Perfectionism, over studying and overthinking drain and burn me out and then I never draw anything (recently: made 30+ concepts for treehouse contest and now can't even start drawing a damn treehouse)

TessaW · 14 Jun 2017, 19:29

Here is my suggestion to you, it has to do with how to structure your study time. Think "study and apply". I have no idea what level you are at, because you haven't shared any of your drawings, so it's hard to know what to suggest subject-wise, but start with a subject you want to study and go to just one source for that subject for the moment. For example, if you want to learn about perspective, pick one place to study it at this time.

Start with the first principle they teach you. After you've listened to or read the information for that first principle and have taken notes, do a few very basic practice sketches. If it's one point perspective, draw a horizon line and 5-10 boxes. Maybe you find a cool piece of art that uses one point perspective (do not spend hours looking for this), and you trace all the receding lines of this piece to the horizon. Maybe you do a simplified line drawing of this cool piece of art. This counts as the "study" portion of "study and apply". Still not getting the principle of one point perspective? Now would be an ok time to look at a different source, but be strategic. You are only searching for answers on one point perspective. Don't get ahead of yourself. Now apply the information in a finished piece. Now, does this finished piece mean, fully rendered, full value, full color masterpiece? No. This means something as simple as a line drawing of a hallway with doors and windows in perspective. Maybe you do another "finished piece" for this particular subject, maybe you don't. This might take up your whole study session of 1-3 hours. This might take as little as 15 minutes, depending on how long the lecture is or how easily it comes to you.

Move on to the next principle, say 2 point perspective. Listen or read the principles of 2 point perspective. Do a few sketches of boxes in 2 point (study).Then "apply" by doing a very simple house or city scene without much detail.

After you've gone through a good amount of the principles from your source material, (2 point perspective, drawing circles in perspective, measuring distances, scaling things in perspective, etc) do a larger more detailed piece. Maybe you do another city scene but add more details like windows and doors, maybe a few trees. Maybe you draw from life. Look at your couch and draw your couch using the details from life, but applying the principles you've learned in perspective.

You can have a few subjects going at a time, but separate them in your sessions at first.

Remember that you can always come back to a subject. Often times it is just not possible to absorb all the information at one time. You need a rest period from the subject matter and you will pick up things the next time around.

Here are examples from my own perspective study. Here are some of the copies I made. Some of these may seem complex, but I also did just basic boxes in perspective that I didn't bother to save. I would consider this the study part of "study and apply"

Here are examples of my "apply" or "finished pieces". They could also be considered just studies, but they are really applying the principles learned in a more engaged way that helps the material stick better.

Again, not sure where you are as far as skills go. But a good place to start, at least here at svs would be, Drawing Fundamentals, How to Draw Everything, Visualizing Drawing in Perspective, and Mastering Perspective. Start somewhere. Pick one. Do any of the exercises recommended or included in the course. Start with one and practice before you move on to something else. I would focus on some fundamentals before pressuring yourself to compose a personal piece. Think of your art right now as study. It makes it less personal.

Christine Garner · 14 Jun 2017, 19:27

@TessW I think that is great advice.

TessaW · 14 Jun 2017, 20:57

Also, as you study- if you post those in the forum, we can help focus you if you need it. If you aren't ready for critique. Just say, "no critiques please". But posting them here will help others see where you are at and you can get tailor-made recommendations for study exercises or maybe where you should be spending your time.

15 Jun 2017, 00:53

You may want to check out tomorrow's third thursday. Here: https://www.svslearn.com/3rd-thursdays-1/2017/5/30/june-2017-battling-creative-block it's a free webinar

collector · 15 Jun 2017, 15:14

@mattramsey I'll definitely try this and post later, thanks!

@TessW thanks for the time you put in preparing these instructions. Loved the way you approached the "apply" part as creating an actual drawing while focused on that single study subject and not just drawing the drills/analytical studies as I've been doing forever.

I'll take some time to put into practice what @mattramsey and @TessW said and post back here once I got something.

@Ben-Migliore said in Perfectionism, over studying and overthinking drain and burn me out and then I never draw anything (recently: made 30+ concepts for treehouse contest and now can't even start drawing a damn treehouse):

You may want to check out tomorrow's third thursday. Here: https://www.svslearn.com/3rd-thursdays-1/2017/5/30/june-2017-battling-creative-block it's a free webinar

Cool! Just registered! Hope to meet you live over there later today.

DOTTYP · 16 Jun 2017, 13:48

@collector Thank you Collector I do finish pieces now ,but only a few years ago I never got anything finished ,I need to learn a lot about composition,but I am slowly getting there. Also I would consider most of my pieces unfinished even when posted ,always WIP. Maybe you are just not ready/comfortable to put it all altogether it a fully finished image yet,I have not seen your work so I dont know.perhaps if you start with a portrait of family or pet that is quite small it will be easy to finish and you will feel you have something to show for all your studies.

