Overcoming the Fear of a Blank Page
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- čas přidán 29. 11. 2020
- Some people come out of the womb swinging, brave and ready to take on the world. The rest of us... we're a little more timid, held back by fear and anxiety. In this video, I talk about how I spent many of my younger years terrified and intimidated by the idea of a blank page, and how I ultimately worked to overcome it.
It's not some big secret - it's a simple exercise. And if you stick to it and put the work in, you'll find that the blank page isn't quite as daunting as you once thought.
For free, structured, exercise-based lessons exploring the core fundamentals of drawing, check out drawabox.com
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Patreon: / uncomfortable
"The need to become a celebrity makes us forget the dreams we had of telling a story", I felt that man... this helped.
Now that is a REAL sketchbook imo.
In contrast to the so called ones you see a lot of people show here on YT and other social media. In most cases those are more like portfolio's, carefully rendered work, made for showcasing.
Good vid.
Hahahaha. Initially I was going to include another digital sketching video with this one (and had recorded it), but I decided that since this video is entirely about making mistakes and digging into a sketchbook, it wouldn't do not to actually show live, traditional sketching.
Some people have types of sketchbooks dumps, practicing and the other one is the one to be showcased👍
"Take a swing at it anyways. At least you'll be ruining that blank page."
AYY, is what all of us need to hear
I think I somehow managed to overcome this. When I draw in a sketchbook, I draw anything in in the first page. Like literally anything, doodles or even just writing anything until I make it look as dirty as possible. After that I dont fear drawing on the next pages.
I also developed this way of thinking where you can't learn anything if you don't do it so I just kept drawing without minding if it looked clean or good. I just kept on drawing.
Purposely messing up the first page is a really interesting strategy! It definitely speaks to the same sort of thing - we can just as easily get obsessed with a "perfect sketchbook" as a perfect page, so ensuring that it's not going to be perfect from the start relieves a lot of the pressure.
@@Uncomfortable Thank you! I remember when I still didn't draw since I didn't know where to start and I stumbled upon this channel!
Thank you! ^-^
I do a similar thing, but I mess with a random page in the middle.
As an absolute Beginner i can say the fears all apply and the blank Page is really scary!
I always told myself i have no talent i am NOT Good enough...
I realised this year that i basically Said no Artist Ever worked Hard for it and this is Not true.
And Shows 0 respect.
So i decided to change this!
Picked up Draw a Box and some udemy courses and starting my Artistic Journey :)
Wish me luck.
Thank you for this video!
Best of luck on your journey!
@Jonathan Merrill I am still at beginner level.
The first quarter of 2021 left me in a Bad Shape drawing helped me alot. But i couldn‘t put nearly the amount of time in it i wanted that changed now.
I accepted that my Art won‘t look like i want it to look atleast for now.
So i concentrate on the positive things i take some courses on udemy doing draw a Box and some workbooks.
I enjoy the process i have fun when i do a warm up even when i see mistakes.
So the process of creating something is already really fun for me i Love it to be honest.
It eases my mind and i lose track of time.
I follow alot of Artist and i like thinking about what they did and how they did it.
Main Problem i got is discipline but i am working on that.
@@yarran3511 good luck! im an absolute beginner and im starting today
God bless you!
Hey man, I started the same way as you last year (Udemy + Drawabox). What helped me push myself was taking short project based courses (like those in Skillshare). I realized I was only following exercises but never drew; the short courses helped me get out of my comfort zone. Also lots and lots of gesture drawing, Proko Style. Good luck in your journey.
HEYY Uncomfortable! We missed you man, this was informative, you should do more of these types of talks!
I certainly plan to!
@King of Assholes I'm not really suited to explaining figure drawing/anatomy, so that's best left to instructors more focused in that area like Proko.
This video is just a wake up call to fill in my empty sketchbooks with something instead of dwelling on the fear of not being able to produce something impressive. It's a mentality that holds you back because you dwell more on the "what if it goes bad" instead of actually drawing and progressing.
Like you said drawings are meant to be personal and you should be drawing for you and not a show for others.
Anyways thanks for the video, I discovered you late last year as I wanted to properly learn how to draw and guilty to admit it I was burntout of your drawabox lessons even though you said not to monotonously do it to the point of boring yourself out.
I intend to return to it again with a fresher mentality sometime soon, cheers man.
bro i feel like we went through the same thing especially with draw a box😪😂
That's exactly right. Best of luck!
Good video! I personally discovered that the very best mindset when it comes to overcoming a blank page is to simply revert back to when you were drawing when you were a kid; where the act of drawing should please you, not the result on the paper.
As we grow older and start viewing life as much more result focused than it really is for simplicity's sake, so too does our view on the act of drawing.
Suddenly, the result becomes the point of drawing, and we forget why we started drawing in the first place.
The best approach to getting back to this that I've found so far is, just like you showcased, to have a sketchbook.
At first, I absolutely DESPISED my sketchbook. The idea of pointlessly drawing made me frustrated, and the first 30 pages or so were filled with crossed out drawings that I deemed ugly with sad comments about how "I still can't draw" and how my sketchbook was a testament to me not being successful or developing as an artist.
