What (almost) daily figure drawing has taught me about motivation and how you can level up your drawing routine

In November 2023 I asked myself the following question: >>How much time do I want to spend for studying the human figure and improving my drawing skills?<<

At first I thought 'the more the better' - but when it's about staying focused and motivated, I quickly learned that's not how it works for me. 15 minutes of drawing per day sounds more doable and less intimidating than an hour per day. What counts is how long you can stay focused and motivated.

• Why I think you should do regular drawing studies

Drawing studies offer a great opportunity to experiment and to learn new things. They conserve your creative and mental resources as you don't have to come up with anything new or spectacular. The aim is to capture what you see and train your eyes, without any pressure or high expectations.

• Set yourself small, realistic goals and be kind to yourself

I call my exercises '(almost) daily figure drawing' for a good reason: Doing a few exercises every day doesn't hurt, but sometimes we just don't have the energy for it. A lot doesn't always help a lot! If you pressure yourself to do something, it can suck the joy out of it. It might be better to set yourself weekly goals like: I'll try to draw three days a week. If you can do more - great! But if you manage less or no study session at all - don't beat yourself up. You'll certainly do better next week! Keep in mind that these studies and exercises are a journey, not a marathon.

• But how do I stay motivated?

Everyone is different. For me, it has helped to see the whole session as a daily ritual or warm-up. I also do these exercises just for myself, which means I don't have to show them to anyone and there's no pressure to make them look 'good'. If a pose I've drawn looks terrible, I can simply stop, skip the reference and just draw the next one. I also allow myself to skip poses that are less fun, simply so that I stay more motivated for the rest of the practice session.

Tip: Allow yourself to render the sketches you like. If you enjoy doing so you could also try to experiment with different colors and shapes.

• But what if everything I draw looks 'ugly'?

There are days when every stroke doesn't seem to work in your favor and everything that is sketched looks 'ugly'. I try to take these days with humor and say to myself: 'Sometimes the ugly things have to be drawn first so better things can emerge later!' Side note: Don't throw those drawings away - keep the 'worst' ones! Some of them may look nicer than you think when you look back at them later! Sooner or later, the next stroke will be right and, step by step, a small improvement will be visible. It helped me to keep in mind that these are exercises and not the next da Vinci or van Gogh. Try to be more kind and patient with yourself.

Tip:

You can look up other artists for inspiration or learning, but do not to compare their work to yours! If you want to compare your work to something, I recommend comparing your work to your own previous drawings every now and then so you can see how you are improving. In my opinion, the work of others are not a benchmark for your own studies.

• But what if I want to draw but don't feel much drive?

Ask yourself 'Do I really feel like drawing this pose right now?' Maybe these general poses are too boring for you and you need action poses. Maybe you enjoy foreshortening or certain perspectives more or you find it more comfortable to draw female/male/androgynous characters...

There are so many different aspects to figure drawing. Try them out without judging yourself and/or your current drawing skills and see where you feel comfortable!

Tip:

A good mixture of drawing in your comfort zone and new things can keep your motivation going. 

• What if I'm bored and don't want to see any human characters at the moment?

Lineofaction has become my favorite website over the last few months. Whenever I think to myself 'I don't want draw naked monkeys right now' I look for another focus: Expressions, hands, feet, animal figure drawing, objects and even environments are available on their website. It may help to concentrate on other details and areas to stay interested and motivated.

Tip:

Enhancing your visual library can be fun and will open more possibilities in future drawings. Try drawing things you are not very familiar occasionally – by that you'll learn new ways of drawing shapes, using colors and become more confident in creating studies.

• Conclusion

A lot doesn't help a lot - you don't have to draw every day to be a 'good artist' (whatever that means). In my opinion, it is much more important to enjoy drawing studies itself. You shouldn't judge your sketches too much and perhaps take them with a little humor. Otherwise, it can quickly happen that you no longer feel like picking up the pencil or you might become afraid of the blank canvas. To avoid this, I recommend drawing a good mix of comfort zone elements and new things. After all, we never stop learning and there are so many creative ways to put a sketch on paper. Look back at your progress with pride: every stroke you make shows a little better what you want to portray. Stay curious!

What helps you stay motivated when drawing studies?

Let me and fellow creatives know!

Stay kind to all kinds - cheers, Mercy 🌸

You also want to join the figure drawing journey?

For my studies I use the following websites:

https://www.adorkastock.com/sketch/

and

https://line-of-action.com/

You can use both websites for free.

They have many filters and settings for your practice sessions.

Get your pen and paper and let's go!!

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Note: This blog post is a re-upload from my patreon. If you consider to support me take your time to check this page or my Ko-Fi. Thank you for your support and interest in my work! <333