How to Have FUN Sketching Again // when drawing becomes a chore

Hey everyone! In this video I wanted to talk about how to have fun sketching again. It's really easy to lose that creative spark and that joy you once felt when filling a sketchbook. I wanted to share some thing that have helped me regain that joy for drawing. Please also share your tips in the comments! I hope you enjoyed this one :)
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◉ "Kawai Kitsune"
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

[JelArts]

What are some things you do to keep that joy for sketching alive?

[PsychGal]

For me, I abandoned the idea of “spreads”. If I have five minutes to draw i pick one thing I like and go for it… it doesn’t have to match what’s already on the page; it doesn’t have to use the same media or colours that are already there; it can be whatever I want whenever I want…. While this doesn’t create the same aesthetic of a page all done in one theme, it keeps me drawing and creating and allows me to get ideas down on the page without worrying about the cohesiveness or theme of what I’m drawing. In the end, the pages are beautiful because they’re filled, and the style is uniform because it was all drawn by my hand in a way that made me happy at the time.

[kiwimiwi]

my biggest tip is: BE SILLY!

When you have a silly idea, draw it. Just do it.
Right now I'm drawing my cats and giving them my hands as paws. It's ridiculous and cursed and I love it.

[by_BrendaFitz]

I love using my sketchbook as a judgement-free place for studying and learning new techniques. But whenever I feel stuck, I'll sketch a bunch of facial expressions or my own original characters - just to remind myself that I make art because it's fun!

[maskedanimatronic]

I haven't draw almost anything for the past 7 years and this has given me inspiration and motivation! Thank you

[aulyasisca]

as someone who paints semi-realistic, i always find it hard to stylize an object when i'm painting. even when i intent to stylize it, i ended up following the photo reference to its detail like i usually do. stylized-cartoony-cute arts have their own charm, i always love and admire them despite not being able to make them. the ability to translate complicated detail and textures into more simplified drawing, to use bright pastel colors, oh how i wish to be able to at least try it. don't ever feel down about ur art, normies will be normies and say such normies stuff lol. as someone whose been following you for a while, i can tell from afar if a drawing is made by you. keep up the good work! ❤

[coyottruth]

took me a few mins to realise that I wasn't listening but rather I was just simply watching you draw raccoons! Theyre so adorable!!

[Phantom-vubh]

Shoutout to all my fellow left-handed artists, I noticed almost instantly that you weren't drawing with your right 😂

[mollym]

this is such an enchanting raccoon spread :) i love the sparing watercolors and how you build up texture with different hues and values! also, the little isopod guy at the beginning brought so much joy to me even though i'm having a bad brain day. thanks so much for sharing your art with the world!

[melaniefox]

I first made my own sketchbook at the height of the pandemic, and now I'm addicted to it! I add all kinds of different papers, mixing in super nice Arches watercolor paper along with upcycled paperbags and packaging material. It's so fun! I can't go back to pre-made sketchbooks!

[Andidejager.]

My mom is an artist and I was always fascinated by how she could make the most beautiful paper dolls for me. She made one of me and all of our cats and i was in awe.

A little while later, my older sister and I were on a road trip when we were very young and our mom got us little sketchbooks and some pencils to keep us occupied. We both loved it at first and my older sister took great pleasure in the fact that she was so much better than me😂 which was definitely true, she was better! But then she got bored of hers and I was HOOKED. But it was very frustrating for a long time because nothing was appearing the way I wanted it to. Nowadays, sometimes when I’m stuck or dont know what to draw, I go back to a childhood drawing that I remember STRUGGLING with and redrawing it with all the skills I’ve learned in the last 2 decades since then. It’s low hanging fruit but it makes my inner child very happy😂 another default of mine is drawing our family pets. It’s very rewarding capturing their likeness. Like I love it when I can make David look like the salty bitch he is, instead of just a generic black and white cat!❤

[inablackout]

One thing I do that makes me feel motivated is that I label each page with a date. That way I can actually see what progress I've made and I can keep track of progress.

[MsNikkieMichelle]

I also love going back into older sketches and redrawing them. It’s fun, nothing groundbreaking but just a book dedicated to “draw this again” sketches.

[thelegendofzelda]

Good tip from my Dad when it comes to whatever it is you're doing in life: Don't compete against others - always only ever try to outdo yourself.

Translation: Avoid the comparison game.

Thing is, if you go around worrying about what everyone else is thinking or doing, or how much better they're doing and setting that "thing" you envy or admire as the standard to go for, you'll only ever turn out as good as everyone else, IF that. It's also incredibly draining and becomes an extra weight to carry around, and turns into a real distraction and headache.

My Dad always told me to just worry about myself and the job I'm doing, because that's the best I can do and I'm offering something others aren't simply by nature of being a unique, indivudal person placed on this earth by God to fulfill a plan that was very specifically designed for me...not everyone else. That and I'm not really accomplishing anything by worrying about others, so there's really no point to it (thanks for the reality check, Dad). He's held this philosophy his whole life - simply doing the absolute most and best he is capable of doing, being responsible, and not comparing himself to others - and he's come to be very successful and happy in his field of work.

Anyway - sorry for the lecture. Hope this helps someone. Cheers.

[coranhieronymuswimbletonsm]

I can't tell you how much I needed a reminder like this. I haven't consistently drawn in months because I just don't like to do it anymore!! And I'm ready to try again because of this. Thank you!!!!

[bee]

I always get a motivational boost when watching other artists do art. So When ever I need a shot of motivation for drawing I put your videos or someone elses on and in no time at all Ill be pulling out my sketchbook

[leafgate]

I'm now realizing, I think the artstyle thing is my problem 😅 as you also said, I feel like I have to draw realistically, or in a certain way in order for people to even like my art. I've always been attracted to more anime styles, but always avoided them because some of my past friends made fun of the style and how generic it is for people to do. But I think I should just embrace it, the only times my art looked more anime than average were the times I actually really liked my art. You also said some other very helpful advice, this video definitely deserves more love !

[cojqibs]

Aww all of this looks so cute!!! I'm in love with your art style!!!!

[papershipwreckart]

I think I'm someone who has never "lost" that fun of sketching (the only time I couldn't draw was when I had severe mental health problems)
And the tip that stood out the most was when you said just starting it and never stopping lol
It's so true that when it becomes a routine, you really don't have to use any determination for it anymore though.

[samanthar]

Im so glad you mentioned mark-making! Its an important part of art that not a lot of people bring up. My high school art teacher puts a big emphasis on mark-making so Im slowly becoming better at it. I have a bunch of different sized pens and its fun experimenting with them.

I love the raccoons you drew, and your voice is so relaxing. Great video!