But as I kept drawing in it over a long period of time, I slowly began to realize that the drawings didn't actually matter. There was no reason behind them, no intent or objective to fulfil, and so there was nothing to feel bad about or fear. At the end of the day, you drew because you wanted to, not because you had to.
Drawing in this way sort of works like a self-feeding loop; you draw what you want, you enjoyed drawing it, you want to draw more because it was fun, you draw more, and so it pretty much sustains itself. That's how I suddenly "run out" of paper to draw on instead of "not having filled out the page yet".
On a side note, I found out that many other people had the same experience of loosening up through a sketchbook, so there definitely seems to be a pattern related to also "practising" drawing solely for yourself or because it brings you joy.
That is absolutely the mindset one should strive to develop - but it's always a fight to get back to it.
I don't usually leave comments, but I feel like I need to personally thank you for this. I've been trying this out for the past couple weeks and I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun drawing. Don't know why this is the thing that finally made it click, but it did. This seriously helped me so much. Thank you.
I am thrilled that this exercise has opened a new door for you!
This is really food for thought and made me digest trying to doodle and draw in a new way, I overthink way too much but ruin a blank page, just brilliant.
This video was the gag of the century. I used to love drawing as a kid, and wanted to get better but stopped because i felt so intimidated by the idea of needing to be good. Then i would try to pick it up as an adult, only to be halted time and time again over years because, while i did genuinely still enjoy drawing, i was working to be like the artists i see on instagram and CZcams, and anything less than that is not good enough (which means only practicing drills as if it’ll make me a good artist). This has really helped me recognise that and reconnect with why i enjoy art in the first place. Thank you for this!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Wonderful, reminds me why I want to learn to draw and I should really get over myself and being scared to just go for it. The lessons are also very helpful too!
You've got this.
Man you really make me get more motivated every time I watch your vids-
:D I'm glad to hear that.
@@Uncomfortable yw! :D
@@Uncomfortable you are a big inspiration for a lot of people so don’t stop what your doing mate !
Thabks for this, Uncomfortable. Im going to really push myself to do way more personal art alongside my studies and not be afraid of drawing the things I want to draw even if I dont know how to execute them yet❤
Thank you so much I really needed this, this is exactly what I've been going through for the past couple of years. Just sitting down and drawing something feels like the hardest thing to do at times and I always think to myself that everything in my sketchbook/pad needs to be a masterful piece of work like that of the artists that I admire.
It really is a struggle common across most artists, especially those who are still starting out. Hell, I struggled with it for a good decade before I started to take steps outside of that comfort zone, and even still, it can flare up a little here and there. But let me tell you, life is better when you care less about the need to impress.
absolutely happy to see a new video from you, thanks
I have a sketchbook from a while ago and drawings in that sketchbook are very begginer-esk and just straight bad, but LOVE them! They are really showing me something i lived through and reminding me of what is still to come if i continue trying, even if next drawing be as bad as those at the very beggining.
I needed this video. It has been YEARS since I've last put pen to paper. And this video made me realize why. I was afraid. Everything you mentioned in this video resonated with me as if it were me. Thank you. Here is to filling up pages of the future.
I’m just starting out with your awesome course, thank you so much for this amazing content.
always love to see something new coming from you
I love this so much! started learning when I was 7 and only one year ago when I was 26 did I learn to draw for myself instead of impressing others. I always say the road to becoming a master is not filled with masterpieces.
I'm sure many people resonate with this video and I thank you for sharing. As a person who literally hasn't tried to actively get better at drawing, and that is starting now, this fear really is great.
I oftentimes find myself at the time of day where I set myself a time slot to practice every day, and just stare at the piece of paper THINKING about what I know I want to draw, but don't dare to put pen to paper because I know it will come out looking terrible.
This will probably be a long and arduous journey since it will need me not just to overcome the fear of marking on a page of the pristine paper as you say, but also to slowly change my mindset of WHY I wanted to pursue drawing in the first place.
Is it purely to chase clout? Or is it to truly enjoy and pursue the techniques and ability to share what I envision.
Regardless, thank you for this wonderful resource Uncomfortable, and I hope I will weather it through to see you on the other side.
Best of luck. Just remember that this is something we all go through - and it's not so much about chasing clout, just that it's a natural desire to invest our time into things that look good, and it's the easiest way to gauge how well our time has been spent. Enjoyment and personal exploration is much harder to quantify.
Damn man welcome back been a while! Plus you have improved a lot! Was with u since old website draw a box, keep rocking dude!
I have some encouraging words that I use in language learning that translate into art too. Whatever words I learn today, or whatever thing I draw today wasn't known or drawn when I woke up this morning so what I do between the time I wake up and the time I go to bed is the growth I did as a person today. Don't let a white page stand between you and your growth.
I felt one of the best reality slaps Ive ever felt.
Thanks.
Excellent video on an important subject. Thanks a lot
I was just thinking about this! Fear was also a big problem for me, but instead of tensing up, I spew exercises onto the page. I have entire sketchbooks just packed with meaningless organic blobs and primitive forms because I was too scared to push myself beyond that. I managed to get past when I stopped seeing drawing as something I'm not ready for, and more as another exercise I can do. The best exercise I can do actually.
