Hi, i'm new here
hehe
anyhoo, i've been sketching for a while now and for the most part can imitate simple works and what not
(as can probably anyone else...not really a skill )
anyhoo, i've come to a little snag you see
i have this deep urge to express myself by drawing my own things
and therein lies my snag
for some reason, i have absolutely NO imagination whatsoever
i can have all my materials right infront of me, and perhaps a small idea in my mind,
but i can seem to see "the big picture" you know?
i just see bits and pieces of my idea, but i cannot seem to give it life on paper
and too be honest its really depressing me
so much so that i'm talking about it in a forum...
so, my question basically is, is there an exercise to help you...you know...get the same stuff that artists have in their mind...like full mental vision...
lol, the more i write about this the stupider i feel
but i'm kinda getting desperate, the fact that i'm talentless has never really bothered me until now, and i'm scared there is no way for me to progress
but i REALLY don't want to stop, its too...
heheheh
anyhoo, feel free to bash me for being stupid
just wanted to vent a bit

Don't be so hard on yourself. Everybody has felt this way. If you have ambition to draw you will see your talent.

Lets say all you know you want to draw is a tiger then you first sketch out your tiger in any position, and if you can't do that, take it from a picture like on the internet. If you think about it enough you'll discover what you want your background to be and then you can sketch that. You can make dozen of sketches just so you can get it right. All you need is practice and you will get it faster.

There is a quote that is coming to mind right now, I think it was by Van Gogh but it went like : If there is a voice inside yourself saying 'You can't paint' then paint and that voice will go away.

This is a question that I think most of us ask ourselves. Can I be creative in my own right? No answer for you as I am asking that of myself. What I can tell you is that the better you are at drawing skills the more likely that you will be able to do your thing when it comes up. There are some good challenges here for you to try. I just finished my first cartoon. It was kind of fun to do. I used the little animals they gave to get you thinking, but from there it was all mine. Anyways, check things out.
Paulette

Try the Sketching From Life Thread and just spontaneously start drawing things. Sometimes as you are drawing something then something else pops into your mind etc. You never know when that urge to draw is going to hit you or that creative burst. If you try thinking about it too much, you'll just worry yourself into depression. LOL

just like everyone else says practice practice and more practice. we all have the same or had the same problem at one point as you are now. we all have started somewhere. just jump in and do weekly challenges- and post no matter how bad you THINK you are. do sketches everyday-- and as painter said get references from the internet-i cant draw from my imagination. yet. i am working on that and just like paulette i just posted my first cartoon also. i dont think its very good but it is a start. and then others came to mind. just keep practicing and i know you will get there. where you want to be. and just have fun--thats the most important is to have fun and enjoy what you are doing. come on and join us
Lori

How very true - a lot of us do have this dilemma... actually I have nightmares about it!

Apart from what everyone else said you would do well to research composition - that is how to construct a drawing or painting. I've just been reading Brenda Hoddinott's excellent chapter on composition in her book DRAWING FOR DUMMIES and I think she does also briefly deal with it in one of her lessons on this site.

Good luck and please do keep trying... you really have nothing to lose and the more you practice and push yourself the more likely you are to succeed.

Why do so many of us stop drawing

The answer is sadly simple.

We do not recognise the value of our conceptual drawings, nor do we take the necessary steps to learn to draw perceptually. As we grow, our critical faculties develop,which can be as negative as they are constructive,and we soon learn to judge our attempts as inadequate.Insensitive remarks from adults such as Whats that supposed to be? are hardly helpful.Alongside this we are taught that writing and arithmetic are more, rather then equally,

important Consequently, many of us neglect to continue to practise any of our drawing skills

.Many years later, when we attempt to draw again , we are appalled at the results.Once more we are focusing on a negative view of the end rather then on what might be an enjoyable process of exploring the means irrespective of result


also read this http://www.drawspace.com/lessons/lesson.php?id=a02

Haaaa...Thank you
It feels so good to hear the thoughts of others to put your thoughts in perspective
I like the idea of weekly challenges, cause usually i just wait until i get the itch to sketch before i actually get to art (which can take weeks to hit me sometimes)
With these "challenges" i might force myself to improve
Again, thank you all for your kind words, i cannot express how much i appreciate it

I do hope you work it out and realize it is ok to have a idea that is your own and look for a picture on the net of whats in your head . like maybe two people holding eachother .. well its hard for anyone to draw that perfectly without a image to go off of ..its not wrong to find your idea and go from there .. its still your work .. you dont have to make the drawing just like the image . I know you got all your help but I just wanted to say that

your welcome anytime

Asad, I have that problem alot of times...OMG do I have it. I usually just start looking at all of the free reference photo sites on the web and looking through pictures. Then I end up saving alot of them and I take a few of them and then make a composition from them in my own way and draw. It helps alot and I can usually come up with some pretty pictures. As far as making my own, I need reference material for what ever it is. They are not a bad thing. You can turn a person in a particular position into just about anything, or a background into something spectacular. When I use reference it brings out my imagination alot of times. So search the web or try some of the challenges and such and I am sure you will come up with something.

Everyone has dreams. Try drawing something you have seen in one of your dreams; draw a family member doing something interesting or not so interesting. You have to aks yourselfl, "What do I enjoy drawing most?"

Asad, everyones suggestions are very good .the inspiration that makes me want to draw or paint is the contrast of objects(light hitting in a certain spot as opposed to shadows that is to say the contrasts)also colours or perhaps the subject matter.Draw what inspires you and you will get the WOW factor..Goodluck Lorrir.[attachmentid=2949]

Asad,

This hit and miss attitude is what is holding you back...if you wish to improve in your art then you must take a proactive stance and just draw!!!! Draw anything...your keys, the dog, a book....anything around you. Yes, somethings may not spark your creativity and you may find a wee bit boring, but in those moments when you push yourself to continue you will learn. We learn by doing and that is when we will see improvement and discover that we do have the skills to continue on our artistic journey!!! Not every drawing will be good, but you will learn something from it....good or bad!

So just get your pencils and paper and draw!!!!! No more put downs either...we all have a starting point!!! A place to begin. This is what my work looked like 3 yrs ago..........http://bebo.com/PhotoAlbum.jsp?PhotoNbr=1&PhotoAlbumId=443295 cut and paste this url into your bar. You can look at some of my current work in my gallery to see how far I have come.

It just takes time, practice and patience!!!
Laura

Lorrir nice painting ? I think its paint lol very pretty .
Laura you always have the right thing to say .. I sure am glad we have you here ....you know I read alot of your advice and use it myself