How I no longer run out of drawing ideas: my 7 tips to stay creative
7 creative tips to help you “always find new ideas”for your art
Change or move to another environment
Staying in the same environment means seeing the same visual cues and signaling your brain to default to the same things. Changing up your personal environment or move to a different place to generate ideas is probably one the most effective ways to put you into a diverging thinking mode.
Work on subjects that you really like
We all subconsciously have this rebellious tendency to resist doing what we don’t like. Good news is, when you want to be able to generate new ideas easily, it’s perfectly fine to keep working on the topics that you truly love. The good mood will spread over more difficult topics that you might need to work on (for clients for example).
Draw simple variations
This is a simple but powerful tips. Think about different contrasts to help you with “simple variations”:
warm colours - cool colours
opaque - transparent
sharp - round
angular - wavy
Reuse the same elements in new illustrations
This is a great tip to hep you generate new ideas. Feel no shame in recycling or reusing. This is the eco-friendly of drawing, if you see what I mean. Joke aside, not only reusing the same elements will help you generate new idea, it will only enforce your personal artistic world.
Recreate from a picture
This is an oldie but goodie. What is the picture that recently made you smile? How would you draw it in your style? Try it, and you’ll love it.
Follow your hand not your head
One of the main reasons us artists, or designers or creatives, feel stuck and cannot find new ideas is because we want to force our brain to visualise a final outcome of something that has not even reach the foetus state yet. When this happen, look somewhere else and let your hand draw anything it wants on the paper. It will usually de-dramatise the act of sketching and creating new idea.
Focus on quantity and be patient
There is a reason every expert we know recommend focusing on producing in quantity and not staying stuck with quality. Quality matters, but quantity is key to quality. Quantity means experience. Quantity means our sketchbooks are FILLED cover to cover, and our visual libraries are as FAT as our bellies after dinner.
Brainstorm with me: watch my video on How I always find drawing ideas.
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