I'm glad to hear you were able to work past it!
Anytime anyone shows their sketchbook with the advice like:
- draw for fun
- embrace your mistakes
- don't fear the failure
... I'm like, OK - I get it... but. If I were to follow the 50% rule of this course, I would be literally drawing stick-figure level stuff. This is where my skill level is currently at.
So, even if I drew like a 5 year old with flat lines and simple shapes (like a stick figure), would that still count?
Anytime I see someones sketchbook with this narrative of "I forced myself to fill the entire page, so that way I wouldn't be paralyzed by my mistakes and be stuck trying to make things perfect", I think to myself: well, I cannot even get close to what this person considers rough sketches they made for fun.
I guess one has to start somewhere, but this is really tough for me.
Yep, that still counts. Always remember: this is *expected* to be difficult. Because what you're doing is not butting up against the laws of reality or physics, where we can with a fair bit of certainty say "no we can't do that". What we're butting up against here is our own sense of self. No one's asking you to draw something to a particular standard of quality - but rather, you're being asked to draw complete trash even though every fibre in your body tells you it's not worth the time.
The goal here is to learn that there is value beyond the end result. That it is worth doing even though it turns out badly. And that is *very* difficult to accept.
@@Uncomfortable Thank man. Appreciate your reply.
THANK YOU! I feel much better and relaxed now
i love this video! i recently bought a drawing $200 tablet but i realized once school started i had less and less time to draw along with my another responsibilities but this has inspired me to go out get a drawing notebook and just fill it up every night. thank you 🙏🏾
I'm glad to hear that! Working digitally is definitely a lot of fun, but drawing on paper really does force you to develop the kind of confidence that will serve you well throughout your journey.
@@Uncomfortable you’re really a good guy for doing all these stuff for free
@@jioradd6150 Thank you for the kind words! Although to be fair, it's just another business model.
This is excellent, excellent advice, and to me personally it is easier to put into practice than the current 50% rule in Lesson 0. I've been trying this method for the past few days and already feel I've regained some of the love of drawing that attracted me to learning in the first place. Sure, I put out a lot of crap, but sometimes there's something on one of those pages I really like which I wouldn't have drawn if that darn page didn't need to be filled. Thanks for Draw a Box, and for these videos!!
When you drew in your sketchbook, did you mainly draw from imagination or from reference? I'm especially curious about what you did in the beginning, before you had a large visual library.
It was a mixture - some drawings were direct studies from reference, some were completely from my imagination, and some were a mixture of the two, using reference to inform the choices I was making while creating something fresh.
Thank you very much. You've really done a lot you know, I am incredibly grateful for the help you've given in drawing, skills, mindset and all
I'm glad to have helped.
I can't tell you how much this means to see for someone like me. I used to draw pages like this, not as well mind you, but fill up pages. I've lost that and seeing/hearing you talk about this as an exercise really brings back memories of how enjoyable that was.
I've been stuck in a fear of the blank page for awhile so seeing this is a great reminder of things to do to break out of it and to bring back, as you said, the joy of just drawing.
Thanks Uncomfy.
I'm always happy to give a little reminder! I hope you'll be able to get back to enjoying drawing soon.
This is very inspiring.
Thank you very much❤️
Thank you for this. I’ve been struggling a lot with the exact issue you described, and it’s been weighing on me more than I’d like to admit. I’m going to try this tonight, I wish luck to everyone who’s about to do the same :)
And best of luck to you!
Yo, its the dude that helped me start! I wanna say thanks again, because for ~1 year of progress I still find that drawabox was an insane boost. Because I started with drawabox other courses were way easier to understand and I've always found out that they give only a watered down version of your detailed explanations, because its not a basics course. Even going through other fundamental courses yours is still the best in explanation and detail. I've started recently to use the same exercises you've given as a warm up and now I see the benefits especially from rotating boxes and intersecting geometrical forms. Again, thank you for covering the basics in a digestible way and showing how mileage accumulates!
That's awesome. I'm glad my lessons had an impact on you!
I needed this...thank you uncomfortable
This is a great video! Thank you much.
Thank you so much for this video! I've been struggling with putting my ideas on paper, thinking it may not come out good and that people wouldn't like it. Eventually, I forgot that I started drawing in the first place just for fun and my own amusement, not for others'. It may be silly, but I really needed to hear this.
It's not silly at all! Even for those of us who know this all too well, it can still help to be reminded once in a while.
Great video dude! I have to confess that I too am guilty of this mentality and I think that I should maybe try that method as well.
Missed you so much man!
Dude drawing with BIC pens is the freaking best. Such a cheap pen for such a nice feel. Glad to have you back
Hahaha, I had a bunch of fancier ballpoint pens, but turned my apartment upside down to find a bic 'cause they're great!
Good to see you again!
:D
I have a huge difficulty facing this problem, and I mean really HUGE! I not only have a terrible fear of failure and of the blank page, as you described in the video, but I also feel terribly depressed after trying to draw. This leads to me procrastinating and fearing even more, as I don't want to feel like that. I'm even afraid and reluctant of trying what you suggested because of that.
