On occasion it becomes difficult conjuring up a topic for this site and most of the time it just takes a small session of brainstorming to get the creative juices flowing. Same goes for my artwork, if I’m not in the mood or just don’t have the vibe it’s difficult to draw anything without tossing a few crumbled papers in the trash.
I find that with writing, art or creative expression we all have our lowpoints. These occur on occassion and usually don’t last, but there is a way to counteract this feeling of being uncreative or uninspired. Brainstorm. Use that meaty substance in your head and write down or sketch (artist or not) any thoughts that come to mind. Sometimes you’ll find that one particular thought will spark a series of creative results.
Give it a try; find a lone piece of paper, lined or plain, and write down the first thought that comes to mind. For instance, I’m thinking of a rural barnhouse which makes me think of Charlotte’s Web, which in turn makes me think of spiders.
Now think of something else and jot that down and pair it with your final thought, in my case spiders. At the moment I’m thinking of cotton candy which I’ll then write next to the word spiders. If you want, you might even draw a crude doodle of your thought as I’ve done.
What’s important to remember is to keep it simple. That is, start simple and build on that thought to create something more complex, not the other way around. Even Mickey Mouse is constructed by simple oval shapes and then with a little color and refinement he comes to life.
I know it can be tough sometimes to think what to write about in blogs. Most of the time I just blog what’s on my mind or something that interests me. That spider drawing is awesome.
About your site, I’m really digging the little characters next to the comments!
Scott: Thanks man. As for the little characters, you can apply for one, or rather create one and it will be used on this site at Gravatar. It lets you leave your mark, so to speak, with a little image next to your comment on Gravatar-enabled sites.
I suppose a good question would be, if he ripped 3 legs of his pants, how did he protect the 4th?
I made one :)
right here
It’s not bad considering I used the mouse to sketch it out and Photoshop to color it.
Couldn’t agree more on sketching/brainstorming. It is the most critical and most often ignored beginning in most creative processes.
Also, when I’m about to sit down to work on a comic page, I sketch for a good fifteen minutes or so as a warm up. If I don’t do that, my page looks like crap. It is just like stretching before your workout. When I get done, I usually have a page of body parts or just squiggles. Nothing great or of any use, other than it got me ready to draw a finished product.
Nice spider…also, it was great seeing Zoe tonight on the webcam. I’d say you have it all now son…a lovely little girl, wonderful wife, your own place and a decent job. Keep up the creations and remember ————— it all began with a pumpkin and your imagination.
-Proud Dad in the Valley of the Eastern Sierra
Max: Warmup sketching was required in all of the art courses I took in college. My professor didn’t care what we drew so long as we were “loosening” up.