Herro.
I've been going through a bit of 'artist's block' lately and wanted to get some feedback from the great and mighty 2draw community.
What do you do to keep yourself inspired? Is it other 2draw artists? Music? Traditional art? A bit of undigested cheese?
Do you ever feel you are more creative based on your mood? For instance, I feel my best art has been inspired by depression, pain, and just generally hard times, emotionally. When I am happy and active, I tend to have less desire to create, or maybe I just haven't found the right subject/outlet?
I'd like to know what your experiences have been regarding inspiration and the lack thereof.

Thanks ya'll!

I'm not terribly creative, but I just like to draw stuff. I wish I had more time to do it, so I guess when I get a chance I just start something.

I get inspired by feelings.

There are those random bouts of artist's block that can't be cured with anything but time. Take your mind off of art for a while and focus on one of your other hobbies. For me, when I hit that artist's block, I go and write stories. :3

Listening to music helps me often, too.

Uh...music. Music is very inspirational for me.
And emotions.

But some days I can't think up a good picture no matter what.

Sitting in a bus alone listening to my favourite music, that's how I get my ideas mostly. But the problem is, that I can't accomplish them, ever.
Photos and other people's art inspires me too.. and of course, my feelings.
=_=

I go through drawing spats. I draw a lot for a short period of time, then i'm drained of all imagination, creativity, and will power and i quit drawing for long periods of time. My inspiration usually comes from seeing a touching peice or something that speaks to me here on 2draw or a song i'm listening to. Usually when im angry or sad, i tend to draw more than i am when i'm happy. I try to put all of my effort into each peice, whether it looks like it or not, and that leaves very little determination for the next peice. So i just wait it out and let my think tank refill itself :).

The only times when i can make something decent is when i am calm and content. The worst mood for my art is frustration and impatience.

DieChan
Take your mind off of art for a while and focus on one of your other hobbies.

That is a very effective way for everybody i believe. However, this is impossible for those who are doing art professionally, whether it's at a job or studying it full time at a high level educational institute.

Hey, no one has to take my advice.

Deadlines for things other drawing seem to inspire me the most to draw.

I'm not too 'deep' when it comes to art, so I'm probably pretty different from most of you guys. All I need, is the urge or an idea in my head to get me started on a new drawing (in real life that is, where I'm not constantly doing photorealism :P). This usually happens pretty often too, as one would see, my sketchbook cover has been torn off and duct taped back together, and the binded pages have fallen off the hard cover entirely (which I still need to repair). I still love my sketchbook anyway :).

DieChan: I was just stating that unfortuanntely some people can't do this. I wasn't trying to contradict what you said, my bad wording. =\

I don't think I've ever had as much creativity as you do, staci, but I seem to have the most when I'm happy... I feel more energetic and inspired to do everything, not just art. When I'm going through a period where I don't feel inspired or can't seem to produce anything, (like NOW) I find that trying to push myself to do it never works. Just relax, be okay with how you feel today, and it'll come back to you. I think it's a lot like a deep well, and when you drain it, it just needs time to replenish itself before you can "draw" from it again. (damn, I'm witty) It's just taking a hiatus, it didn't leave you.

Deadlines tend to make me less motivated to finish the project for some reason. Give me a deadline and I can guarantee (sp?) that it won't be completed. :\

HunterKiller: S'alright. I know I'm not the best at advice giving, and you do have a good point. ._.

I just pick a random color and draw a blob then I let the color blob inspire me. That is how i start most of my pics.

It mite work better if I knew what I was going to draw before I started drawing.

My mood greatly affects how I draw when I use color, probably cause I start most my pics with a color blob.
My mood affects how I draw with pen and pencil, but not alot.


Most my inspiration comes from studying online galleries. I like to find lots of unique artist to study.
One reasons i like 2draw so much is that there are many different artist to study.


When I 1st started drawing all my inspiration came from DBZ and FF7/FF9.

Usually when I get an artistic block I just ask for requests. When you get a suggestion that interests you try and make it your own weither its by changing its style or creating your own interpretation. If you have a favorite song you might try to draw a picture to convey the meaning of that song (like DBA does).

Funny thing, sometimes a song inspires a painting, and sometimes while I'm painting I hear a song that fits the painting I'm already doing perfectly. HEY, I know!!!! We can put all of our blocks together and build something!!!!

I can only draw when i'm relaxed or half asleep, that is why all my pics on here are around midnight.^_^ I have a hard time with emotions... i tend to block them out.. and the logical side of my brain tries to dictate my artistic side.. so the only way for me to let even a little bit of the artistic side/emotions out i have learned to draw right before i go to sleep or when i'm feeling tired..
Although emotions don't tend to be my forte, music is most deffenetly a helper for me.. i can't live without music!! ^_^
What really sucks is that if i do end up getting an image that would be really cool to draw pop into my head, it usually fades before i can even figure out how to put it to paper!!! >.<
What i have been doing recently is if i actually do think up something i'll sketch a really small stick figure of how i want the character/s to be placed and how i would want the background to be and keep messing with it till i'm happy with the little sketch, then i'll make it into a drawing.... it seems to work for me... ^_^'

I get inspiration when I watch movies and read. Or listen to music. Do anything but draw. :3 Don't focus on one thing you want to draw have many ideas before pen or paper. Before you know it. You've doodled something you weren't expecting. :D Haha. I suck at advice.

I feel like drawing when I have to do something important...which is a problem. >_> Other times, I just draw when I feel like it.

When im in a good mood, i am more inspired. Usually when im in love, i am the most inspired. When i think my art suck, im least expired.

its rather odd with me..i usually draw/paint most when im sad/depresssed..but i get most ideas when im happy..anything and everything inspires me..if its music, a book, people online..a view..or just imagination..i get too many artistic ideas near eachother though..like...i think of a good idea for a painting..think of everything in high detail..but for some reason once ive thought of everything to be put in the picture and where...my mind looses interest and moves on to a different idea...usually something completly different to the last:/ often i start art..then forget why on earth i wanted to do that cause i cant seem to remember the old idea when the new one is so vivid...
i'm gonna have to start writing my ideas down or doing more studies cause i have too much half finished art...
the only art i seem to complete is quick doodles/studies and art that i do when im depressed or upset over something..(cause i get no ideas then and so i have time to complete a picture more) lol

There's nothing more frustrating to me than really being in the mood to draw something, and even having a cool picture in your mind's eye already, but then when you go to draw all you can produce is garbage. It's not quite like artist's block, because you know what you want to draw; you just can't draw it. I had that happen to me last night.

I've been going through that for over a week already. I finally get some time to draw, and all I come out with is crap.

Lately almost all of my inspiration comes from my religion.

i like browsing picture sites, photography and 2draw for eg, and i have lots o cool pics in my documents and when i feel i have some time to spare, i generally just copy or alter it slightly to my own taste. i don't draw nearly enough as wish too, but like you say, im often happy and active and my mind is elsewhere since i'm not studying art