[Tyrant]

I get inspiration from seeing other people work, or from seeing new things, places, and ideas. Sometimes looking at pictures other people draw will inspire you to think of something else, and you get that "Holy crap, this idea is going to look epic on paper" kind of feeling. Looking at photos and reading can also give you inspiration.



Since I also work on digital art, sometimes I'd browse speed paints on YouTube and see new techniques that I'd like to try. This gets me working as well.

I once went through an art block that lasted for a year and seven months. Pretty darn horrible. It's easy to get stuck like that without inspiration.

[killingbunnies]

Well...
Inspiration, I've actually written a whole essay talking about why I think inspiration is a bunch of BS, but I won't get into that.
I suppose (although I don't like using the word "inspires") looking at other people's work, both visual and auditory (although I'm more of a visual artist) somewhat inspires me. I like looking at people's artwork and looking for flaws in it, so that I can learn what to NOT do in my art.
But I've found that just taking a break once in a while helps a lot. I took a break from drawing this week and decided to re-learn the piano. YAyyyyy... Of course, doing this in the middle of improving is pointless.
The most intimidating thing, for me, is a large blank page. I love smaller sketchbooks for this reason. I also like smaller notebooks. There's nothing more "inspiring" to me than a blank sheet of paper that I can scribble and doodle all over in wild abandon, and not feel bad about leaving it. Feeling tied down to any sort of "schedule" tends to diminish my creativity.
Schedules work for some people. I prefer to set longer goals, like "finish a 100 page 5.5"x8.25" sketchbook every month or so." I don't even care about filling all of the pages. If I mess up on a page, I just turn it over and go on to the next one.
So yup...

I'd like to hear why you think the idea of inspiration is a load of BS. ;) Personally I try to find something inspiring about everything I see, and analyze the world through an artist's eyes. This usually helps me find worthy ideas, but what I can imagine is either beyond the scope of my ability (about the most frustrating thing on the planet) or I lack the materials to do it. Usually, my skill level doesn't match up with my ambition, and this could also lead to that dreaded Oh-my-god-I'm-staring-at-a-blank-page-what-should-I-do feeling.

[nadjasix]

I get inspiration from seeing other people work, or from seeing new things, places, and ideas. Sometimes looking at pictures other people draw will inspire you to think of something else, and you get that "Holy crap, this idea is going to look epic on paper" kind of feeling. Looking at photos and reading can also give you inspiration.

Since I also work on digital art, sometimes I'd browse speed paints on YouTube and see new techniques that I'd like to try. This gets me working as well.

I once went through an art block that lasted for a year and seven months. Pretty darn horrible. It's easy to get stuck like that without inspiration.

It's constructive to take breaks.

[sidj0n]

Image streaming?

Its a mental technique for improving your creativity etc..

[Adrianl]

I've been through times like these as well. I'm more into composing music, and I've had my moments when anything I did sounded like somebody fell on a stack of keyboards and the computer was recording during that time...

Usually, to get my creativity or inspiration back, I either rest (like spending a full day without much online access, or TV, just let my mind relax), either go for a walk in nature, a park, or just drive somewhere, but I mostly get inspired when it's something more feeling related. I've made some great stuff during my sad periods, or when I had feelings for some other people in my life. I guess the most illogical part of life is the inspiring (not that logic couldn't be attributed to feelings, but they just have a different "construction"...)

I guess the essential thing to do is to not force yourself to be inspired, just let go of everything (yeah, this sounds like a "go to your Zen state" lesson) (and not literally).

Also, I'm usually less inspired when I'm more stressed out, so try to do what you want to do somewhere where you feel more relaxed (or ask the ISP to cut the cord once in a while, that relaxes me sometimes, cause I have to change my focus from the immense world that is the internet, to the smaller one that is the place where I'm currently at).

Hope that helped.

[Deanna]

I don't know if I consider myself an artist or not... I can draw but I don't really use it as a means to express myself.... I think the best artists are sort of tortured souls, they have all this emotion that comes out in their work, me, I just like pretty stuff.

So that's what I draw. It's not earth shattering or amazing, or speaks on many levels, but I enjoy it as a meditation on things that are beautiful. Here's one that I drew from a photo:



Although some of my most interesting stuff came from drawing a single line and then just freestyling from there... just whatever seems beautiful.

[Tophthetomboy]

Well.. I've found inspiration by looking at other things that people have created, by either browsing art on websites like Deviantart, or looking up to my favorite shows and movies.

By making fan art of different kinds, I was able to improve more than ever in 1-2 years :D

What I suggest is:

- Don't gain knowledge/inspiration from only one area in art. Eventually what you learn and see can wither. Always keep finding new things to experiment!

- Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone in art.

- If you want to draw it, your work will turn out better. Trust me. Have a passion for what you choose to draw :P

- When drawing don't be afraid to look at resources or other people's art. Just because you got some help from looking at something, doesn't mean you're not an amazing artist. Without resources even the greatest artists could struggle.

[killingbunnies]

I don't know if I consider myself an artist or not... I can draw but I don't really use it as a means to express myself.... I think the best artists are sort of tortured souls, they have all this emotion that comes out in their work, me, I just like pretty stuff.

So that's what I draw. It's not earth shattering or amazing, or speaks on many levels, but I enjoy it as a meditation on things that are beautiful. Here's one that I drew from a photo:



Although some of my most interesting stuff came from drawing a single line and then just freestyling from there... just whatever seems beautiful.

That's beautiful. I certainly couldn't do any of that, as I have major problems with color and composition. A passion for beautiful things is a pretty normal artistic inclination to me. With that level of skill, I think you're definitely an artist.

I like the 'draw a single line' idea. Already have something cool planned out in my head.

[nadjasix]

@Deanna

That looks like a painting, what did you use? Markers?

[Deanna]

@Deanna

That looks like a painting, what did you use? Markers?

That's actually colored pencils, "Prismacolors" they're very soft leaded and blend very well, I layer on the color pretty thick to get it to blend as much as that.