Still, thank you for you amazing content and videos
That is quite common - always remember that mental health should come first and foremost. For some people, when they feel genuinely unable to cope with the stress (and it is stressful) of not performing well, then it is most important to have those underlying issues addressed with a professional so you can go on to experience a more joyful and fulfilling life without the constant need to prove yourself.
I'm not bothered by what others think of what I make. I'm not bothered by other people's judgment. Not even if I make something for someone. If someone tells me that something needs changing, I'll do it, and that's it. It's not the end of the world.
My own mind however, it's such a different beast. To hear all those voices inside me telling me I'm untalented, that I'm useless, that I'm a waste... it's the worst, and I've developed a huge fear of it, to the point where I stopped drawing altogether. It's so hard to "just do it" like everybody tells me to. But at the end of the day, the only way I'm ever getting rid of that fear and the pain that comes from not being at a level where I'm happy with myself is, well, to do it.
You weren't kidding when you said the 50% rule was hard. The whole mentality aspect of art, is, by far, the hardest part to me. I have no trouble learning or studying things, but when it comes to the psychological aspect of it, it feels grueling to have to draw something knowing I will be faced with those voices I mentioned before. But you know what? It makes it a little better to know I'm at least doing something to get rid of them, and not just laying in bed lamenting that I can't. It might still take a lot of energy and motivation from me to face that blank page, but I'm doing it.
One of the worst things about it all is that by its very nature, it makes us feel like we're unique in experiencing it. The voices tell us that everyone else is having a great time, that it's easy for them. It's isolating, which makes it that much harder to face. But in truth, it's the most common experience there is.
So keep at it, and remember that it's not a choice, to face those fears and stand up against those voices, that you make once. You make it every day. And sometimes, despite all your best efforts, it gets the better of you - but because it's a choice you make every single day, every new day brings a new opportunity to face it and knock it on its ass.
oh my gosh, this was perfect timing! Ive always tried to keep my sketchbook so neat & perfect n i thought i would satisfy myself that way ,but i was terribly wrong. Ive always admired when my favorite CZcams artists have a sketchbook tour and they looked so perfect that i made it my goal to have such a sketchbook & i could show it in my media platforms.When it came to facing my blank pages,frustration overtakes my inspiration ,'this line must curve this way(erase),this side isn't the same as this one(erase),why cant this angle co-respond with this one*shuts the book* 'might jus be experiencing a burnout' .I go lie down and feel agonized by every passing minute until u uploaded .This has made me realize that i was just having fear of ruining my pages,being a perfectionist in MY OWN books plus i was unfairly comparing myself with experienced artists.i feel dumb .Thank you so much uncomfortable ,ur a blessing in disguise 💎
Honestly those 'artist sketchbooks' messed with me a lot too, and they're still pretty intimidating to think about. So you're definitely not alone in that boat! I wish you the best in ruining your pages, and hopefully feeling a lot better about it.
@@Uncomfortable such luck appreciated im real good at destruction 😹.Im feelin much better now thanks for asking🧡
I have been going back and forth drawing because of exactly this. I started to draw about a year ago, but ended up giving up because i didnt know what to draw and was afraid of failing. I started drawing again and this this vid is exactly what i needed.
This was a great video and relatable! Thanks :).
The animation in the beginning was really cool! It was really incredible to see your evolution in your sketchbook. I'd also love to see a video where you teach how to draw from imagination like in this demo, and how the lessons from the site apply to this kind of drawing. Cheers!
I actually am working on a video about how to draw from your imagination (specifically in relation to the fact that I have aphantasia, or the inability to visualize things in my head) - though it won't be on this channel. I'm doing it in collaboration with a very well known youtuber. I'll be sure to announce it when it comes out.
@@Uncomfortable Wow, awesome! Can't wait to watch it.
When I start drawing for the day, I usually do one page of Automated Drawing. There, the bar is set so low that it doesn't matter how the page looks. The only goal is to put any marks on the page that cross my mind. Not even objects, just lines. And this helps me loosen up and gets me going for the day because I have already "failed" one page so the next mistakes won't sting as much and I'm already warmed up.
Here's the video on it: czcams.com/video/MJYGFwGhHnA/video.html
thanks for the tip. excellent video and advice. 🙏🏻
Since i decided to learn how to draw as i want, i've been doing it on such a slow and uncertain pace, doubting myself at every stroke, but this is my vow to not let it happen ever again, and if it does, i will just shrug it off, and get right back to it!
I want to come back to this comment every now and then, and i will surely be here again when i finally get where i want, but most importantly, i'll be here once again to remind me that i'll never really be where i want, because it is an eternal pursuit, so i might aswell just enjoy the ride and every small victory!
It all truly starts here!
God bless, more power to ya.
i teared up and actually needed a few moments after you said about the real reason why we as an artists wanted to create. for such a long time i was dismissive of it, of what i wanted to fill the pages with, of what i wanted to inspire in people's minds, i was so hooked up on the idea of gitting gud that i completely forgot about the initial goal of drawing of expressing myself trough it. something simple and obvious as this was unfathomable for me. thank you. i will ruin as many pages with my scribbles as i can
This really articulates what I didn’t know I was feeling. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
I just now stumbled upon Drawabox through radiorunner's curriculum and I'm blown away just hearing what you have to say in these first videos. The reason I want to leave a comment is because I really really appreciate you showed us your sketchbook and it wasn't perfect like a lot of other videos and posts I have seen where even their beginning was basically perfect. I will try the sketchbook spread challenge tonight as well even though it's already scary now.
