Getting Back into Drawing

I was trying to get back on the horse after not drawing much since high school.

I got burnt out in high school doing crap for assignments in art class. At one point i was drawing a castle with millimeter sized bricks in the chimneys.

Other than being burnt out from projects I didn't care about, I also stopped drawing because it had become unfufilling to me. I can or could draw anything I wanted in fine detail, but could never draw anything original. Though this impresses others, I really felt like I was nothing more than a really good copier. That didn't do anything for me personally.


In my approaching adult hood I've realized I've become depressed and I think losing most of my creative outlets is a main cause. I used to build things and draw. But school has left me little time to do either. I went into engineering to make things, but I make nothing.

It is hard to put into words what that is like, but I'm an artist that has produce maybe 1 or 2 things in 6 years.



I want to get back into drawing, and I imagine I can get back to where I was in about 6 months.

I want advice on how to continue progressing past that point.

EDIT: sorry if this turned into a LJ post. I just figured the first question would be where I am at in my ability.

Just start drawing. Every day. None of that other shit matters.

I can recommend some good books if you want, but books aren't going to operate the pencil for you.

I would say so.

But yeah, tell me about some books

-Bridgeman's Complete Guide to Life Drawing

-Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain - this will help you with using your brain to draw. think "Brain Age" but useful.

-Chuck Amuck by Chuck Jones (one of the best books on drawing I've ever seen)

-Drawing Comics the Marvel Way - more for funnybook drawing, but some solid quick/easy figure construction tips

-Animals in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge - not drawing per-se, but some great reference for movement

More added. Mostly because I like reminding myself they're on the shelf.

Protip: Don't bother with Chris Hart anything. Any "how to do it LIKE THE PRO'S!" book is going to be for assholes, most of the time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YellerDog

Just start drawing. Every day.

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There ya go.

Lock up this thread and I look forward to you posting in the daily drawings thread.

Hell, have a sketchbook on your nightstand, force yourself to do one drawing when you wake up and one when you go to sleep, even when you fucking hate to be doing it.

Soon you'll be drawing all day just because you want to.

along with yellerdogs suggestion of having a sketchbook on your nightstand to force yourself to draw, try making little projects just to get into the swing of things. like maybe drawing a face, character or whatever a day. if there's something you want to focus on improving like hands or eyes or technical stuff, try draw that each day.

I don't really care a lot about drawing things that exist. That was never a problem.

I understand the importance of practice. But is it really going to be helpful to keep doing what I was doing anyway when it didn't help me do what I wanted?

Quit hand wringing and just do it.

Get a mirror. Make silly faces. Draw them.