The “My Drawing Sucks” Syndrome
Frustration.
Do you find yourself starting a lot of drawings, but never finishing a single one?
You start, but half the way in you get frustrated because “it doesn’t look right T_T fuck“ and give up. Sounds familiar?
The “My drawing sucks” syndrome
It’s the classic “My drawing sucks” syndrome. The “something is off” feeling you can’t quite define which lingers after you are past the sketching phase and need to actually take the drawing to a finish.
You start correcting. You erase. No, it’s still off. How the hell is this muscle drawn? FUCK.
Then, full of rage and frustration, you give up and go doing something less depressing.
Did I get it right? 😀
The number one reason for getting stuck while drawing is the lack of strong fundamentals. Is perspective correct? Does it look three-dimensional? How is anatomy?
Instead of just saying “my drawing sucks”, try to spot real, measurable weaknesses you can tackle, then work them out one by one, starting from the worst offender.
If you recognize yourself in this, try to set aside some time each day to strengthen a weakness you have: whether it’s values, perspective, composition or shape design, analyze the reason why you get stuck. How about keeping a record of that? If you see a pattern, work on that for a week and see if it helps.
If you can carry through the “technical” phase of a drawing, or rather not even have to think about technicalities in the first place, then it becomes as enjoyable and expressive as it can be.
Of course there might be cases where your piece is technically sound, but you still don’t like it. It’s missing something, but what?
In this case, I suggest you try to put it next to some art produced by your favorite artist – someone you’d like to emulate. Compare the two (yes… it is miserable), and try to guess what makes the one you like tick. Especially if you have not produced any artwork you are proud of, you need to know what finished looks like, so using another artist as a comparison is a no-brainer. I actually always suggest keeping some of your favorite art on the side when drawing and painting – all the time.
This is also very good when you literally don’t know how to continue. If you are lucky enough, the
Artists you reference will have at least some process videos or tutorials. If not, you will have to try to guess from the end result and eventual process shots/sketches, but at least you have an idea of the goal you want to reach.
That said, be careful! This might make you even more depressed, so try to not let yourself fall into the “I will never be this good” spiral. You will get there, it just takes time.
Just stick to it.
Want more? Here are some ideas to get you started
Characters
– Traveling Bard
– Alchemist Tinkerer
– Cyberpunk Wise Elder
Creatures
– Storm Gryphon
– Ember Sylph
– Burning Yeti
Environments
– Astral Observatory
– Bioluminescent Reef
– Clockwork Canyon
Need Feedback?
Join our discord server (it’s free of course).
Or, if you need additional or personalized feedback, consider my mentorship program
Artist of the week
