by Christopher Hart | Jul 8, 2013 | Blog old, Slide Show
I don’t care who you are, or how well you draw, one of these days, the Art Block Fairy is going to pay you a little visit. When that day comes, ideas will be scarcer than possums driving pickup trucks. Despite the randomness of that metaphor, how you handle artist’s block will decide when you’ll get those creative juices flowing again.
Some of you will decide to pause and have a snack. I can tell you from experience that this doesn’t do much to kick-start the imagination. When that doesn’t work, there’s always the option of getting a second snack. But eventually, you’ll get too frustrated and too full to keep doing that. There’s got to be another solution.
So you decide to follow the prevailing wisdom, which is to go for a walk to refresh yourself, in the hopes that inspiration might return. The walk is pleasant, but almost mythical in its fecklessness. If walks worked, the beach would be teaming with cartoonists and writers.
Watch TV? Won’t help. Do a chore you’ve been putting off? Gawd no. I can’t stand to see you suffering like this, so I’m going to tell you the little secret, which is totally counter intuitive.
Here we go:
The problem with the popular wisdom about taking a break is that it removes you from the “productive” mode and puts you in a “reflective” mode, which I also refer to as the “What’s the meaning of it all” time waster mode.
Think about it. You go for a walk along the water, with plans to return to work rejuvenated. Who the heck wants to return to work after a walk on the beach anyway? The key is to stay in the “productive” mode, but to switch the material you’ve been working on. While it’s true that you need to put some distance between you and the drawing that’s been giving you fits, you don’t have to take a mini-sabbatical in order to do it.
This is what I recommend: Keep drawing. But switch subjects. Draw something you’re enthusiastic about, for example, a personal project, or something that you haven’t had time to complete, or maybe a picture of a possum driving a pickup truck. Lose yourself for an hour or more.
Now you can transfer your rejuvenated creativity back on the drawing that’s been disobeying your efforts so brazenly. And because you didn’t take a break to wind down, you don’t need to waste any time winding up. You’re ready to go.
But here’s the last hint: when you return to the original drawing, attack it from a different angle. In other words, to get fresh perspective, draw from a different perspective. So if it was a side view, try drawing that character in a ¾ view. If it was a full shot, try drawing the character in a medium shot.
And don’t be surprised if you get the drawing right this time, on your first try back. Let me know how it works for you!
Your Cartooning Sherpa,
Chris Hart
by Christopher Hart | Jul 2, 2013 | Cartoons, Tutorials
Mom
Draw the eyelids so that they are resting, heavily, on the eyeballs, in order to create a weary look.
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by Christopher Hart | Jun 18, 2013 | Blog old, Slide Show
I have seen a lot of people walk away from drawing, though it was their heart’s desire, because they thought they didn’t have the talent for it. If this is you, please read this blog. You see, I have been fortunate enough to have known a good number of developing artists who have transformed themselves into exceptional artists, but without having started with an obvious gift for drawing.
If you follow a few, simple suggestions, I can practically guarantee that it can happen to you, too. If you don’t take these recommendations, I can almost guarantee that it won’t happen.
First let me back up and tell you a little story. Once upon a time… oh wait, wrong story. This story is a about a student in art school. There was a student from Denmark who came to the U.S. to study illustration on the East Coast. She was passionate about drawing, but had no obvious talent for it. In fact, I used to give her a few pointers now and then, which made me feel like I knew a lot more than I did. Anyway, this person soaked up everything the instructors taught in each class. Although she learned important skills and techniques, her work didn’t sparkle the way it did for some of the more gifted student artists. You see, she may not have been born with natural talent, but she was born with wisdom. She knew she was in art school to learn a particular skill set. And learn she did. In fact, she went on to become very successful. Unfortunately, she moved back to Denmark without repaying me for a couple of the lunches I bought her.
Think this can’t happen to you? It can. But it takes more than just applying yourself diligently. It’s an attitude. It’s the curiosity to explore various resources, which can give you the tools you need to raise your level. These resources come in the forms of art classes, how-to-draw books, friends and mentors, how-to-draw videos, arts clubs and comic conventions.
