related to queerness in some way and want to see them in writing send me a message, ask or reblog this!

it can be anything from an assembly of random words to ranting to poetry, and ofc i will give credit where its due!

#queer #enby #trans #lgbt pride #lgbtq #lgbtq community #lgbtqiia+#ace #acespec #trans pride #gay pride #ace pride #arospec #aroace #writing #writing advice #writers on tumblr #writeblr #art block

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ceramicteapot · 2 months

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the clock ticks and you resist the urge to grab its hands in your fists and break them apart. you didn’t want it to move any further. you didn’t want the hour of departure inching closer towards you.

every time you finally start to feel the smallest semblance of peace, time rushes up on stallions it seems. you close your eyes and pray to a deaf god. you beg for calm, for serenity, for a few moments where you didn’t have to worry about how to survive.

but he’s a deaf god. and before you know it, you’re back out there- struggling. crying. dying.

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paranoia-art · 11 days

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◦•◦Need some Unique AUs for your OCs/OTP? I got you!◦•◦

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Angel and Demon AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Under the Sea AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Arranged Marriage AU (It could be like Romeo and Julliet OR an AU where they have to get along with one another after an arranged marriage.)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦Assasins AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Art School AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ BookStore AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Army AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Idol and Fan AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Ballet AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Beach AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Celebrities AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Ceo and Ceo AU (This would be si intresting though)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Butcher shop and Flower shop AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Circus AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Racers AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Necromancer and DEAD person AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Witch and Wizard AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Supernatural and Supernatural AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Detective AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Daycare AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Demon and Demon hunter

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Fantasy AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Illusion AU (Basically both characters hold up illusions on their true reality, whether it's physically or mentally.)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Fashion Designers and Models (This would be so cute as a ship)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Flower Shop AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ God's and Goddesses AU (POSSOBLY MY ALL TIME FAVORITE.)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Amnesia AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Guardian Angel and Their Human AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Guarian Angel and Guardian Angel SU (this is definitely a ship)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Ghosts AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Switch bodies/lives AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Hollywood AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ HUMAN AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Ice Skating AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Library AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Lawyers AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Scientists AU (Like test subject x Scientist)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Asylum AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Band AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Medival AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Office AU (I had to add in a few classics, come on they're so good)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Reveng story AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Preist and Demon AU (This doesn't have to be a ship)

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Photographer and Model AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Stalker and Stalker AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Stalker and Detrctive AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Apocalypse AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Reincarnation AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ University/College Roomates AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Soulmates AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Shapeshifters AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Teachers AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Vampire and Damsel in Distress AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Superhero and Sidekick/Villain AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Wedding Crashers AU

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Divorced AU

Follow @paranoia-art For More!

Up next, Unique and Funny Ships to draw/write your favorite OTP as!

May 5 2024

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barananduen · 29 days

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Art Resources!

Just letting #Artists on Tumblr know that I have an ongoing series of Art Advice Articles, that you might find helpful.

The currently published ones are:

Dealing with Art Block

How to Have a Positive Outlook

Advancing in Art: The 3 Ps

The Misconception Behind “Study Realism”

And more are coming soon, including:

How to Develop your own Style

How to Photograph Traditional Artwork

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indiana-jonas · 4 months

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The two invisible steps before you make something

When I made comic strips in the past I would often jump straight into drawing the first panel. I’d just wing it and then improvise each following panel. Sometimes it worked out.

An improvised strip from my old series “Us with plants on our heads.”

But often it just turned into nonsensical crap.

I don’t get this one myself.

I often started drawing a strip and gave up cause I didn’t know what to do.

I thought I was supposed to be able to fart out great comics with ease. But I squeezed and squeezed. I was too eager. Without being aware of it, I tried to do 3 steps all at once. To continue this (f)art metaphor - before anything comes out of you, you’ve gotta 1. find something you want to eat, 2. digest it, 3. let it come out. The problem was that I hadn’t eaten or digested anything.

To put it in a more dignified way.

The first step is to search,

the second is to make sense of,

the third is to make it.

I used to skip the first two steps, I wanted to get straight into making shit. But that often turned into nonsensical crap, or I would run into a wall and give up.

The third step (to make it) is the most obvious one. Despite it being the most obvious step, I got completely stuck on it because I hadn’t gone through the first two.

If you are reading this, it’s likely you already know how to make something. I think these first two steps are identical no matter what medium you are creating in. So I will take the liberty of not going into detail about how to make something.

