How to Battle Art Block
Art block is something that most artists find themselves facing, no matter their age. If you face art block and want some tips to battle it, keep reading.
Art is something that, from the outside, is a seemingly simple task. All an artist has to do is sit down and draw right? Just sit down and paint? But as those within the artist community know, art isn’t always that simple. In fact, art rarely comes that easily.
Issues with your art can range from lack of supplies to lack of skill to lack of creativity. And while those can be solved relatively easily with time and/or practice, there’s one thing that consistently plagues artists, no matter the medium.
Art Block.
No matter how long you’ve been an artist, no matter your skill level, no matter the supplies you have access to, art block will hit you multiple times in your art life.
Art block is a common term in the artist community. It is essentially a mental block that prevents an artist from making art that they find “good”. The piece could appeal to others around them and be objectively pleasant, but in their eyes, it would be horrible.
Artists are constantly battling this ailment whether they’re doing art as a hobby or professionally. Those who make art professionally typically have more of an issue with art block because they have to draw for commissions, comics, projects, etc. even when they don’t find their art up to their preferred standard, however, regardless of whether you’re an amateur or professional artist, art block sucks.
Personally, I don’t usually have an issue with art block, but when it does strike, it strikes hard. At one time, I’d gone months without drawing because I didn’t feel any of my art was good enough. I tried to draw a few times during that period, but I couldn’t find anything good in my art. I had scribbled out drawings in my sketchbooks, half started pieces saved on my iPad, and nothing to show for my efforts.
I was miserable. Nothing I drew was good enough to me, not one thing. Eventually, I stopped trying to draw altogether and just took a break.
I still looked at other artists’ art. My Instagram feed was full of amazing artists and artwork, but I didn’t let it coerce me into drawing. I’d had enough at that point.
I don’t remember what the catalyst was, but one day I picked up a pencil and just drew. And I actually finished the drawing for the first time. I looked at it, and I wasn’t bad. In fact, I actually found myself enjoying my art in a way I hadn’t for months. Finally, after months, my art block was gone.
I’ve had other instances of art block throughout my time as an artist, unsurprisingly. Luckily, none have lasted nearly as long. Most of them last about a week or two maximum, some even spanning only a couple of days.
I don’t always deal with art block the same way, so I’ve compiled a list of ways to overcome art block.
1. Draw More
Now, while this seems counterproductive, this has cured my art block occasionally. I don’t recommend this if you are self-deprecating towards your art even when you aren’t dealing with art block. In the past, I’ve used this method when I had less love for my art and it failed. Miserably.
In more recent times, it has worked better as I’ve learned to love my art more. I no longer see my mistakes as bad. I let myself draw, make mistakes, and move on. I don’t use this method often, but when I do, it does typically work.
However, if you find yourself heavily disliking your art even when you aren’t art blocked, I don’t recommend you use this method. It can damage your feelings towards your art and make you dislike your art even more in the long run. Art block won’t last forever, and you shouldn’t damage your relationship with your art to get rid of it.
2. Draw Something Different
Getting outside of your comfort zone is a great way to get through art block without feeling bad about the art you create.
Doing something with your art that you don’t usually do allows you to create without hating what you make. You’re going to make mistakes whenever you do something for the first time, not make a masterpiece. It’s not going to be the Mona Lisa. And because of this, it doesn’t hurt so much to “fail”.
If you always draw, pick up a paintbrush. If your subject matter is usually people, try animals. If you make portraits, create a landscape piece.
Going outside of your comfort zone allows you to create something when you aren’t happy with your typical artwork while also helping gain experience in a field you don’t typically delve into.
Whenever I’ve done this, it has never let me down. I typically draw cartoonish things, so when I’m dealing with art block, I draw landscapes and sky scenes. It’s during these times I create my best paintings. I’ve learned most of what I know about painting from my experimentations during art block.
3. Look at Other Art for Inspiration
Sometimes art block doesn’t stem from a dislike of your art, but rather lack of inspiration. Sometimes you want to draw, but you can’t come up with any ideas. Maybe the ideas you do come up with don’t seem good enough. This isn’t usually a problem for me personally, but I have experienced it once or twice and have ways to deal with it.
Whenever I lack ideas, I find myself scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest. I would typically scroll through both for half an hour, looking at different kinds of art with different subject matters. Between the two, I prefer Pinterest because I can create boards more easily and refer back to them when I need inspiration.
You can look through Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, even Google, and find different kinds of artwork you enjoy. Then you can create a collection of art that inspires you so you can look back at it to gain inspiration.
4. Redraw Old Art
This is more so for art block caused by a lack of inspiration, but it can also work when you aren’t feeling your art as well.
When you don’t know what to draw, redrawing your old art is very fun to do. Not only will you figure out something to do, but you can also see how much you’ve improved as an artist. It really builds up your confidence when you see an improvement in your art.
This confidence boost happens to be what can help when you have art block due to a dislike of your art.
When you see the improvement you’ve made over time as an artist, it really makes you feel better about your art. It’s hard to always see improvement in the way you make art, so it can seem like you aren’t making any progress. This can make you not want to draw because you don’t see the point. Why draw if you aren’t improving?
When you redraw or remake an old piece, it allows you to directly see the change and improvement in your artwork. This can break you out of disliking your art and get you back to drawing.
5. Just Take a Break
Sometimes, no matter what you do, you don’t feel like you can’t draw. You feel like any attempt you make turns out horrible, and it disheartens you. Times like these can only be solved one way.
By taking a break.
Forcing yourself to draw might not work. You may not even want to pick up the pencil. Pulling out your paints may seem like the worst thing in the world. That’s okay. You don’t have to feel like drawing all the time. You may need a break sometimes. Take one.
I’ve done this before. And while I hope none of you did what I did and not draw for months, taking a week or two off from drawing is perfectly fine. Your sketchbook will be there waiting for you.