And Here’s the kicker: in order to improve, be interested in what others are drawing, not jealous.
So, the take away for today is:
“You don’t have to be born talented in order to draw well, because when you draw well, everyone will assume you’re talented.”
by Christopher Hart | Jun 18, 2013 | Blog old, Slide Show
Ah yes, the quintessential question for today’s overly-scheduled person. You carbon-based units amuse me. Nonetheless, I know that time is a precious commodity. So, how does one find the time to practice? The easiest way is to simply blow off school or work, and draw all day.
You probably already thought of that, but would like some other choices, too. Here’s the problem: Many budding artists go through intense creative spurts. These are often followed by lulls, where they do little, if any drawing. Common wisdom holds that, in order to practice, an artist needs to first feel inspired to create.
Jettison this ridiculous thought. Think about what would happen if everyone worked that way. You call up your plumber to fix a backed up toilet. And when he arrives, he just sits there, at your kitchen island, for an hour or two, while waiting for inspiration to hit him.
Not a good plan.
You’ve got to practice when you feel like it, and when you don’t feel like it. But don’t do it so intensely that you risk burning out, or dreading it. It’s much more effective to practice moderately, but with continuity, rather than in big spurts. As a general guideline, I recommend practicing 2-4 times a week, for 40 or more minutes at a time.
Now that we’ve decided on a reasonable schedule, let’s figure out how to fit it into your busy week. For me, I usually sketch for an hour or so while watching the day’s news on TV in the evening. As a result, my drawings improve, but I end up knowing precious little about world affairs.
Take a sketchpad with you to the beach. Take it on vacation. When you go to an amusement park where there are long lines. At the zoo, for sketching animals. In the plane or train. When you go to the park. At waiting rooms for doctors’ offices. Or, as you sit in a shoe store while your wife or girlfriend shops. Take it when you visit the in-laws. Or better yet, skip a visit to your in-laws and draw at home. The thing is that any time spent drawing is quality time. That’s because much of creativity happens at a subconscious level. When you split your attention between two different things at the same time it’s, it’s almost impossible to judge yourself critically. There’s only so much room in the brain. Therefore, creative work, like drawing, can sometimes flow better when you’re distracted.
So the take away for today is:
“Don’t stop whatever it is that you’re doing in order to draw. Just add drawing to whatever it is that you’re doing.”
by Christopher Hart | Jun 18, 2013 | Blog old, Slide Show
Let’s say that you want to get better at drawing. How much should you practice?
This is an excellent question, and not just because I wrote it myself. All right, maybe a little bit because I wrote it myself, but mainly it’s because sooner or later, every aspiring artists asks this question. Let’s break this down into two parts: first, how much time should I practice; and second, how often should I practice?
The answers are counterintuitive: Take it slow; take it easy. Don’t work at it so hard that it takes the fun out of drawing. Fun is an essential element in cartoons and manga. If it stops being fun, or if you no longer get the satisfaction that you used to get from drawing, then you’ve turned it into a chore. And there’s another important aspect to this: By leaving some part of your practice session unfinished, you’ll look forward to resuming. And taking a break from a drawing, even a brief one, almost always adds perspective to the creative process.
If you find yourself especially motivated one day, and inspiration is just flowing all over the place, then don’t force yourself to quit early! Ride the horse where it’s galloping. (My, but we’re having a lot of animal metaphors today….)
Specifically, how much time should you devote to practicing? The answer is: Enough so that you feel that you’re making progress. But it doesn’t have to be fast progress – and here’s the weird part – you don’t even have to be improving to show progress.
“Dear God!” you utter, totally bewildered, “Is there no end to your cryptic vagaries??”
Well, I’m not quite sure what “cryptic” and “vagaries” mean, but since you asked, I’ll try to wing it. You see, when you’re learning a new technique, you’re breaking old habits. You’re going out of your comfort zone. And that means the drawing may, at first, look worse. This is where some people get discouraged and quit. The ones who stick with it, through the troughs, often end up with far better skills than they ever imagined.
So the takeaway for today is just this:
“Two steps forward and one step back makes for steady progress.”