Instead of trying to think of products first, what any creative person should try to do is think, search and wonder. Think about real things, notice what makes you feel stuff - what is close to your heart if everything else is stripped away? Ideally projects will emerge from the collection of the thoughts you have collected, or at least be designed/conceived in a way that can package your thoughts as nicely as possible.

There’s nothing quite as uninspiring as a blank canvas. 85% of the time a blank canvas only makes me feel dread or boredom. If you come up with a great idea while looking at a canvas it’s not because you looked at a canvas, it’s despite looking at it. Whatever great ideas I have managed to conjure while looking at that white rectangle has always come from something else - an inspiring movie scene, something from my day, a lingering thought, or a line from a song.

Now I’ve abandoned blank canvases, I never start from one. Neither when I write or draw.

Instead, I live in search of noteworthy thoughts. Regardless of whether you know what a thought will be useful for, jot them down somewhere.

To search is just to live life with a keen eye, ear and heart and to make sure you don’t forget.

When I stare at a blank canvas The Search becomes stressful and I want to avoid it. But in reality, if I admit that The Search is part of the process, it becomes the most peaceful and interesting step of them all. It’s just living with a secret mission - to be human and to find out what’s special about that to you.

And of course you need to make sure you don’t forget those thoughts for the next step.

Make sense of

Now that you’ve been out in the world and discovered stuff, it’s time to sit down somewhere, sift through and examine your haul. You might be overwhelmed by how much is in there. You’ll never be able to use everything. So you just gotta use your intuition. See what stands out, group things, talk with someone - do ANYTHING you want with it until you find what’s hiding there.

Your notes are a collection of countless puzzles. Some puzzles are hundreds of pieces big, others are just one or three. Some pieces fit into more than one puzzle. You don’t know. Often you’ll have to find a few pieces in your head to complete a puzzle, while other pieces might still be hidden out there in the world.

The way to make sense of a puzzle is to try to put it together, or to be literal; try to explain it as clearly as you can. Ask yourself, “how can I prove to someone else that this is true?” And ideally not just make them understand it, but also feel it. That’s the puzzle you gotta solve.

Let me give you an example.

I found myself frustrated that we live life too much through screens and I want to make a Space Deer comic strip. That’s the idea I want to make sense of and the filter that I will examine my idea through.

First I will ask myself, “ok, why is that idea true?”- I think life needs balance, you shouldn’t stare too much of it away through a pixelated representation of it. Then I ask myself, “how should we live then?”- We should go outside and get our boots in the mud more, what we will really remember is probably gonna happen out there. And then I try to think of a situation where I can show as clearly as possible that this is right. I’m afraid this message might be tired or preachy, especially if I would aim the message directly at someone like us (you know, someone who’s currently looking at a screen). Luckily the imagery of my comic gives me other symbols to play with.

So I thought of how I could show that in four comic panels and wrote down this.

Space Deer walks on a desolate planet. They encounter a mars rover. They scream “get out here and live!!” NASA people see Space Deer through their screens.

It’s simple, but it gets the idea across. Normally I would like to make it clear that Space Deer is really out there and living freely, to show what these researches are missing out on. But in the comic we will see Space Deer explore and go on all kinds of adventures, so that’s something I didn’t feel like I needed to put more emphasis on. I trust the reader to make that connection themself.

Sometimes making sense of an idea can be much harder, in this example the idea was an entire puzzle on its own, or maybe I had the remaining pieces in my head already. Sometimes all you need is just one piece in front of you to know where to look for the rest.

Make it

And then of course the last step is to just make it. (Step 4 is to share it. Step 5 is to repeat it.)

I have made decent comic strips despite jumping straight into drawing, or so I’ve thought. Thinking back on it, I just managed to search and make sense of an idea as I was drawing. I didn’t magically skip two steps, that’s impossible. I was just not aware of what I was doing.

Now that I know the steps, I’m much better at understanding why I tend to get stuck in different parts of the process.

In reality these steps are not always as clear cut. They will blend into each other, you might do some back and forth, making sense of and making something is a fuzzy line. This is not so much a step-by-step process as it is a journey you have to go through. It has definitely helped me to be more methodical and intentional about it though. I’ve set myself up in a way where it’s fun for me to get each step done. I might go into that in the future.

If you only take one thing with you from this - I hope it’s that you will be aware of and feel more at peace with the first two steps.

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If you found this interesting then you might enjoy these blog posts too.

When you don't know what to draw

I will never find my art style

Lazy imagination isn't bad

Thank you for reading my thoughts!

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