Art Prompts and Brainstorming
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Hello!
I am currently working on the January prompt for HTFYA and was wondering how people usually start their pieces?
I've been writing down keywords and trying to use them as jumping off points, but sometimes I get a little stuck. So, I move into looking for visual inspiration, and then go back and forth. It's hard to settle on an idea and hard to know how much story really is needed to create a compelling piece.
Any tips for brainstorming and/or working around a "dead" end?
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@skeletortoise Sounds like you have yourself in a research tailspin. Best thing to do at this point is to break away from the research and start drawing using what you have. Don't do anything detailed or finished, but very rough idea thumbnails, much like the ones below by Grace Lin. Just let your brain work; nothing is wrong at this stage. As you work on the thumbnails, your story may present itself, just keep the base prompt in mind as you work. Sketch out some ideas and post them here. Would love to see them.
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@skeletortoise I second Tom. I like the term he used, research tail spin. I usually either do a google search for key words ( I write down some first ideas) that come to mind or do a pinterest board. But pinterest can be a black hole I noticed that I tend to get lost in, as after the millionth image you still feel like a better idea might be out there. So I try to limit it to 5-10 images that inspire me and then start doing loose thumbnail sketches.
Right now I got started with the January prompt and have about 10 thumbnails. I only like one of them somewhat and feel stuck as well as I feel i am missing story. So I decided to let it rest until tomorrow and try to come up with different key words. - Why is it dark? Where is she going? What is she doing? Why does she need to be careful? Indoors/ outdoors?.... -
@Mel-F @tom-barrett wow, this is great advice; thank you! Like you said, I just started drawing, trying to think about the prompt vaguely, but not restricting myself to any concept in particular.
I want to do something slightly creepy, maybe in the woods, with an ethereal quality. At least this is the first thing that comes to mind.
These are some very rough thumbnails:
I even have a new character design that I’m digging and would maybe like to incorporate into the piece. Now, it’s time for some questions like @Mel-F said: why is she here? Where is she going? What is this creature watching?
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@skeletortoise these are great! My favorites are the large wolf in the blue background, and the castle one. And you have a great pose on the last sketch of your character. Really nice work!
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Thank you @tom-barrett !
Update: I kept thinking about this character and what kind of situation she would be in when I had a thought: why can't "she knew she wasn't alone..." be a positive thing? I was originally imagining it as a creepy thing, but maybe it's comforting. So, I came up with this concept of a girl whose lantern breaks in the woods and find a magical dog to guide her the rest of the way home.
Any and all feedback appreciated!
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@skeletortoise That is a great way to think outside the box. Just remember to consider the whole prompt as you develop your illustration. In your thumbnails above, there is no "carefully" apparent. Also, you have her already with the dog, so it becomes just a girl and a glowing dog walking in the woods. It would be a stronger piece if in the moment she is just getting a glimpse of the dog from behind one of the trees. She knows they live in the woods, but maybe she is unsure of their disposition. Both are "carefully" approaching each other. Maybe she dropped and broke her lantern when she first saw the dog.
#3 would work well as a base (but, yes, no tree in the middle).
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@tom-barrett Thanks for the feedback Tom! I think I know where I have to go with it now. I'll update with the sketch once it's finished.
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Final sketch! Now moving on to color - time to figure out how to paint snow in the dark!
Because the dog's presence is meant to be comforting, I wanted her expression to reflect that, so the "carefully" part of the illustration is hit by her being encumbered with so many packages.
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@skeletortoise Oh I like this one with the presents. Cute and not so cliché. I had also a sketch of a girl going through the woods at night, but that´s where my idea ended and I couldnt think of a good enough reason of where she would be going and why...
So I changed it completely. Looking forward to see your final. -
@Mel-F Thanks! Yeah, I was concerned about being the hundredth person to draw a girl in the woods, but I figured this story was unique enough.
