A Guide to the Dreaded 'Art Block'

Before I bring you on this 'journey' through the world of art block, I will tell you the most important thing you should know about it.
The art block doesn't exist, neither does the world of art block.

I'm guessing you are thinking something like this.
Then why do I have periods in life where I have no ideas of what to draw? The time my watchers think I'm dead.

The art block is simply an excuse. That's all. It's a bad, fake reason for the poor artists out there to use - but the problem is, you probably have no idea it is an excuse, do you? Think of this... you always have an imagination. If you are or are not an artist (which is impossible. You've at least drawn a dot or drawn on your parents wall one) there is a little chunk of your brain that screams ideas from time to time, inspired by music, other artists, your life, or it can be a random idea.

Sometimes your imagination 'hides'. It's had enough and vanished into the corner of your room, where you can't find it. That's all right, I'll tell you how to keep your brain occupied later.
Now, some people think there is a block in between you and your imagination. Nope - not at all. It's you blocking this, and your imagination has some part in this evil scheme as well.

Why would I not want myself to think of ideas?
That's what I hoped you'd ask.
You enter a part of your artist life where you are lazy. This time happens at least once a year, and sometimes you just don't know it. You run out of inspiration, you've drained up all the ideas from songs, you just can't suck an idea into your brain.
Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.

All those reasons are idiotic.
I'm not calling you an idiot, I'm calling you lazy. Go on, rant all you want, but while you throw words I don't want to hear at me, read.
Inspiration is like our universe. Wait - it's like the thing holding all the universes. Or the things holding all the things holding the u- all right, I don't want to confuse you, do I?
We can never, ever, ever discovered everything in our universe, or the thing holding all the universes. It's impossible. Things shift out of our reach, but we evolve.

Like inspiration.
Imagine all your ideas used and not used floating in space. There are billions! You have no idea what they are, probably because you can't reach them. You haven't used everything you can to get to them, such as songs, other artists, books, life, ect.
See? Laziness.
Stop being lazy, and find a few things to inspire you. Look back in scrapbooks, think up events in your life, your favourite book, least favourite, think of old childhood books you loved as a kid, look up world history, do everything possible - get your artistic technology ordered and fit it into your brain!
Now, onto part two.

Part Two
How to find your imagination

As I said, there is no such thing as art block. It's your imagination being lazy, you being even more lazy, not enough inspiration, ect.

How the heck do I find my imagination? I've looked everywhere!

This isn't about how to find your imagination neccesarily, but how to distract yourself while it gets bored of hiding and comes out.

1. A good option that makes you make art!
Look at the oldest page in your gallery. It might be page 2 or page 60, but go to it. Look at a piece you were proud of when you made it, but not so much any more.

That's a piece of crap.

Good. Now stop ranting, click on it and look at it for a second.
Imagine you didn't draw it, you are a reviewer that writes fair reviews. Now, you need the cons. Zoom in and find places that could use fixing up, like oversized feet, flabby lips, squished buildings.
Once you have more cons than pros (which is quite easy when looking back at someone else's work - remember to imagine it isn't yours - to find more cons than pros. Especially on old works).
Open up your art program, or find a paper and pencil. Keep your old work up, and look back once more at the cons.
Draw it.
Draw the piece of art, fixing up all the cons.

When you are finished drawing the improved piece of art, look at them both.
I thought you were teaching me to find my imagination, not rant about my own art!
No, I was teaching you how to make art during this imaginary art block (a.k.a an excuse).

You just made art.


Your imagination has to be peering into your brain from time to time after this, hoping you'll start to imagine a little better.

Shhhh. Pretend it isn't there.


I challenge you to draw what you 'suck' at. Really, you can't 'suck' at anything, you just don't want to learn it.
Lets say you hate drawing humans, they always turn out mooshed. Draw a portrait of a human's face. You decide weither it's realistic, semi-realistic or plain unrealistic. Once you've done a sketch, get onto the lineart. Fix up anything you need to fix up, and remember to REFERENCE what you draw. Look at photos, look at your little sister, whatever you want.
Fix it until there is nothing to fix.

Colour it, again using reference.
Then move onto waist-up drawings, when that's done, onto full body. Then more than one.

YOU'VE MADE ART AGAIN!
And improved at the same time.
Told you I could make you occupied.

The last thing is open up commissions. Or even requests. Enter contests.
After that, your imagination is probably knocking at your bedroom door, begging for you to let it back into your brain.

Now get songs out, go into the universe with your new skill.
Make art, my fellow artist.

-CcocoC