11 Tips to Overcome Art Block

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

A collage of rough pencil sketches of human figures

Art blocks are terribly frustrating. They're usually brought on by some problem you're having in your life, whether it be artistic or not, and have a special way of making the situation even worse. I've dealt with some pretty bad ones over the years and thankfully, I've figured out things to do that help the situation so now I'm better equipped for when they arise. In this post, I'm going to talk a little bit about my own experience and share 11 things you can try to get over your art block too. And of course, I'll share some links to helpful resources along the way. 

It's hard to create when you're not happy, and that's why I feel art blocks spring on when there's something negatively impacting your mental and emotional health. Stress, self-doubt, health complications, grief, relationship troubles, burnout from working too much, imposter syndrome, fear, and so much more can cause your creativity to dry up. And when there's so many factors to consider, it can be hard to discern what's making your art block so bad. But figuring out what's causing it in the first place is the best way to beat it. 

You know when you're trying to solve a problem, and you get so hung up on it that you complain to someone and end up just talking their ears off about it? Then bam! Right in the middle of talking, you realize the solution. If you have someone willing to listen, talking to them about what's going on will really help. Just talking it through will lift a bit of the weight off your shoulders, and you just might get to the source of your art block. That's what happened for me.

I'm just getting over an art block that lasted about 2 years. Any respite I had from it only lasted a week or two, and then I was back to feeling dissatisfied with myself and my work. I was frustrated that my skills were not at a level that I wanted and my passion for stories wasn't evident in my work, so I obsessed over making a "groundbreaking" piece every time I looked at a blank canvas. 

 Then, one day, my brother suggested that I wasn't having fun anymore and I thought the notion was crazy. I love art. I love making art. How couldn't I be having fun? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. At the end of the day, my art block wasn't from all of the outside factors that were weighing on me (as bad as they were). I was my own worst enemy. I was thinking too much and feeling too little, taking the freedom and honesty out of my art. I made myself too scared of failing every time I got started.

I think I'm not alone in saying that how I feel about my art is directly linked to my self worth, so I'm real glad to share my collection of things you can do to help your own artblock:

11 Ways to Ease Your Art Block 


1. Try going back to the basics
Art block tip with anatomy (nose, eyes, ears, back muscles) and character design studies from reference

Focusing on art fundamentals seems like an obvious solution if you feel that your skills are lacking, but it has other benefits too. Working from observation is less draining on your creativity because you don’t have to come up with ideas, and for that same reason, I feel it can be very relaxing. Spend a day studying something you need to work on, like feet, arms, dogs, lighting, etc. Be sure to try and understand what you’re seeing while you’re recording it. It might even give you the confidence you need to tackle a larger piece of work! It’s definitely had that effect for me. 


If you're looking to work from images/videos and you're not sure where to find reference, here are some places you can check out:



2. Try working with a tool you don't normally use
Art block tip with gouache painting of a girl during the winter and black and white art of a guy made with markers.

Switching up your process can really spark some excitement and creativity! I like to use a tool that I almost never use while drawing something within my comfort zone, so I don’t have to stress over what I’m going to draw. (As you can see, my comfort zone is characters, especially character busts.)

 If you primarily work digitally, it can be fun to work traditionally instead. And I’m sure the inverse is true too. But if you don’t have traditional media to work with (art supplies are expensive afterall), it’s also exciting to work with new brushes, the lasso or pen tool, or a different art program, depending on what you typically use. 

 This method is really a favorite of mine!

 3. Try drawing how you feel, then drawing how you want to feel
Art block tip with silhouette drawing of a girl crying and a sketch of a character comforting his boyfriend in an embrace
If your art block is made worse by overwhelming feelings, drawing how you feel can be a good way to work through it, even when art is part of what’s making you feel so bad. Art is super therapeutic, especially if you can’t do much else to alleviate what’s causing you distress.

 The second step, to draw how you want to feel, is a bit like when we talk about “speaking things into existence,” but instead you’re drawing things into existence. It can really help to lift the weight off your shoulders.
A frustrated man screams and then falls to his knees in the snow with his hands holding the back of his head
By Pascal Campion
I love this piece by Pascal Campion, where he shares how frustrated he was feeling. (Be sure to click the link to see all of the slides.) In the caption, he writes,  “it's crazy how much this made me feel better." Maybe you'll end up saying the same!
4. Try creating shapes and drawing what you see 
Art block tip with abstract shapes turned into sketches of a little girl blowing bubble gum, a woman holding up the earth, a duck with a sailor's hat, the bottom of a dress and fancy shoes, a hand holding a vase of flowers, the back of a bun, and a woman in a strapless dress.

This exercise is a bit like cloud gazing! All you have to do is create random shapes using any color and tool of your choosing, and then let that shape inspire what you draw overtop of it. It tends to make you draw some things you wouldn’t normally draw, so you might surprise yourself with the kind of visual patterns you’ve picked up on and stored without realizing it. If you're having trouble finding something in the shape, just rotate it a few times until something clicks.

