I feel like I'm losing interest in drawing... how can I get it back


Gyzmo-Grim's avatar
My college art class is not what it was advertised and it's draining my interest in drawing. I used to enjoy drawing, drew every day, and took pride in it. However, I'm lucky if I produce one drawing for myself per week and it feels like a chore. 

I am dropping the class because art is not my major and I took the class to see if it would benefit me as an artist. The class was not what I needed at all, and I think an art class defeats its purpose if you start dreading drawing and treating drawing like a chore because of the class. Before Anyone says "oh, just give it another chance!" keep in mind I've been in the class for seven weeks, giving it chance after chance.

However, I am looking to see if there are any tips to how I can regain my fondness of drawing. If you have any ideas, please do not hesitate to tell me.
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FairyBunni's avatar
Maybe look back into what got you into drawing the first place? What aspects you used to love from it? Listen to some new music to help with inspiration? Or try drawing with other people? I'm sorry if my advice is not good but I hope you can get your drawing energy back!
Keyotea's avatar
If you have the game Art Academy, taking some refresher courses would help inspire you.
KaiGlint's avatar
Try drawing something different from what you're used to, but not in a way that's frustrating or uninteresting.
For example, I go through phases of drawing mostly one kind of thing.
When I don't know what to do anymore, I try something else.
At the moment I'm sketching things I see around and I've never focused so much before on drawing real things...
Sketches, doodles, shading exercises, symmetrical patterns...  explore by trying the feel of different things...
Gyzmo-Grim's avatar
First of all, I would like to thank all of you who decided to comment on this thread. It means a lot; it's nice to see so many people willing to try to help someone out, even if it's just giving advice. There is more than just the reason of just the class draining the joy that I had out of drawing that's made me come to the decision of dropping the class: they didn't tell us until we were coming closer to the midterm what they really wanted from us when it comes to the at home sketches and that we needed to keep them for the critique that will decide if we pass or fail. The professor made it sound like we could do the at home sketches in any media that we liked and of anything we liked and that we could dispose of the sketches once we were done with them, but she dropped a bombshell when she said "the sketches have to teach you something, and some of them half to be mixed media or in a different media than you usually use, and you have to have all of the sketches from home for the critique." Given this, even if I wanted to continue the course, I doubt that I would be able to pass given the criteria and need for all the at home sketches.

Secondly, I found something that kinda helps me come up with ideas. I was having a little trouble falling asleep so I picked up some acrylic yarn and started to knit a small dishcloth for washing dishes. I had the computer and phone off so that I wouldn't be distracted from getting tired, so it was just me and my thoughts. As I was knitting, I kept coming up with ideas of what to draw and I guess that because I was already creating something that put me in the mood for actually getting the ideas out. I got ideas both for drawing and knitting projects. After I post this reply to this forum I'm going to more than likely start listing/drawing out the ideas I got. I will try this method of getting in the creative mood a few more times to see if it actually works or if it's just coincident. I'm going to keep this forum open incase there is someone else in my same situation, and if you comment I will reply, but for right now I don't think I need this forum as much at the moment.

Again, thank you all for the advice. Even if some of the advice doesn't work the best for my situation, I still appreciate you trying to help me and not very many people would try to help a total stranger(that is, if you don't know who I am; If you already know me then I'm not a total stranger).
Belletheparakeet's avatar
Try doing something advanced. That will get you more interested.
Vineris's avatar
I guess if you're dropping the class anyway then you'll like drawing again when you get an idea you're excited about and want to see finished.  Or you'll be avoiding doing some other boring thing and you'll think "you know how I should waste my time?  BY DRAWING!"

But I dunno, I never found college art class to be all that bad.  It was fun to try new stuff, fun to do something that wasn't related to my degree, and I made some interesting still life pictures.  Then again I think drawing from life is great, because among other things I'm a comic artist and I need to be able to draw anything.  If I need to draw a character walking through city streets then I'd better be able to draw a city street.  That sometimes means sitting out on the street drawing it.  It was a little tedious to learn how to be patient enough to do that, but the results are so great that the effort was totally worth it.
AssemblerOfSouls's avatar
Personally, getting in the mood or finding inspiration to draw is easy, but the hardest part is having BOTH happen at the same time. XD

You might need to switch teachers IF you get the itch to go back and try to see if there is anything worthwhile to learn. Yes, most art classes make drawing feel like work, a chore, or even punishment!! Especially if they want you to work on a project with tools you're not interested in--paint, charcoal, colored pencils, etc. However, there are moments when following the courses actually make improvements. Even if you have to force yourself, learning new ways to draw can improve your art quality and speed no differently than learning how to write in English class. Yeah, they force you to write essays, or maybe creative writing isn't your forte, but having those new connections in your brain make a big difference. If you ever recall looking back at your old work and remembering the hard labor it took to get where you are now, it makes the less fun parts feel worth it.