If you're curious, I've got a full album of work all the way back to when I was 13/14 onwards. I like looking back and seeing how I've grown, and I like reminding others that we all start out godawful. imgur.com/a/Ca5JB
@@Uncomfortable that's awesome, thanks!
great video
The first sketchbook I have is a little bit expensive and it took me a month before I've got the courage to draw on it. I don't know where to start so I dig in through the internet and the first master I've encounter is Proko. I was so determined that if I follow his videos on CZcams I'll be great in no time but even following and buying Andrew Loomis' book from his recommendations didn't work. I dig in a little more and Reddit brought me to Drawabox.com. I'm so happy to learn that a word fundamentals exist because I don't need to work from scratch and learn everything by pure guess.
I can see a lot of progress from February of 2020 to this day. It's been 9 months and I'm starting to see through objects.
If I could give you a hug you probably won't be able to breathe. You just don't know how happy am I to be able to achieve a set of goal that I wouldn't be able to by myself.😁 Of course credit to the Discord community as well😊
I'm glad the lessons were able to have a big impact on you!
@@Uncomfortable definitely! Though I'm still afraid to create a polished artwork and all I've done is construct and study. Well, I'll try to overcome it somehow😁
Also, last thing to say is that because of that Discord server I think I grew matured and it sharpened my English skills😂. Overall, I've learned 3 lessons from it. What a deal it's 3 for 1😂
This is exactly what i needed
thank you dude
thanks! this actually inspired me too draw two pages everyday!!
Son of a b*** I'm in. I like how you gave us the clearest goal possible to actually make a differece and overcome this kind of fear
This is such a great video - I keep rewatching it to keep reminding myself
I am still not able to make movements with characters or face angles or basic proportions, could I do this from the notebook or should I not yet?
While I don't entirely follow what you're asking, I *think* I get the gist of it - but forgive me if my answer seems irrelevant.
This exercise has nothing to do with being able to draw well, being able to make the marks you intend, or any of that. It is entirely just about drawing, and facing that blank page. Allow yourself to draw poorly, to make mistakes, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're putting ink on that page.
Our boy is getting sponsored!
OHBOY.
This video is beautiful. Thanks a lot for the message, it really touched a nerve.
Hi There,
I've found Drawabox from a virtual word of mouth. I watched this video and i felt some kind of inspiration from you and this video. I hope you can help me when i join the lessons on your website.
I used to draw from 2007 to 2010. I felt that my drawings were absolute Trash. I was 25/26 years old when i gave up...but waaayyy before 2007 i just wished i could draw but i just couldn't! To explain this a bit more, i'm not just usual person sighting that i have issues with drawing. I am Autistic....Asperger’s mainly, with learning problems. I've struggled with learning *anything* in life...even with drawing.
Artists kept on telling me 'Practice Practice Practice' I said to myself...."what does this even mean"? I tried so hard to improve and just draw...but anxiety, low self-esteem, ADHD and no confidence stopped me. No matter how i tried to draw, i was not getting anywhere and my sketchbook remained blank or just filled with crappy sketches that doesn't adhere to any kind of artistic quality.
Fear of failure and depression contributes towards by inability to draw... :(
I'm 36 at this time of writing, sometimes i feel it's too late for me to start again...Many younger artists said to me recently that i was too old to start and i just dismissed their dumbass attitude. But i'm trying to start again... i feel like there are so many barriers to knock down and i feel some are just too hard to knock down :(
Plus, the lack of imagination from my brain plays a part too.... I feel maybe I’m not creative or imaginative enough... :(
I hope to start your lessons soon and i hope you see me around on the discord channel or elsewhere. I would appreciate any extra help you can give me. I sure someone reading this right now was exactly like me once and they found a way out of their predicament. I hope it's via drawabox or by other means....
My aim is to be a cartoon artist and eventually an animator. But i fear i'll never get there :(
Sorry for the long comment
So one thing that puzzles me is the idea of a younger person telling someone who's older than them that they're too old to start. There's logically no way for that younger person to actually have first hand experience proving their statement. Objectively, even if they were right (which they're not), they have no way of knowing that for themselves, and can only be full of shit.
People have picked up drawing at all stages of life. When I changed my career (I had been a programmer, professionally), I did it when I was still pretty young (just 23), but at the same time I was going to school with an Italian fellow who at the time was 36 - conveniently your age. Here's his work now: www.artstation.com/tppnr
Among my students, I have people in their 20s, their 30s, their 40s, and I've even had a few in their 60s. Everyone can learn, everyone can improve. The most important thing for you to keep in mind is that your depression, anxiety, and everything else will try to make it feel like the problem is that you lack skill or capacity for learning - when in truth, it is those very things (the depression, the anxiety, etc.) that will be your challenge.
Focus on addressing those with whatever resources you've got access to, and you'll find that learning to draw will be something that falls into place - purely because without those extra weights pressing so heavily upon you, you'll be better equipped to actually invest the time and work towards your goals.
