Has anyone ever mentioned to you how charmed the artist’s life must be? Have you wanted to debate them, to tell them there are times when drawing feels like work?
If so, then you’ll identify with the artist who asked this question.
Does drawing ever feel too much like work?
I’ll be honest. When I saw this question, my first thought was “absolutely”! There are a lot of times when drawing feels like work!
You could probably answer the question in the same way.
Does Drawing Ever Feel too Much Like Work?
Many non-artists seem to have the idea that artists never struggle to create. The artist picks up a brush or pencil and whatever they’re painting or drawing pours effortlessly out of them.
That is so not true!
In the Good Old Days
There have been times in my life when I could get lost in the creative process. Time ceased to exist. People could speak to me and I wouldn’t hear them. The phone could ring and I wouldn’t hear it. I didn’t get hungry or thirsty. It was nothing but me and the oils or colored pencils.
There have even been paintings that “fell off” my brush or pencil, they were so easy to do.
When Drawing Does Feel like Work
But if I’m perfectly honest, I also have to tell you that most of the time that doesn’t happen.
Almost all my life, paintings and drawings have gone through an ugly phase. It seems to happen more with colored pencils than oils, but I suspect that might have to do with the fact that I could wipe oil paint off a canvas if I didn’t like it. For the most part, once colored pencil is on the paper, it’s there to stay. When this happens, drawing is a lot of work!
At other times, I literally “paint myself into a corner” and have to figure out how to get out of it. This happens most often when I push my skills or tackle a subject that is beyond what I’m used to doing. It’s work to keep going on such a project and it can be work to figure out the next step.
What to Do When Drawing Feels Like Work
It wouldn’t really be fair to vent like that and not give you a few tips for dealing with those times when drawing feels like work.
One of the things I’ve done lately is go back to treating my drawing like a hobby, as I mentioned in Finding Time and Energy. Drawing feels less like work when I’m not under pressure to draw. That makes sense, doesn’t it?
Something else I’ve done this year is turn to different kinds of art. ACEOs (art trading cards) have played a big role in this, but so have adult coloring pages. I made the pages a couple of years ago, but never colored them in. I did a lot of that this summer and it was fun.
So if you find yourself thinking drawing is too much work, put aside whatever “serious” projects you’ve been working on. Instead, do something fun. Something that you don’t feel bad throwing away if it doesn’t turn out. Something with no pressure attached.
You know what? Even making color swatch charts can be helpful when drawing feels like work!
This post is part of a series in which readers ask questions about my life as an artist, and I answer them. Most of the posts this month will concern one of these questions. If you have a question you’d like to ask, please ask it. It’s never too late to get your burning questions answered!
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Carrie,
One (there are so many) of the most important things I’ve learned from you is the inevitability of the “ugly phase”. Knowing this has saved so many drawings and helped me learn from “mistakes” and “disasters” that turned out pretty well in the end. I agree, if art begins to feel like work without passion, it’s time to try something new like technique, paper, or medium. There’s always something different to try and it could be my next “best”.
Deborah,
It’s good to hear from you. I’m glad I’ve helped you in some way.
It took me quite a while to understand that every drawing or painting goes through an ugly phase. It seemed to happen less frequently with oils than colored pencils but it did happen. I think the reason I remember it less with oils is that I could quickly wipe the ugliness off an oil painting and do it over. With colored pencils, once it’s on the paper, it’s on the paper to stay!
You are right about trying something new. I’ve been working on an ACEO on Pastelmat and it’s going well, but slowly. So two days ago, I started a new one on printer paper. Why printer paper? Because that’s what was in the printer! It’s almost done. It won’t be a masterpiece, but it will be finished this year. Right now, that’s just as important!
And hopefully it will get me ready to go back to the Pastelmat ACEO before the year ends!
Thank you for taking the time to share your comments! Believe it or not, you’re encouraging me!