From a former thread I started about bad drawing days. I mentioned how I was finding it hard to concerntrate on my drawing and worked out it was because I felt pressured by time. As I was usually sitting down to draw when my 2 year old daughter went for her nap.
How do other people make time for their drawing. Especially if you have young children.
My daughter loves to draw and colour and recently just got her own drawing desk for her birthday. So I can usually do a bit of drawing when she is at her desk. But its not often!

sweetie, just grab the minutes when you can, the babes will grow up so fast, even though it may not seem so at the moment, cherish them and treasure them and just scratch a line when you can, i think getting her her own supplies and desk was a great idea. my babes are grown, so i have more time, but i do look back on fond memories. I have a painting my son did when he was about 8, we sat side by side and each did the same pic and i so treasure that..
just grab a free minute when it soars by..

I work in the IT field and sit in front of the computer all day long. I have lots of free time (work at home) which could be spent working on drawing. However, I find it very difficult to switch between the logical thinking mind I use for work and the very much untrained creative side. From what I understand, these are to very different parts of the brain and since I am now in my middle ages just starting to train the right side (creative) it is very hard to bounce back and forth. At least I use this as my excuse when the end of the day comes I have have not picked up a pencil After work I still find it hard to get motivated, I tend to find other things that are more important to do. I guess just sitting drawing can seem to be a waste of time when the weather is warm and the sky is blue.. Don't beat yourself up, do what you can, when you actually feel like doing it, otherwise it becomes work and not fun or enjoyable. I know you want to improve and have that good feeling of accomplishment when the drawing is done, but if you are pressuring yourself to get there, what good is that..

lol I laugh because reading what you posted here I found myself into it. I know very well what you mean and I am agree with you. In some days I'm just look at the pictures of other artists or read about some techniques that could help me to improve my skills in drawing, and just because as you mentioned "After work I still find it hard to get motivated, I tend to find other things that are more important to do.". I am fascinated by the blending technique, I'm trying to improve my skill in this way and this motivates me to continue and "to train the right side (creative)".
Sorry for my English if...

I sit in front of the computer most of the day myself...

My hurdle is getting myself to "sit" in front of the table when I get home.. I sit in an office chair all day and its the last thing I wanna do at home.. darn it my butt hurts! I'll doodle on the sofa, but to truly have the proper form and do my best work I need to be at the table.. if they would just let me lay down on the job all this would be solved!

To those fed up with sitting, to draw, after working in an office - don't sit. Buy yourself an easel (french, radial, or H-frame - don't buy a "sketching easel", they are useless, they fall over if you sneeze) , and draw standing at it.

Finding time to draw can be challenging...I have 3 daughters (ages 1,2 and 4) I do allot of my drawing on newspapers at work on my lunch break...at the dmv, or doctor apointments I never take a drawing pad with me just a pen. Also I've cut my computer/tv time in half...that helps allot. I let the kids play in the back yard where I can keep an eye on them and they'll play for hours. But if you have an only child I think it's harder to find time for yourself. But I do agree, enjoy the kids while they are young. My problem right now is my kids don't want to draw so much on their own coloring books/drawing pads...they want to work on what I'm drawing. I drew my mom last year and spent about 3 hours on it ...I walked away for 5 minutes and when I came back the kids had given her Joker lipsitck (as in the Dark Knight), balloon earings and oh yeah...purple and red hair. It was not so funny back then...but now I'm kind of proud of them for it...good times.

I have three kids. I couldn't find time for drawing, but in one day I decided, that's it, I need time for myself. We made an agreement with kids, that I will have an hour every day just for myself. Boys keep eye on daughter at this time. It helps a lot. And then I find interesting activities for my daughter, so she does her things and I do mine. And there are always an extra hour or two when she goes to sleep.

It depends on how badly you want to do something as to whether you make time for it or not. However you do it. its going to be down to you to rearrange your schedule and find that time. If you sit in front of the television for 2 hours at night, you could be drawing instead.

When my children were small - under 5 - I would do all my drawing at night when they'd gone to bed or once in school when they were in school. If you work as well, it would be evening when you draw or lunchtimes perhaps. It was important enough for me to block off that time to myself to ensure that I was happy. I rarely went to bed early because I wanted that time and wanted to succeed and improve my ability more than anything else.

With small children around, it is near impossible to draw, even if they have their own supplies as they invariably want what you have So you can invest in a child minder for a couple of hours a few days a week or wait until they go to bed. Now my children were always in bed by 7pm or before when they were under 5, but these days children seem to go to bed at all hours so that could be a challenge for some.

We make a variety of excuses for not doing what we really want to do. Break down the barriers and allow yourself to do what YOU want to do in life.

Thanks for all the great responses. My DD goes to bed at 8 and I sat down to draw tonight. But I seem to find it hard to relax and concerntrate. Does anyone have any good drawing exercises to do before you start a drawing ?
Just to help focus and loosen up.
Many Thanks

i have a smoke, helps every time

haha Oliver.. maybe with a beer and chaser to!

For exercises to get you loosened up, a lot of the tutorials right here work great! Not something I always do but I have done a couple of the small quick lessons from right here to get me in the right mindset.. Like the little Gremlin or practicing mirroring patterns.. or even a value scale..

Thought that you quit smoking? I am falling back to smoke this year too. And yes it helps, also to have a break from drawing and come back with fresh eyes.

*sigh* i am such a junkie, I know..I have cut my smoke in half which in itself is a miracle..but ya know, i still miss that smoke when i sit down to draw, so off i go for a puff, then i can settle in..I am such an addict...It is so discouraging

Just think of it this way. Nobody likes a quiter.

As far as setting time aside, I think that's OK, and I have done that myself, only to discover that I'm not really in the right frame of mind to draw or paint!

This is my statement:- I'm going to stop smoking for good.
I haven't had a cigarette since Saturday as I've been feeling really rough. I finally went to the Doctor this morning and I have a severe respiratory infection. I just felt I couldn't breathe, then went panicy because I couldn't get a breath. I'm now on strong antibiotics and steroids and have to go back to see him next week. Luckily, he didn't ask me if I was still smoking as I would have felt really stupid saying I'd just stopped because I was feeling ill.

Good for you.
Get some patches or nicotine gum. They really help.