@@Uncomfortable Dude, thanks for the reply! I appreciate it :) I will try my best but my lingering problems will keep on hindering my efforts. I will try the lessons soon :) see ya around!
Solid advice. I'll admit, reddit upvotes are my blank canvas's fear factor. I'm always thinking "will this drawing hit 1k or will it bomb" and I end up turning my drawing into a performance as opposed to drawing to impress myself.
It's a habit I'd wish to break but I'm still struggling with the idea that art is meant to be seen so I feel I have to show what I create.
but what if I haven't drawn for years, and even back then when I did use to draw, it wasn't even on basic levels and I genuinely don't know how to draw for the most part? does this still apply? 😭
Absolutely. The thing is that it's entirely common for people to feel that if their drawings don't look good, that they were somehow a waste of time, or not worthy of having been made. The point of what I'm discussing in this video, as well as in the "changing your mindset" video from drawabox's lesson 0, is that this manner of thinking is something we *must* break free of in order to get anywhere.
The point is to understand that whether your drawing comes out well, or how you intended it, doesn't matter. If anything, it's entirely necessary to spend a lot of time making a lot of shitty drawings, and while try as we might to avoid it and skip straight from guided/hand-holding courses, lessons, and exercises, it cannot be skipped.
You can learn how to do everything to technical perfection in the bubble of studies and training, but when you go out there to "perform" yourself, you will likely still shut down in the face of all the little things that only the experience of trying to draw things for yourself (and failing to draw them well) can teach you.
It's a lot easier however to get that experience if you start at it from the beginning alongside your actual studying, as the longer you delay it the more jarring the shift from drawing things competently as part of exercises to feeling considerably less competent when drawing on your own will be.
Your video really inspired me, thank you!! I realized that I stopped enjoying art about last year, and honestly I couldn't figure out why until a few months ago. Even then, I just figured I was bad at art and I'm being a perfectionist because I'm so bad. But earlier I did a quick sketch because my friend asked me to show them something, and I realized that since I was so excited to show my friend, and I wanted to get it done so I could show them, I didn't worry if it looked good or not. I actually enjoyed it. It turned out better than if I had actually TRIED to draw it.
I've always dreamed of making a comic, and I've been putting it off for months, but honestly I think I'm ready to atleast give it a try. I'm gonna try to just forget about pleasing others, and pleasing myself, and just make it. I don't know if ill make it right away, maybe ill try the drawing in a sketch book idea to help me not worry about it so much.
I'm thrilled to hear this - and I'm glad the video was able to push you in the right direction!
Man, this is deep, yet so simple. Thank you.
Time to look up sketchbooks to do this with. Also books good for certain mediums, especially ink since thats my favorite. Ooh...will doing a simple pencil underlying be a bad idea and I should go in raw with the inking?
For the purposes of this exercise, a pencil underlay would undermine what we're really after. Jump in with ink right from the beginning, and don't get caught up in what kind of sketchbook to use, or finding the perfect pen. It's not about creating anything good. It's just about creating.
@@Uncomfortable well I also have like a surplus of drawing materials I've been scared to use for years. Figured I can do this to start using them up. Perhaps start with the surplus of Cristal ballpoint pens I have
This happened to me just yesterday, so I'm grateful to have come across this video right now. I'm gonna _try_ and follow this guideline, maybe starting with one page a day, and see what happens. :)
I have aphantasia and you inspire me. Thank you!
I'm glad to hear that! I'm currently working on a video, in collaboration with Proko, that talks about aphantasia, and how I draw from my imagination. Look forward to it!
@@Uncomfortable omg that is SUPER! Thanks!
Thankyou for showing the sketchbook!! I have pages just like those and I felt ashamed of them for being so messy, even though they were done purely for fun. I'm gonna try the two pages a day now too :D while also learning from your amazing lessons ofc❣️
Thank you for sharing this! I had never thought of my sketchbook in this why. It is usually the "perfect drawing" route I do, although I know practice makes perfect so I've gotten more comfortable with the idea of failing. It sounds like you were of the same mindset until your friend around. How did you shift gears from drawing something in particular into drawing anything to fill two pages?
It's hard to pinpoint precisely what I did - the human brain is highly adaptable, but it's also prone to getting entrenched in certain ways of thinking. "Making a conscious decision" is therefore an entirely possible thing to do, but also much harder than it sounds. But that's more or less what I did. I treated it like one would treat any task that needs to get done, and eliminated the option of not doing it. If I can't go to bed until the page is full, then my focus shifts to filling the page, rather than drawing one beautiful thing. And so I become gradually more willing (especially as the hours of sleep I'm likely to get diminish), to just draw whatever.
After all, filling the page is something anyone can do. It's just about being willing to accept that fact, and what it really means.
@@Uncomfortable Thank you for the tip! This was night 1 of many to come. I started with just drawing shapes (never a bad time to draw shapes, am i right!) And slowly it morphed into anything and before I knew it, I got two pages.
