Have you ever felt over inspired? I often do. Or maybe uninspired? I think that’s more common. In the end the result is not knowing what to draw.
I very often see people asking what to draw or saying they’d draw but they don’t know what. It seems to be a common issue, but I personally can’t relate to it. I often get over inspired, I have so many ideas and wants that I will never be able to draw it all. I learned to be ok with it tho, not all my ideas are meant to make it to a final illustration and that’s fine.
Most people I know deal with lack of inspiration or ideas. I believe feeling uninspired is not the same as being burnt out, cause that’s a way more serious and psychological problem. For lack of inspiration (and surprisingly for over inspiration too) there’s a pretty easy solution that works for me every single time. And yes, it’s simply just looking.
Looking at other illustrations, but not to copy anything.
I like figuring out what was the process, what was the thought train and what decisions were made by the artist. I do that just in my head but it’s also a lot of fun to really go into details and even make notes - it’s really studying someone’s work. Of course you can go to Pinterest to find a lot of art in a split of a second, but that’s the easy way. (Unfortunately Pinterest is now flooded with AI shit, so I avoid it cause I don’t have time to investigate if something is or isn’t AI. Often times it’s obvious but not always).
I personally much prefer books and comics, most of them are still free from AI and I buy only those that are very appealing to me so I know I will be looking through them over and over again. I usually skip the “how to draw” books, I have a few but it’s more to gain a skill not get inspiration from.
So what books I’m looking at?
Now from here it will vary from person to person. I love Disney and Pixar movies, especially those from my childhood. The Lion King is still my absolute favorite movie of all time 🤭 and there’s a series of books called “the art of …” lion king for example, or many other movies. I started collecting them, and they are really inspiring to me. They show the process of creation for that particular movie, for characters, scenes, backgrounds, emotions etc. It’s very inspiring and informative, cause a lot of very talented illustrators worked on those movies throughout the time. I love them 🖤
I also look at comics I like. And that would be the old series called “Thorgal”, but also “Simon’s cat” or "Sarah’s Scribbles". Each one of them is different but I enjoy going back to them and flip through. Comic style is corresponding well with my style of illustration so if that’s the case for you - try it with comic books that are appealing to you!
(btw. thanks Sister!)
I love drawing flowers (which was surprising for me, cause in real life I’m not crazy about them), so I own a few rather vintage illustrated botanical books and albums, and some new ones too. I also have a few other nature related books like a birds album, mushroom album and I’m on a hunt for a bug album 😅 I absolutely always get inspired looking through those.
So, is it just looking at various types of books?
NO! But it definitely is looking at something, or even better experiencing something. I feel very inspired by nature and places. Everytime I’m somewhere, whether it’s a walk in the forest or a travel, I see things that inspire me. It definitely is a skill to look at things, places, events a little different than most people do. Everyone is unique and will be inspired by different things, so if you go to woods and not feel any inspiration - that’s fine, you just need to find what works for you! Maybe a walk in the city or museum of old cars? You won't know until you try.
I’m taking a lot of pictures for later reference, anytime I see something that sparks even just a slight thought of illustration - I take a picture of it. And yes, I have tons of them. Trees, bugs, sun rays coming through clouds or bushes, buildings, markets, food, flowers, trains and trams, animals, gardens etc… I really have a lot 😅 But it’s convenient to have, either for reference or to just look through and find ideas. The passionfruit flower pic that I took in Montenegro was a perfect reference for a drawing I did for one of many challenges I took part in.
Traveling is one of the biggest inspirations for me. I try to travel - far and near - as much as possible. There’s inspiration everywhere, in architecture, nature, local food, local animals and culture, history, and most of all in people. Wherever you look there's either something new or interesting or just cool looking. Of course not just visuals are inspiring, it's also sounds, smells, textures, languages, local people or other travelers and what they have to say, history. A few of my travel pics:
So how to gain that skill of looking at things differently?
The only way I know is by simply doing it. Wherever you are just remember to look at details, let go of assumptions or old ways, look at things as they are totally new to you. It quickly becomes a habit and you won’t have to actively think about it. Learn to look for shapes, colors, patterns and other visual aspects of things that you maybe wouldn’t even think of before. Next time you’ll be creating you will refer to all that even if a bit unconciously.
Taking pictures helps too, but not just snapping without thinking. Trying to take a good picture helps, because it makes you think of composition, maybe different angles or zooming at a detail. It doesn’t mean you have to become a world class photographer 🤪 But taking pics while actively thinking of better ways to capture the scene will really help you develop that skill of looking to see and notice a lot other things. Noticing things require slowing down and having an open mind. But it’s worth it.
There’s one more thing that turned out to be helpful for me in overcoming being overwhelmed and stuck:
Not everything you create has to be a masterpiece
also not every project you started has to be finished and perfect.
Maybe it’s obvious for some people but it wasn’t for me. Perfection isn’t a thing in art, but progress is. I think the goal isn’t in reaching perfection (is that even possible?), getting better and better is the goal. In other words the road matters, not getting to destination. And how are we getting better? By repetition, by making mistakes and by accidents. To do that we need to give ourselves a lot of space for mistakes, bad art (which usually turns out to not be that bad after some time), experimenting and failing sometimes. The best thing is that it’s all a lot of fun and play! We just need to let ourselves be imperfect, enjoy the process evein if it’s a failure, and learn to let go projects that no longer spark any joy, let them stay unfinished forever. Or maybe you will comeback to them later and decide to transform them into something else? Who knows
Letting yourself be creatively free will also unlock a lot of inspiration for you.
Last thought on how to get inspiration
No advice will work without action. You can read or watch every tip in the world, but just thinking about it will change nothing. SO DO IT. Whatever medium you want, pick it up and start creating. Don't be afraid to fail or make mistake or create "bad art" - enjoy the process and learn from it.
Just so you know, all that advice I’m giving in this article is also aimed at myself, cuz I’m just a human and I also get lost and discouraged sometimes. But in the end art is the thing that brings me joy so I always find my way back to it 😉
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