
2. Go inside.
Draw a coffee shop scene. Draw a close up of your coffee cup then draw the whole room. Accept the changes. Jot down ideas as they occur you, snippets of conversations. Find the spark to create an idea.
3. Go to a gallery.
Whether its a huge, internationally famous gallery or a little local museum. You can get inspiration from the artwork itself. The story behind it. The way the exhibition has been curated. The “feel” of the place.
I absolutely love drawing in galleries. Standing up in front of the work, using a little hardback sketchbook. It’s wonderful. and it never fails to inspire me.
I’ve just returned from the Leonardo exhibition at the National and you get to play with lights and see how lighting can affect the same subject and create mode an atmosphere.
5. Be prepared to fail.
Make a mess. Take yourself out of your comfort zone. Work in a medium unfamiliar or on a subject you’ve never tackled before. This is the underpainting of a herd of wildebeast. . It in response to seeing a river crossing on the Masai mara and it is going to be a painting in my new solo show “Into Africa”. It’s a mammoth task. This painting is a battle ground. . But I have to be brave first to make the piece work. Make a promise that you will do something without showing it to anyone or posting on the internet. It’s a way of giving yourself permission to explore something new without having make it perfect. If you experiment often enough, you might just discover something wonderful! |
Do all of the above and I’m positive you’ll banish artist’s block and be ready to move towards a bigger project.
Enjoy.
If you want to discover more about drawing and sketching I still have a few place left in some of my 2020 workshops. Click on the button below to find out more.