@@chrisz2992 Fantastic!
i'd like to add, that if you're having an art block, and one day you keep staring at the blank page, not knowing what to draw or paint, and trying to force yourself into drawing a single line, then just trow it away. As soon as an idea comes to your mind, spill it on the paper without a hesitation. It doesn't matter how long it takes for your ideas to come, it can be days, months, maybe a year, but one day, and that day will come, just shake of your fears and spill it there!
The thing about art block is that we convince ourselves that we have no ideas. More often than not, it's what we're immediately throwing away the thoughts and ideas we do develop, because we don't think they're likely to yield *good* drawings - maybe they're too hard, and we filter them out immediately, barely realizing that we had the idea in the first place. So you're absolutely right - spill it onto the page without hesitation, the second anything crosses your mind.
Hello I want to submit my homework but the imgur website doesn't seem to be working. can you tell me some other way
While we recommend students use imgur (since it doesn't require an account, and their arrangement makes it easier to scroll through large-size images when doing critiques), you are able to use any public image host. Dropbox, google drive, etc. are all options you can use. Just pick one that you're comfortable with.
Hey nerds
When you're drawing in the sketchbook in this video, do you use your shoulder at all? It looks like you only use your wrist and fingers.
At 2:12 you'll see him uses his shoulder this is because he is drawing the basic form first so it's a silhouette. Since this is a small sketchpad his shoulder doesn't need to move that much but you can still see proof of that on some part of the drawing especially when he is drawing the bigger form. For details, you can't use the shoulder for it since it's just a small stroke and this is also being applied through Lesson 2 of DAB where you'll analyze texture/details by using your wrist.
I jump back and forth quite a bit. The reason I stress the importance of having students draw from their shoulders in Drawabox is so they don't need to think about it when a mark they're drawing *requires* them to draw from their shoulder. That experience and practice knocks down the barriers that stand in the way from the beginning, due to drawing from the shoulder simply not being a familiar thing.
Just like everything else we do in Drawabox, the rules apply *only* within the bounds of the course. What you do outside of the course is your own business. If you want to use a hammer to put a screw in some wood, that is up to you. I'm just showing you how a screwdriver can be used, and making sure you're comfortable with it so it gives you no more resistance than a hammer.
6:30 you said that you didn't know how to draw the thigs you wanted to draw and you said that your fundamentals were poor. I thought my skill level was somewhat good but when i both saw that and heard that i lost all of my confidence and determination.
i can only accept that people are born with a talent to draw and that is it, I cannot be proven otherwise.
You're a bit eager to jump straight to that extreme. At the point in time that the story I told in this video occurred, I had been drawing for ten years as a hobby. No targeted exercises, no courses, no structure, just drawing for the hell of it. It was extremely inefficient, but it was far from nothing. That helped me develop *some* observational skills, which combined with the use of reference for many of these drawings, allowed me to achieve what you see there. If you want to see what my first drawings looked like, you can look at the early images in this album which tracks my progress over the years: imgur.com/a/Ca5JB
Ultimately, if you want to come to that conclusion regardless, that's your prerogative. But I am not an example of "talent". I'm an example of someone who has done this for a very long time, who's doing decently now, but who yet still has much to learn. And furthermore, what I recount in this video was how I was able to transition my mindset towards one that would allow me to then go on to grow by the leaps and bounds I then did over the following two years.
I love the channel and the concept of drawabox! Ekster needs a $30 Textile Trifold wallet! I'd buy one for myself and two as gifts. Can't rationalize an animal wallet that costs more than the amount of money I'd keep in it...
Popped up as i was staring at a blank psge for ten minutes
I have an idea,will it be alright if we have an app instead/along with the drawabox.com website,it just makes critiquers and students very likely to be active and get feedbacks fast
While I am working towards improving the system to increase the rate of feedback being given for those submitting for free community critique, it's dependent on getting a bunch of other things in place first, so it'll be a ways off. I am not however planning on creating a Drawabox app, as simply having an app would not in and of itself improve engagement. The problems are more systemic than that, and involve actually providing concrete incentive to providing feedback - especially for those getting official feedback to then pass on what they've learned to those who aren't.
The videos could be subtitled in Portuguese. I enjoy your work a lot
6:45 Anyone else feel that bang of depression when he criticizes his early drawings as being "quite poor". I am striving to even reach this "poor" level. Hahaha. It's all good and I am enjoying drawing just the same.
I wonder if your skill is closer to this level now? This was his big realization, but he had been drawing consistently for years at this point!
Thank you! This really helped me to jump over that last lump of fear before starting draw box.
Oh, that one perfect page. The less than perfect ones are incredible to me. I can see where I've been. Where I need to go. The messy unsure drawings are part of me. The perfect one is too. Yet it isn't.
That is absolutely a great outlook to have.
Lmao u post after months!!! Welcome back sensei, this really inspired me. Will u be posting often or are you going to vanish again
Hahaha, well I've got more time to devote to rerecording demos for the lessons, and producing more one-off videos like this. So you should see more of me over the coming months.
Is it being in ink so that you don't erase mistakes? Or was that just a preference?