I'm not trying to push you to go back--in fact, you're probably better off learning by yourself now--but take into consideration what they've tried teaching you so far. They might've forced you to draw real life objects, or quickly sketch your own hand without looking at the paper, or experiment with lighting/shading/coloring, but it's a new experience that should've made at least a small impact. If you look at my Jerboa Gal drawing, that was what I learned from taking art class in my senior year (I've only taken a couple classes after elementary because I knew it would feel like a chore). If I hadn't taken that class, I would've never experimented with that style and I wouldn't have known I had a knack for it. Most of everyone else's (in my classroom) were basically line art, which was very far from what the teacher intended us to do, lol.

Back to the actual subject, if you want to like drawing, again: Take a short break. Recharge. Let that desire to draw build up and then work on something you really like. If you don't have a natural habit of doodling every minute of every day, don't force it if you don't have to. Although, don't stop yourself from doodling when you get the urge during that downtime. Even if it's just a quick sketch and you end up saving it for later or tossing it. :D
DannyboyO1's avatar
If I had a good answer, I'd have finished writing a book. I think some of us have to learn to do it despite not always liking it... sorta like staying into exercise or other things.
Robin-Heilschild's avatar
Unfortunately, I don't have any idea... :(
Not just I'm losing my interest in drawing as well. Even I'm losing the skill. :(
Torag1000's avatar
I went through that shit as well. I sucked up to it, to be honest. Also, if you had stayed, at later senior years at either college or university, you would have much more freedom with what you wanted to draw. That's happening to me since I am in my Third Year. Just saying.

Anyways, as for getting that interest back, it's all in your mind. You're rather growing apathetic to it in a way. There are ways to rekindle it. You can look up artists for inspiration, read something about art, do quick gestural drawings, make a deadline for each artwork due, etc. You can do that stuff, or just take a walk. If you do one thing all the time, you will eventually burn yourself out. It's best to have a myriad of activities so you would not get bored of one. Most of the time, I would take a walk to think about what to do.
Gyzmo-Grim's avatar
Art is not my major and it's draining me of my interest to draw, so I'm not going to suck it up. I took art because I thought it would be enjoyable, and help me. An art class that's killing a passion for someone who is not pursuing art as a major is a toxic recipe. Each time I go I go into the class, a little part of me dies.

I want to do something creative, and the last thing I want to do for a while is draw from life.
Torag1000's avatar
You know, now that you mentioned that, it made me realized some of the lessons in art class I took just seemed a little wasted, simply because I didn't need to know that part.

I guess you are right, art classes are meant to be fun and imaginative, not full of suffering and restrictions.

Anyway, just follow the advice I gave you after those words I said.
Gyzmo-Grim's avatar
I'll try. Even though some level of restrictions are needed for creative growth(without it, you just keep doing the same thing), too much will kill creativity.
Macaron-Princess's avatar
Art classes are NOT the way to go...I liked art in high school when I had it, but it was not all it lived up to be...

The way I get inspiration is that I watch what interests me and I draw something from it, or I might look up pictures and get ideas from them... ^^
Gyzmo-Grim's avatar
College art seems to kill creativity and passion.

I'll try out some of your advice.
Darkgon01's avatar
Let me guess, one of those, "No one can get an A!" teachers?

As for suggestions, serialization always motivates me.
PrettyLaceyBow's avatar
suck it up, do what you do best, and live it!
Gyzmo-Grim's avatar
You did not read it at all, did you?
PrettyLaceyBow's avatar
i just saw the title :I Sorry for being a jerk, because i tend to do that
Gyzmo-Grim's avatar
Next time, please read the content instead of just commenting. Even though this forum is about drawing; there are people who post forums with more sensitive topics, some of them even triggering.
Gyzmo-Grim's avatar
I'm not trying to come off as rude or mean, but I've seen some forums with vague titles that are about sensitive subjects. I'm not easily offended, but there are some people who are.
PrettyLaceyBow's avatar
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