16 Jun 2017, 16:59

@aska This is a really good video!!

collector · 21 Jun 2017, 00:13

@mattramsey said in Perfectionism, over studying and overthinking drain and burn me out and then I never draw anything (recently: made 30+ concepts for treehouse contest and now can't even start drawing a damn treehouse):

@collector

The problem lies on dealing with overflow of ideas, even for studies, i.e.: "study thousands of eyes first? environments? line balance?, etc".

No. Pick one piece. You mentioned you like Will Terry's stuff. Excellent taste.

Here is your assignment:

Copy this piece. Completely finish it. I would recommend not using the color picker (if you work digitally)--instead try and get a close as possible with just your eye.
Step 2: post a side-by-side on this site and allow your fellow artists to give their input.

This took me 8 tries, around 1h (40~60min) each the past days, and this is the best one (I like to first place proportions and main shapes with a non-photo blue pencil). But I find it insane that it took me that amount of time to COPY an EXTREMELY simple drawing like that, but at least I can say it was very pleasing to do.

Now I'll scan and try to color in Photoshop. In Photoshop I'll also fix some of the mistakes in the line art and I still see mistakes in the crow.

TessaW · 21 Jun 2017, 03:28

@collector Thanks for sharing! So glad you had fun doing it. Can't wait to see the color applied.

aska · 21 Jun 2017, 05:13

you posted a drawing! YEY!

mattramsey · 21 Jun 2017, 13:31

@collector Perfect---you're doing it man!

I think this tells us a lot and will help everyone help you. In some sense you are right: it is a "simple" drawing. Therefore, 8 tries at almost an hour each simply tells me that you are still solidly in the practice stage--which, obviously, is where everyone starts!

The good news is that if you continue doing things like this you will move out of the practice stage and into the next.

The GREAT news is that in order to do that you simply have to keep drawing things--which is great because we love doing art right?

Feel free to do a color version but honestly, if it's overwhelming for you then at this point I'd say stick to working on studying drawings.

Will Terry has a ton more "reference" material out there on the web and, of course, there are others.

Maybe start a sketch thread and post your studies with the original on one side and your copy on the other. Do a bunch of those. Like a lot.

And then a few more. Everyone is different but it'd be good to get it down to where you could sketch that frog in...I don't know...5 - 10 min*?

*I'd like to hear from others here if that's a reasonable time for that piece of art. Obviously, if you are coming up with that type of drawing from your head it might take a lot longer. Sometimes I think my sketch phase is as long as my painting phase--I'm constantly erasing and starting over. I can spend hours on an initial sketch. Again, that's when I'm creating the scene/character from scratch.

Christine Garner · 21 Jun 2017, 20:38

Hi @collector, I was showing my sister this forum earlier and she read your post. She exclaimed: "that's me! I have the same problem!". (regarding the never ending collecting thing).

I've been going though similar thing about not learning Blender 3D for ages due to fear about it (it will be hard, I don't have the time, what's the point, my work will be horrible etc....), but in the past few days I forced myself to just get started with it just to see what happens without the pressure of thinking I have to be an expert before I even begin (which is impossible anyway), and I surprised myself by getting a lot further with it than I thought I would and breaking the initial fear of it all which is encouraging me to keep going with it. I think this post helped me realize I had the same issues to work out.

So I know how frustrating it is to begin learning something completely new and I'm glad that you had a go at drawing something, it's definitely a great start.
I watched this video today and I thought it might help you as well:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Artists
https://youtu.be/vM39qhXle4g

amandajean · 22 Jun 2017, 06:06

Overthinking is detrimental to growth and productivity. Give yourself a time limit to research/find reference and be damn strict about it. You're just stalling with all this faffing around, and you know it. It's a hamster wheel, you're doing a lot but you're not going anywhere so do what's in your power to get off it!

Sorry if that sounded harsh, but I do relate to this and it's exactly what I've said to myself. My perspective now is to look at personal projects as "work" VS "art". Set deadlines, deadlines, DEADLINES. Make them for yourself. Tell your friends or art buddies online, get someone to check in on you if they can. You don't have to be perfect, and you better get it into your head that you never will be. Quit stalling, be brave and decide on something, then give it your all. You may find that once you do this for a while, you'll learn to like what you produce instead of wanting it to be the bestest, most magical, most amazing thing you've ever done or that anyone will ever do. Stop trying to compete and do it for the sheer enjoyment.

Of course I'm still practising all this myself, but I'm a hell of a lot more productive these days than I used to be. I finish more "singular" pieces, even if they lack substance and are not that great. I post them and move on. When I can wrap my head around all this and finish one of the animation projects I've had in the works for the past SEVEN years, then I'll truly feel like I've accomplished something, til then, taking small comforts in finishing little things here and there.

