A very impatient person, need advice.

[Lauren Tyler]

That's the real reason I have trouble with learning to draw, I'm so damn impatient.

I need to improve it, but I don't know what to do. Any suggestions? (Note this is for helping to be more patient, not learning to draw!)

 

[Mz Chaos]

First of all... don't force it.

Try playing mellow music while you draw.

If that fails... and if you have the inclination... try smoking a little weed to relax you and get your creative juices flowing.

I really can't help you beyond that... sometimes the muse comes easy... sometimes she comes kicking and screaming... all I know is that when I'm in the right mindset... and there has to be a right mindset... drawing comes as natural to me as breathing.

Hope that helped a little at least.

 

[Fire_Sprite]

Practice. Impatience is irrelevant, that's the only way to get good.

 

[Saeria]

I learned my artistic patience from my high school art teacher. Every semester she would start on a watercolor painting that was roughly 24 x 36, usually of race horses (that was her favorite subject) and she would spend the entire semester on it. I would always watch with fascination as she first drew in, then eventually painted, highlit and shadowed every single blade of grass. Of course, i was young and very impatient, so this concept just blew my mind. But the end result.. man, i wish i could just show you a sample of the things she'd create but sadly i can't find a thing on the interwebz. Everything was so intricate, so perfect. Delaying gratification.
It was through watching her that i calmed down a bit, stopped expecting myself to churn out a masterpiece every 30 minutes. But, there are still times i too tend to get impatient, that's why i tended to start more than one painting at a time.

 

[Bohemianne]

Wish I could just illustrate and say exactly what patience is to an illustrator. As far as drawing is concerned, maybe it is at the edge of madness at times. You get used to it when it aches at many levels until it hits you with spikes. Then you'll learn to love the pain. If it makes sense.

You can start by not declaring you are impatient. You are auto-suggesting it big time. Scratch that.

 

[Capnmad]

You can start by not declaring you are impatient. You are auto-suggesting it big time. Scratch that.

Well said.

Other thoughts I think are useful:

There is no patience as an artist -- there is only acceptance of your imperfection, and an eraser.

Patience is almost like jealousy but with a time limit. Stop evaluating yourself according to the standards set by others and strive for what's achievable, one piece at a time. Congratulate yourself when you've crafted a hand or lip or simple curve of a body just the way you wanted. These little enjoyments and the desire to see their completion in a finished work will help power your way through flaws.

Take time off from projects, change your surroundings, jog, get a coffee, buy a cool magazine, see a movie, hang with friends, or whatever it is that relaxes you and lets your mind unwind from monomaniacal focus on one project.

 

[Sandrock74]

There is an old saying that every artist has a thousand bad drawings in them. You have to get those thousand drawings out of the way. You know what that means? PRACTICE!

Just keep drawing...thats the only way. Patience just goes hand-in-hand with art.

 

[Mz Chaos]

There is no patience as an artist -- there is only acceptance of your imperfection, and an eraser.

 

[Lauren Tyler]

I guess you're all right. I guess I need to practice, practice, practice... and stop getting angry at myself every time I screw up.

 

[Deleted member 66627]

Keep telling yourself that if you rush, it's going to look like shit. Then instead of being pissed at being impatient, you'll be pissed at it looking like shit.

 

[lemoncake]

Look at it like a journey, not a race. You will get better as long as you commit some time to it. I took an oil painting class 2 years ago, and my first painting was horrible, by the time I got to my 6th painting, you could see the difference, it was pretty cool. I hated having to sit in class for 4 hours, so I would take small breaks, walk around, chat with people, eat, listen to music. I keep art journals to track my progress and if I am really getting frustrated I walk away from something or start a new project and come back to the old one when I am ready. I like to make inspiration folders too, just of pictures I have collected, colors I like, or ideas I jot down. I also now take pictures of things to show them from start to finish, that really helps me out. I'm starting to video tape myself paint and draw too, just to see how much time I spend on things. I am the most impatient person when it comes to art, thats why I enjoy spray painting, its like instant gratification sometimes, and other times you think you make a mess, but it turns out wonderful. Screw ups are awesome, they teach us things.

 

[gluestick]

I’m sure this will be blasphemy to most artists on here but you might want to consider tracing. OK, everyone drop your pitchforks…
Don’t get me wrong- eventually you will need to draw free-hand if you’re going to produce legitimate art. But if you are getting frustrated with proportions, perspective, etc, and it takes you forever just to make simple figures then tracing photos is the way to go. You can trace a photo in about 10 minutes to give you general figures then make your own personal touches. Ink your lines, color it with paint and you can churn out something “decent” in 2-3 hours. My very first drawing (‘April tickles Irma’) was done this way. It wasn’t great and possibly not even good, but it gave me the itch to continue drawing. I began draw “Shy girl tickled by professor” by tracing but went freehand about halfway through it because I gained confidence and I had a good feel for it. After that piece I was confident enough to go freehand and never looked back (although I still look at references as a guide for poses).
So if you’re looking to pump out something quick give tracing a try. You’ll gain confidence, see results quick, and move closer to drawing freehand.

 

[Cosmo_ac]

my advice would be to enroll in an art class, and let them set the pace for you. That might be helpful. Atmoshpere can do a lot for an artist.

 

[Lauren Tyler]

I'd love to enroll in a drawing class... but the only one in my area runs late at night (although 7:30-9:30 PM isn't all that late right now) in a bad part of town... according to my mom. She doesn't know that area as well as I do... >_>

 

[Mz Chaos]

I’m sure this will be blasphemy to most artists on here but you might want to consider tracing. OK, everyone drop your pitchforks…
Don’t get me wrong- eventually you will need to draw free-hand if you’re going to produce legitimate art. But if you are getting frustrated with proportions, perspective, etc, and it takes you forever just to make simple figures then tracing photos is the way to go. You can trace a photo in about 10 minutes to give you general figures then make your own personal touches.

I forgive you.

But only because I was watching a program once that told of some of the great artists in the past who traced before they painted those pictures that are now worth millions.
Not only that but I met a painter once that told me he couldn't draw worth shit but was an excellent painter.

I, myself, can draw anything... I use charcoal, pastels or my personal favorite, pen and ink... (I have taken comissions and sold my work, not a lot but enough) Unfortunately though, if you put a paintbrush in my hand... the picture ends up looking like something even a five year old wouldn't be proud of.

Hang in there Larcen... the muse will come in her own good time. In the meantime... you have gotten some excellent advice here to put to use.

 

[Saeria]

I traced all the time when i was a kid. It helped me become familiar with proportions as well as gain a natural eye for composition and balance. Just copying a picture never worked for me as I'm too much of a perfectionist and simply couldn't accept anything less than an exact copy.