Can't work? Time to study! (with short exercises)
^^ Listen to a recording of the article below.
^^ Listen to a recording of our discussion about “Can't work? Time to study!”
Sometimes you need to write the article that you wished you had when you needed it. This is that article for me.
I’ve talked about how I regretted “wasting my time” when I was injured. I know that concept sounds ridiculous but I truly felt that during those years I couldn’t hold a pencil, I wasted my life, and wished I did something, no matter how tiny, to improve my craft.
I know parents of very young children and caregivers to elderly parents often lament that they don’t have the time they want to work on their art, so this article is for them too.
Basically, if you want to make art, but you can’t make a lot of art due to a myriad of life circumstances, this is a quick article to help you scratch that itch in short bursts.
But before we get into the actionable items, let’s talk about headspace first.
This could be an extremely beneficial time for you.
I know that if you’re hurt and tired, it might not seem that way, but life has a way of changing. For me, I got better, started a business, and now desperately wish I had more time to study, because studies make you better and when you get better you get bigger clients, and more engaging gigs.
Try your best to not view this time as less than or a punishment. This is when you can patch holes in your technique and knowledge to emerge a stronger version of you.
It’s time to study.
Does this sound like you, but you still want to art something?
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I’m hurt and can only draw for short bursts at a time.
• Écorché Studies
Écorché Studies are my favorite way to study anatomy and they’re a perfect rehab exercise. Since there’s a lot of thinking and minimal drawing.
All you need to do is download a bunch of images of people (sculptures work great as well), and draw the anatomy over the top of them. This can be done digitally or over a cheap print out.
It seems so simple. However, after I started this practice back in 2015, my drawing and sculpting have vastly improved, and at a quicker pace than it did prior.
To get you started, I have a .psd and some .jpgs for you here. As well as a demo movie.
Here are some examples I made during an anatomy class in 2015 with Scott Eaton , who I can’t recommend highly enough.
Studies are worth it! Check out my current art.
• Gestures
Gestures are so important and I know very few artists who make time for them. However, they are also a perfect rehab exercise with a massive benefit. Gestures, by their very nature, are fast to do, and when you can draw normally again, all the gesture practice will inject more life into your more formal drawings.
Human gesture with our co-host, Sarah Forde at Adorkastock.
Animals gesture
Check out our worksheets to help get you started!
Human and dog gesture studies used as late stage arm rehab exercises in 2015.
Check out my art nowadays.
• Draw 100 or 10, or 5
Another great rehab exercise is drawing a certain amount of something. One hundred is a common number but 5 or 10 will serve just as well. Much later in my rehab, I started this. The first one I did was “draw 10 hyenas this week”. Then I moved onto jaguars, and so on. Pick something you like, find a relevant pinterest board, and start sketching. Check out our worksheets to get you started!
Jaguar and hyena studies used as late stage arm rehab exercises in 2015.
Here’s the art I’m making now.
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I’m exceptionally tired.
If you’re tired, it’s hard to motivate yourself to draw. If you’re so tired that none of the above exercises appeal to you, try reading one page a day in one of these free, public domain, artbooks. (I mean, if you’re that tired, it’s probably actually better for you to sleep.) However, if not doing something artsy is bothering you, try to read one page before bed. In a year, one page adds up to 1 or 2 art books. Not bad.
• Andrew Loomis Art Books are in the Public Domain
• More public domain artbooks
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I’m really hurt. I can’t even hold a book or pencil right now.
• Dive into the Schoolism Channel
Schoolism provides a wealth of free art knowledge from a huge pool of international artists. Just pick a video and get to learning.
• Start a Twitter account
Might sound weird, I know, but from everything I’ve read and heard, Twitter is a social media platform that can be very worth it for artists. However, it’s a tough one to learn for many people. If you know that you’re going to get better and you’ll want a career once that occurs, start unraveling the Twitter mystery now. Gain some followers and learn Twitter etiquette while you’re rehabbing. Have people join you on your journey back to art.
• Check out James Gurney’s Channel
James Gurney brought us Dinotopia. He is both a wonderful person and extraordinary painter. All his tips are worth it - especially if you prefer traditional mediums.
In conclusion
I’m not here to argue right or wrong ways to think about a situation. Some people will argue that you should be able to simply exist in an empty room, and feel totally at peace with yourself and your situation.
I, like many, am not that zen. Sometimes, life, in all its uncertainty, throws a few weeks, months, or years at you where you can’t make the art you want or the amount of art you want.
It can be so frustrating. If you are feeling or have felt that frustration, like I once did, I hope this list helps you, and I hope that whatever difficult period you’re in passes as quickly as possible.
If you have any other study ideas for people who are either injured or very busy, please let us know in the comments below!
Best of luck!
❤️
Written by Sarah Dahlinger
Discussed by Sarah Dahlinger and Sarah Forde