“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightening to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work”. -Chuck Close
Yes, Chuck that is true. But sometimes you may also need a little boost to get out of your head and finally put pencil to paper. Here are 10 little habits/tricks/light-pats-on-the-back to get you out of your rut.
Draw from life. Sometimes it is as simple as setting up a few household items and observe with intention. You’ve got no excuses! You can try to recreate the colors you see or give yourself a limited palette? What if you sketch out these things and turn these into some kind of imaginary world by adding windows, staircases and pedestrians?
Gimme restrictions. The only way to get better at anything is to do it more often. Set a time for 5 minutes and draw whatever it is you want to improve (cue in hands, feet and people). With a limited amount of time, you don’t have the luxury of over-analyzing; you just need to commit to doing it. Some days may be better than others, but making art is so much about editing out the weaker attempts.
Color. I love giving students the exercise of painting a still life with two complimentary hues of liquid watercolor. They can approach this however they like, but they just can’t mix the colors together. This challenges the mind to identify light and dark and find visual solutions. And you me be surprised with the style that comes out of this exercise.
4. Pivot your watercolors 180 degrees. This may seem slightly silly, but a shift in perspective and challenging your muscle memory is a way to shut down auto-pilot. My paints are usually organized from lightest to darkest, but I’ll occasionally mix it up and work from darkest to lightest.
Follow a prompt. The artist Carson Ellis used to run a 3-word drawing prompt every week called #transmundanetuesdays. Think: “is electric” “wearing a checkered suit” and “ carrying a bundle of sticks”. What do you see in your mind when you try to merge these together? Or reinterpret a still life from the Instagram feed @stillherestilllife. Bless the internet and its myriad of possibilities.
Illustrate an article. While reading your favorite newspaper, find an article whose themes interest you. Write down key elements of the story and sketch out a few ideas that come to the top of your head. Which option best suggests the ideas of the article in the least amount of information? How can you use color to reinforce the concept? Use this as a blueprint to create an editorial illustration.
High and low. I asked comic artist and writer Ali Fitzgerald if she had any pointers on how to start developing ideas for illustrations. She suggested finding the funny middle ground between something high brow and something low brow. Think Paris meets the Olympics! Cheeseburgers and Michelin star restaurants! What comes to mind?
Strike while the iron is hot. If you have the fully-body experience of being capital I Inspired, them take a moment to either jot down or sketch out your idea. Or better yet, execute the idea before it disappears and hits the next illustrator.
Experiment. Draw with your opposite hand. “Draw” with scissors. What does that even mean? Try it out for yourself. Tape a paintbrush onto the end of stick and paint with it. Ask yourself what feels different and how it changes your overall approach.
Take a break. Creating illustrations isn’t just about producing them, but also knowing when to stop. If you’re not feeling it today, don’t fret. Come back with fresh eyes tomorrow.
Take good care, dear reader. And don’t drink the watercolor water. -jkw
My friend, creative coach Anne Ditmeyer just published her first book called OVERRIDE! A Pocket Playbook for Possibility. OVERRIDE! is an invitation to see a world of possibilities we’ve never considered through reflective prompts, mindset shifts, creative exercises, and strategies for action (very much in the spirit of this here newsletter).
Save-the-date for June 21st. My gallery Un Jour Une Illustration will be hosting the opening of “PARIS EST UNE FETE” including a few of my paintings and those of 30+ international artists.
I’m hosting my first watercolor retreat in Paris next week. Don’t expect a post but I’ll be back very soon…
Still stuck? Read up on a few more in-depth illustration assignments you can give yourself here.
Ooh I didn't know Anne came out with a book, just ordered! And I love those winking sunglasses :)