That is correct - working in ink meant that I had to commit myself, though since we're working in ballpoint it's not *as* strict as it could be. For example, through much of the Drawabox lessons, we use fineliners which are *far* less forgiving. But still, a ballpoint pen will require you to accept the marks you've made and develop more confidence than a pencil, or digital tools would allow.
wait, i feel like this fear would be stronger if you were to draw on an actual sketchbook. If, on the other hand, you were drawing on a 0.80 EUR cheap school notebook with lines (or not) I think it would be less of a fear cuz it's not a (maybe fancy) sketchbook. right ?
Do you use reference for these drawings? Or is this SOLELY for filling up the page and thus not worrying about the fact that you don't know what the thing you're drawing actually looks like?
With the pages I showed of the old sketchbook, I did a mixture of drawing from reference, drawing from imagination, and mixing the two. For the drawings I recorded, I worked from imagination - though waaay back in 2012, when I did this exercise initially, I didn't have the visual library nor the grasp of form to be able to do that the way I am now.
But of course, for the purposes of this exercise, it doesn't *really* matter. Since the goal is to fill the pages, it doesn't actually matter if our drawings come out looking good, or even recognizable. So the use of reference is not mandatory here, and if you find yourself getting caught up in finding "the perfect reference" then I'd recommend just working from imagination. It doesn't hurt, though, to have a handful of images up in front of you, as long as it didn't take much time or effort to find them.
This hit home SO hard. Thank you for this 🙏
I really needed this video.
Currently, at the 250 boxs challenge and I sometimes get an idea to try and draw my favourite character but I get scared, cause like I have only finished lesson 1 and I always tell myself that I'll start drawing my ideas when I finish all the lessons cause at least I'll be better. I realized that's just an excuse not to draw but I don't wanna get discouraged if It doesn't turn out good. I'm not aiming for perfect but at least presentable
Try drawing what you want multiple times with different perspectives. Maybe you'll be happy with at least one. If not, atleast you have gained more experience from doing several drawings. If you're scared its gonna be crap, draw on a singe paper and throw it away afterwards :P
@@12345bil12345 I can do that, but I also don't want to draw without having at least a bit practice like figure drawing ya know so I can draw poses and stuff. I'll for sure be throwing a lot of them away or decide to keep them to see how much I've improved.
@@crsag1473 I'm doing the same, practicing figure drawing, however its important to practice regular drawing alongside figure drawing. They sort of go hand in hand and your skills will benefit by you doing both.
@@12345bil12345 yeah i havent started figure drawing yet. I want to finish draw a box first and then start with figures and I dont know what comes after that but yeah...I think I'll definitely have more courage to draw once I finish draw a box and I'll start drawing regularly
@@crsag1473 You're not really supposed to finish drawabox before you should start drawing regularly though. I refer you back to Lesson 0: drawabox.com/lesson/0/2/ready
if most of my enjoyment with art will come from being at a level where I can actually create the images I want, why shouldn't I go 100 now and dial it back once I'm at a more satisfactory level? (also ty very much for this free course, u are a tremendous blessing.) I understand wanting to find enjoyment regardless of the results and not wanting to be overwhelmed/overworked... but idk.
So what we talk about in this video is really an extension of the 50% rule of Drawabox - I think watching the video on that specifically (which you'll find here: czcams.com/video/n2Px_OAuXlI/video.html ) will help you get a little more perspective on why it's so critical to shift the source of that enjoyment *away* from the results you produce.
@@Uncomfortable wow once again helped tremendously. It’s true, how can i go anywhere if i dont put this information to practice. When is enough information ever going to be enough? There’s always going to be more to learn. These shitty drawings will kill me but ill push through. Thank you
Great video, thank you for sharing, but wait there's more! Right? I went through all the comments. It's odd on my phone I can't search through the comments faster. Anyhow, you mentioned that you draw until two pages are filled. Granted I fill most of the page with my consciousness.
Is there a time limit? I mean I eventually get to the point of rediculus. But, I guess that's why we are drawing it at night. Whenever I'm too tired to keep drawing or is there something else I'm missing?
Ultimately you decide these things for yourself - but the key point is to decide them *before* doing the task, so you're not picking your threshold based on how you feel at a given moment. Being consistent day to day is what matters. Whether you want to do 1 page, 2 pages, or more, and regardless of what *you* define to be a full page, as long as you're aiming for the same goal each day, then it'll work for the purposes of this kind of exercise.
As to a time limit, no. The only limit is the number of pages, and whatever you consider to constitute "filled".
@@Uncomfortable exciting points, thank you for getting back to me. Somehow, the exercise got me thinking about the Artist Way by Julie Carmen. Similarly, I write my morning pages as I would draw my conscious in the evening.
Do I draw from my imagination while filling the pages or use reference?
It depends. If you're specifically focusing on getting over the fear of drawing, the fear of failure, the fear of looking silly - then just spending your time putting marks on the page is best, without worrying about reference. Once you find yourself being able to draw on command (even if the drawings themselves are crap) more comfortably, then you can start working with more reference. I do however recommend working with multiple pieces of reference rather than just trying to reproduce a single one. It's very easy for people to rely just on doing direct studies of one reference image, simply because it isn't nearly as scary as having to make a lot of the decisions yourself. At the end of the day, reference should be used as a tool for exercises like this - not as something to copy directly.
@@Uncomfortable Ah. Thank you! ^^
Thank you, I really needed this video for a long time now