Art Block… & How to Get Over It

Art Block & How to Get Over It

We’re all familiar with art block: that period where artists either lose motivation, inspiration, creative ideas, or find themselves unable to draw the way they usually do. Often, artblock leads to frustration with your artistic output, avoiding drawing in general, or stagnation. Understanding what causes art block is the first step toward figuring out how to overcome it.

First, let’s address the main reasons why you might be experiencing art block. One of the most common reasons why you might struggle to start a piece is the fear it may not look the way you expect it to. Or, worse, your drawings may all look “wrong” after multiple attempts. During this period, however, it’s important to recognize that for every good drawing an artist makes, there are probably hundreds of studies and failed attempts. Imperfect drawings are an essential part of improving as an artist!

Another possible source of your art block is feeling a lack of progression in your skill. Everyone has their own pace in learning, and it’s okay to improve your skills at a pace you are comfortable with. Feeling a lack of progress might mean having to revisit foundational studies, but foundations take time and practice. Think about studying art like how you’d exercise muscles: study topics that challenge you just enough, but don’t lift 1000 pound weights and overexert! You can check out “Exercises to Improve In Art” to help with studies!

Additionally, content creation is a common way for artists to gain online popularity. For artists who chose this, keeping up with trends can be exhausting and stop them from creating what they really want to create. However, being authentic and drawing things you actually like will still bring an audience. You can draw fanart first, and then slowly introduce your original characters. Don’t worry––your audience will be invested in them!

If you simply have no idea what to draw, here are some resources to help find your next project! You could be burnt out from drawing, and that’s okay. In the pursuit of fighting art block, I usually go through these two stages to help me get my creativity flowing again.

First of all, take a break and do other tasks that you enjoy! Often, ideas come to mind when your mind is clear and you don’t feel the pressure to draw. For instance, I like playing the piano, taking evening walks, and sleeping. Ultimately, our goal is to bring back that itch to draw again. This could take a few months, but that's totally okay! It's important to enjoy life and find ways to be creative outside of drawing. You could get inspired in the middle of the night, and if you have any great ideas during your break, write it down or draw a rough sketch to refine later when you are ready.

You can also get a lot of inspiration from your favorite film or TV shows. Often, these shows have great composition, color grading, and blocking that you can apply in your drawings. Even better, if you really like an IP (intellectual property), you’ll be drawn to making fanart of that film, book, or TV show.

Drawing your real life experiences is another great way to bring back your spark. Experiment and explore in these drawings: I drew the food I ate, a stranger I met with a cool style, and my friend’s gingerbread house competition.

Take inspiration from your artistic idols by watching their speedpaints. When watching these speedpaints, you’ll be able to understand their process a little better and try it out!

There’s a ton of great speedpaints on YouTube, and I recommend studying the specific skills you want to improve in. For example, cel shading, semi-realism, or drawing from imagination.

Alongside speedpaints, illustrations can be a great source as well!. I was inspired by Dino’s lighting in the piece below. Even though I’ve never drawn low-light or buildings, the beauty of the illustration pushes me to try something new.

One of my favorite ways to start a drawing without feeling overwhelmed is to block out a random silhouette. For digital art, the lasso fill tool is great, and for traditional art, I like using a light highlighter. Or, if you find a reference you like, you can use this method as a fun way to develop your draft drawings.

Additionally, here are some types of art to try out!

Draw your favorite characters in different scenarios. Make mock merch like photocards, art prints, a design for a shirt, and more!

Draw your favorite food or something you are eating. Try it in your style, or experiment with unconventional colors and textures!

If you don’t know where to start, search on social media for the “pause art challenge”. It’s a pretty good randomizer for features, occupations, and colors!

Here’s one to try out: SamDoesArts's pause art challenge. You can check out these sites (Art Prompts, Random Generators) for random prompts to create new character designs.

If you already have an OC, try drawing them in an alternate universe. Popular alternate universes include historical scenes, apocalyptic settings, school life, bands, vampires, office workers, and fantastical creatures.

You can also listen to your favorite songs and find references from Pinterest that match their vibe. Then, create illustrations based on those references! This is a great way to practice backgrounds.You can also practice backgrounds by drawing how designs would change in our world based on different natural disasters.

Finally, try swapping subjects! If you specialize in drawing animals, try drawing humans, and vice versa. Go out of your comfort zone!

Create a short comic or zine! You can find a great tutorial on how to make a zine here. 

You can also create a sticker sheet to decorate your room or belongings!

Finally, drawing with friends is a great way to have fun when doing art! Similar to having a study buddy, it feels a lot better to work through drawings with others. One of my favorite exercises to do with my friend is swapping our drawings every 30 seconds!

If these exercises don’t work for you, you can always draw what you are most comfortable with. It can be daunting to figure out how to draw backgrounds, anatomy, and perspective. So, you don’t have to draw something completely out of your ballpark to get out of an art block. Most importantly, remember: FUN > damentals!

I hope these tips helped you find something you want to draw, find inspiration, or gain confidence in your own art. We all experience art block as artists, so don’t feel alone! Good luck and happy drawing!