How to Get Over Art Block

During your art career, you will inevitably come across periods of art block, when you’ll have little inspiration and likely little motivation to create art. Here are some tips to help you out during those times!

1. Just draw something.

When you’re running low on ideas, the best thing you can do is just draw something. It can be anything. Go back through your old artwork and redraw something, or copy a painting from the Internet. I find that drawing something will often lead to more ideas, and eventually lead into a fully developed drawing.

2. Plan ahead.

When you’re feeling creative and inspired, plan ahead! Go through a website like Pinterest or Instagram and save artworks you’d like to study in the future. When art block rolls around, you’ll have a collection of high quality artwork to draw inspiration from.

3. Get outside.

Try going for a walk or a quick run to clear your mind. If you have the supplies, you can go to a park or café and try your hand at observational drawing. Sketch the people around you or the landscape. This will fill up your sketchbook while developing your skills.

4. Random art prompt generator

In the past, I’ve loved using random prompt generators, especially this one. These generators do the work of coming up with an idea for you! Some of my favourite pieces I’ve ever made were done using these prompts.

5. New medium

Try out a new medium. If you usually use paint, try a pencil! You can stick to your usual

subject matter, or if you’re feeling adventurous, try something new. This will mix up your usual practice and inspire new ideas. I've explained the mediums I use here, to give you some ideas.

6. YouTube

YouTube is a great source of inspiration. You can find art challenges, tutorials, and more from lots of experienced artists. If you want some ideas for what to watch, check out this post!

7. Art Challenge

Lastly, try out an art challenge. You can try Inktober, Mermay, or something else that interests you. The premise of these challenges is usually to draw every day for a month and post the results on social media. Even if you don’t have any original ideas, the prompts provided will guide you to creating a unique piece of art.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article. Remember, I release new ones every week. Before you go, don't forget to check out my shop!