TUTORIAL // simple exercises to do when you are short on energy, time, or inspiration

It’s time for this month’s tutorial! This one is about simple exercises to do when you are short on energy, time, or inspiration. I feel like all artists run into situations like this from time to time. Those of us who can allocate a lot of time to drawing might somtimes feel burnt out or drained, and those of us who have less time for drawing struggle to make choices on what to spend their precious time on. So for this tutorial, I demonstrate six exercises you can do in those situations. Here’s a list of them:

SHORT ON INSPIRATION

• Draw simple, intuitive shapes
• Try a different medium from what you know
• Redraw an older piece

SHORT ON TIME / ENERGY

• Simplify your workflow to focus on one thing
• Draw the same subject in different styles
• Limit your tools to maximize your subjects

I go through these exercises fairly quickly because I wanted to demonstrate the idea behind them rather than the technique. However, if you want to know more about the technique behind the demos, I have more detailed tutorials that explain the process for them! Here’s a list:

• Creating interesting & flowy shapes: This tutorial talks about shape language and how it can influence your entire process, from initial sketch to rendering. It expands on the ideas that I talk about in the first exercise. Find it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/tutorial-flowy-64260217
• Sculpting with color: This tutorial runs you through the sculpting with color workflow, which is also something I reference in the first exercise. Find it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/tutorial-with-53897099
• Creating vibrant skintones: This is a more expanded version of the exercise where I simplify my workflow to focus on one thing, and talks about how I choose colors to make skintones look more vibrant and ‘alive.’ Find it here:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/tutorial-vibrant-55315596
• Creating flowy & dynamic lines with ink: This tutorial expands on the tools and techniques I use to create inked artworks, which is something I quickly demonstrate in the last exercise (limiting your tools). Find the inking tutorial here:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/tutorial-flowy-56706948
• Using the lasso tool to ‘paint’ (step-by-step): This resource shows you the steps involved in using the lasso tool and gradient to paint, which is something I do in the first exercise. Find it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/step-by-step-36570445

I also touched on mental health topics a little more in this one, since I feel like having limited time or resources for drawing tends to foster negative thinking. The irony is that boosting our confidence and having a positive mindset is really important to artistic growth, and is therefore extra important to have in these situations! So I give some tips and ideas for addressing our mental health during drawing sessions like these.

The subtitled version is coming right up in a minute! I hope you enjoy this tutorial and as always, feel free to share your thoughts or feedback anytime!