 This method is a lot of fun and might help you find an idea or two that excites you! 

 5. Try looking up your favorite artists on YouTube 

 Some of your favorite artists might have process videos or interviews on Youtube that you've never seen before! You can learn a lot of techniques just by doing this, and even more than learning, you can get inspired by your favorite artists' processes and wisdom. Search them up and see if they give you an idea of how you can experiment with your work! Experimentation is so good for art blocks. 

 Here are some videos and interesting things I found from doing this:  



6. Try scribbling 
A loose sketch of a boy zooming on his skateboard and a rough sketch of a couple comforting each other in bed

 If you normally keep your sketches clean or you feel that your work ends up flat, you might find it beneficial to try scribbling instead. It helps you loosen up and can help you see the form in what you’re drawing. Like John Buscema says in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, it’s almost like sculpting with clay.

A page from How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way with a drawing of Thor with his hammer that started from a loose stick figure
You can also start out scribbling aimlessly until you figure out what you can make out of it. (It's almost like the shapes exercise.)


7. Try consuming new media or revisiting old faves

Be inspired! Watch some new movies/shows, read some books, play some games, listen to music. Revisiting your old favorites can be just as good too, especially when they spark your inner child. Lately I’ve been really inspired by video games like Spider-Man PS4 and I’ve wanted to look at the Bratz again to remember what was cool to me as a kid. 


8. Try hanging up your art and other art that inspires you  

A simple way to improve your workspace and motivate you is to hang up your favorite pieces! I find it can help you focus on the projects you love most, too. 

The method is mentioned in Drawn to Life by Walt Stanchfield with a little story about Glen Keane. 
“Glen Keane was pinning up some inspirational drawings in his room one day as I happened by. He explained that he hoped that some of the artist’s genius would enter him through osmosis. Glen laughed, but he was serious. And serious he has a right to be, for osmosis works.”

9. Try drawing fanart  
Art Block Tip with Fanart of Spider-Man hanging upside down with MJ and my sunshiney Spidersona waving hi
Some people like fanart, and some people don’t. If you’re someone who does, fanart is an excellent way to ease your art block. Take something you love and add your own spin to it! The process is a lot less daunting than forcing out something original. Some of the creative problem solving has already been done for you, and we naturally put a lot less pressure on ourselves when we’re creating fanart. It’s really a surefire way to just have fun!

I owe a huge thanks to my sister Ayli for talking to me about her art block, or else I wouldn’t have included this suggestion!


10. Try being kind to yourself 
An awkward looking sketch of a dog smiling compared to a cute sketch of a dog smiling with a note that if you fail, all you have to do is try again (as much as you need to)

Most of us have room to improve when it comes to our treatment of ourselves. I’m certainly no different. I used to leave really mean notes next to sketches in my sketchbooks. I’d write things like “oh god,” “ew,” “this is so ugly,” “you completely screwed that up,” and other things that weren’t constructive at all. Now I try to only leave notes that are helpful or at least spun positively, like writing “the hair looks wrong but that’s okay” because all I have to do is try again. It’s really changed my mindset and improved my overall wellbeing. 

In general, it’s really important that you don’t compare yourself to other artists and only judge yourself based off where you’ve been. Your failures are just as important (and awesome) as your successes because it helps you figure out how not to do things (so you’ll be off to a better start next time).


11. Try taking time to be happy

Your art block might get so bad that you feel like you need to produce something or you’ll combust. You might even feel like you should be working on art, but you don’t really want to because you’re just burnt out from doing too much. This is when you should just take a break! 

You might find that taking a little (or a lot of) time to do something that makes you happy will be just what you need to get back to art. Your mental health and happiness comes first. So ride a bike, practice coding, clean up, hang out with your family/friends, and simply indulge in some self care. Even if you don’t make something you love afterwards, you’ll still be better off for it. 
I really hope at least one of these suggestions will help you if you’re currently experiencing an art block! Art blocks suck. The nice thing, though, is that most of us experience them and we know that they don't last forever. The best thing you can do is get to the root of the problem and try to work on it. There's a lot of outside factors we can't change, but we sure can change ourselves.


To get over my 2 year art block, I really had to stop stressing myself out about art, turn off my thinker, and just feel. Experimenting along the way and talking to my loved ones is what helped me realize that. I urge you to talk to the people you trust too, and if you ever need someone to talk to, my DMs are always open (or shoot me an email— I love emails).

If you have tricks, resources, or words of wisdom that have helped you during your art blocks, please share them in the comments! If you even want to share your own experience with overcoming an art block, I’d love that. It could really provide some comfort to someone.


Links mentioned in this post: 

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3 comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 22, 2019 at 11:20 AM

    AWESOME POST!!!!!!!!

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  2. devicejazzFebruary 10, 2020 at 11:31 PM

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  3. MamunOctober 22, 2024 at 5:19 AM

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