So I reiterate, stop stalling with all the knowledge and the learning, and apply it... do something, ANYTHING. Then when you've finished that, do it again. And again. And again! Soon you'll find all that knowledge you've gathered will come in handy. You can do this. Goooo!

andyjewett · 23 Jun 2017, 14:24

@smceccarelli taking that quote and getting it tattooed on my forehead... heh

My mantra is often, "Better done than perfect."

collector · 16 Sept 2017, 19:27

Sorry everyone for taking too long to reply! I ended up not renewing my SVSLearn subscription and I thought I lost access to the forum, but that was not the case, cool!

I ended up giving up the idea of trying digital art and decided to go all the way with traditional media. Everything: pencil, ink, colored pencil, watercolor, etc. Turns out I've been now sketching DAILY for the past 47 days! This is my Instagram account which from day 1-35 I posted daily: https://www.instagram.com/ceowannabeartist/

You have no idea how happy I am to finally be able to draw. Sketching comes so easily now. What used to take HOURS just to do a basic line art like the frog above, now takes 5-30 minutes! Also I change media and subjects daily.

@mattramsey said in Perfectionism, over studying and overthinking drain and burn me out and then I never draw anything (recently: made 30+ concepts for treehouse contest and now can't even start drawing a damn treehouse):

@collector Perfect---you're doing it man!

And then a few more. Everyone is different but it'd be good to get it down to where you could sketch that frog in...I don't know...5 - 10 min*?

Thank you! I can now sketch that frog in 5-10 minutes and paint it in another 10 to 30 minutes! Since I do a daily painting, I'll do the frog today, hopefully!

@christine-garner said in Perfectionism, over studying and overthinking drain and burn me out and then I never draw anything (recently: made 30+ concepts for treehouse contest and now can't even start drawing a damn treehouse):

I've been going though similar thing about not learning Blender 3D for ages due to fear about it (it will be hard, I don't have the time, what's the point, my work will be horrible etc....), but in the past few days I forced myself to just get started with it just to see what happens without the pressure of thinking I have to be an expert before I even begin (which is impossible anyway), and I surprised myself by getting a lot further with it than I thought I would and breaking the initial fear of it all which is encouraging me to keep going with it. I think this post helped me realize I had the same issues to work out.

That's really cool! I studied countless of Blender and to be honest I love it, but I get annoyed with it and I never feel happy creating stuff with it, it is not pleasing to me. Happy that you are moving further with it/

@christine-garner said in Perfectionism, over studying and overthinking drain and burn me out and then I never draw anything (recently: made 30+ concepts for treehouse contest and now can't even start drawing a damn treehouse):

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Artists
https://youtu.be/vM39qhXle4g

Hah, this is the video that woke me up this year It led me to "STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST" and tips like "choose a subject", "choose someone to mirror", but MOSTLY important: "don't feel like drawing? draw at least a line, and then if you feel like, you will keep drawing". I even apply this last piece of advice to work: "don't feel like programming? write just one line of code". Naturally that lead to another line (code or drawing) and another and another.. and then you finish something daily.

@amandajean said in Perfectionism, over studying and overthinking drain and burn me out and then I never draw anything (recently: made 30+ concepts for treehouse contest and now can't even start drawing a damn treehouse):

So I reiterate, stop stalling with all the knowledge and the learning, and apply it... do something, ANYTHING. Then when you've finished that, do it again. And again. And again! Soon you'll find all that knowledge you've gathered will come in handy. You can do this. Goooo!

Well said. That's exactly what I applied by the end of July that put me on the tracks of finally drawing daily without fear of perfection. "Fuck it, just do it!".

"But it is not perfect, but I don't know how... " "Fuck it, do it!".

Thanks everyone!!!

collector · 16 Sept 2017, 19:39

A few pieces from my Instagram, which I did in the past 47 days https://www.instagram.com/ceowannabeartist/. I've been trying to draw for more than a decade and now in a month I did more than I did in the past decade (i.e. in the past decade I never did a single piece), just by a few changes:

Drawing is 90% seeing, 10% drawing.
Use references, draw a LOT from life, like ALL the time.
Abandoned digital, went to traditional.
Change subjects and media daily. But to be honest, I'm now mostly in love with watercolor. Still waiting for my acrylic materials to be delivered.
Do not try to draw a body/face/eye/whatever, draw the shapes you see.
Not perfect? Fuck it, just do it.
Draw daily or you failed: to avoid losing track, I bought a tiny pocket sketchbook, to do scribbles/rough sketches wherever I am.

Tyson Ranes · 17 Sept 2017, 06:07

*I like the headline that in itself shows you are super creative

DOTTYP · 17 Sept 2017, 11:40

I am glad you are doing well now with your drawing,it is really nice work too