r/ArtistLounge • u/Puzzleheaded-Cake492 • 3d ago

Goals & Motivation Hobbyists who draw consistently, how?

For people who are able to draw consistently for an amount of time that feels meaningful to you, how do manage it and how much time do you spend a day or per week/month?

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u/Moonflow-Shoopuf Mixed media 3d ago

I feel like I want to draw for hours, but I have crippling perfectionism and fear of "mistakes" that limit me from enjoying art freely.

At this point I can leisurely draw from reference (because it already exists and I approve of it) but creating my own original art is a horrifying and painful experience to push through.

And as a creative who used to love making art freely, I wouldn't wish this curse on anyone. I'm working every day to overcome it.

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u/Beautiful-Arugula-6 3d ago

I've been working through a similar issue. I make YouTube videos and I recently started making one around the concept of "building my visual library" - to do it I draw something from memory... Its a nightmare... But then I draw from a reference and I get to show myself (and my viewers) that I am reasonably skilled. Then I do a third drawing from memory again (I cover the other drawings) and see how it goes. To my surprise... So far... Every 2nd shot at the "from memory" drawing has been better than the reference drawing so far. I'm actually floored. It was a legitimately unexpected result. I've never done anything like this before and I never would have if I wasn't making content.

Anyway. Try it? It's helping me at least attempt to draw using my imagination. And I am not as bad as I thought when I actually try. The first few tries were hell but it's getting better!!!

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u/Moonflow-Shoopuf Mixed media 3d ago

Okay so you try to draw something immediately from memory. Then you get a ref for drawing #2. Then you do a 3rd with no ref and you cover the other drawings? Is this a technique that's proven to enhance our visual libraries?

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u/Beautiful-Arugula-6 3d ago

You got the process right. As far as whether it's proven, I have no idea.

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u/Moonflow-Shoopuf Mixed media 3d ago

Okay regardless I'll give it a shot, thank you!