Is there any subject you CAN'T draw? (yeah, touchy feely warning)

[Sorknes]

Alright, as you might know, I have five month old daughter.

And I can't draw her.

Whenever I try, I either tear all up or go "awww..." and play with her instead. If she sleeps so I have her all still as a good subject I end up in the teary specter.

So I've actually gone to the steps of saving up some money to get another artist painting her in oil from photos.

Is there any subjects you have trouble drawing? Or am I alone in this hormone induced incapability?

[AsaB]

Haha, I can just picture this scenario with you and Rain! Beyond adorable, you two

Well, there's a long list of things I literally cannot draw, but that's mainly due to lack of practice and general laziness. But I don't think that's quite what you meant!

Right now, I'm in similar shoes as you, but regarding my recently deceased grandfather. I've been meaning to draw his portrait for a while now, but emotions always prevent that :/ I guess I'm not quite ready yet, but I hopefully will someday soon.

Besides that, I'm not fond of drawing any gore. I can take the "general" violence in movies and art pieces, but I could never bring myself to draw something graphic and gory. It just hurts my soul!

I'm sure there's more. I'll let you know if it pops into my head!

[blueknightfox]

I can't draw anyone from my family because i'm to shy with my art when they ask me about it. I don't do this with friends or strangers and I don't know why.

[J.R.Hollis]

Environments.

Things around charicters, what pisses me off the most is when I look at my sketchbook and they are all floating in pergatory. But I know I can get over that. =)

But what I completely cant draw EVER...is probably my dog ginger. We had to give her away a while back, still feel soar about it.

[Sekino]

I can't do art with a heavy political or social agenda. I tend to be snarky and cynical, and I am opinionated. I also do follow politics closely. But if I attempt to translate it into art, I feel like a total poseur. The few times I tried, it felt melodramatic and clichéd, no matter how strongly I felt about the subject.

I think it is mostly because I genuinely feel playful and hopeful when I draw. If anything, art is one of the very few 'spaces' left where I am not cynical or skeptical. I channel innocence and humour much more earnestly than criticism.

When it's time to express something solemn or controversial, I write instead.

[Ilaekae]

Hahahahahahahahaha... Sorky, I feel for you. While you're in your current state, I'd suggest taking a lot of pictures from all angles for reference to use in the future. Later, it'll give you something to do other than reaching for a shotgun when your little bundle of joy enters the "terrible twos" and your home is starting to look like a WWII battlefield...

[ask maurice]

I'd have to answer with an empathetic no. You should not allow yourself to be defeated by this challenge. Many times there are subjects that you find difficult to get just right and as you continue on, the problem gets worse because you have become frustrated by the results.

This is a time to step back and move to something else to continue honing your observation skills. Then you return after you are certain you are in a fresh state of mind. Analyze your faults with this piece and write them down if you have to in order to determine what looks wrong.

Bottom line is if you can draw or paint something that you know or understand, unfamiliar subjects just need more and more and more observation.

Ask Maurice.Org

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[OmenSpirits]

Alright, as you might know, I have five month old daughter.

And I can't draw her.

Whenever I try, I either tear all up or go "awww..." and play with her instead. If she sleeps so I have her all still as a good subject I end up in the teary specter.

So I've actually gone to the steps of saving up some money to get another artist painting her in oil from photos.

Is there any subjects you have trouble drawing? Or am I alone in this hormone induced incapability?

I haven't been able to draw a check for my work yet?

lol

[Sekino]

Bottom line is if you can draw or paint something that you know or understand, unfamiliar subjects just need more and more and more observation.

I'm pretty confident Sorknes' little daughter is a very familiar subject to her . She wasn't talking about technical hindrances.

[Jazz]

Awwww, Sorky! I probably would be that way with kittens!! So cuuute!

I suppose I can't (or don't want to, rather) draw things "anti-" whatever (maybe anti-marshmallow peeps, ya know), plus views and values that I'm especially opposed to in my life. Also art that opposes my views (mainly in a disrespectful manner). I'll just stay general with that! XD That's the best way I can describe my limits.

There are also things I'll draw, but I won't show people. Won't open that can o' worms, either.

[Katfayheirti]

I fail to completely capture the adorableness of kittens

[Jazz]

*dies* Oh my GOSH!! Kittens!! ;_; See? I can't draw when I can't MOVE!

[carlosranna]

I have this problem when i try to drawn my girlfriend... She always ends up being transformed in some kind of a disformed monster... And she is so beautifull...

So i try to explain to her that it never works, but she knows it´s only on her... She doesn´t like it much, but she knowns i don´t like it either, so that´s kindda ok... I gues...

Someday i will be able to drawn and paint a portrait of her. I have to.

[corel]

I can draw everything, anything, anytime. I also can capture divinity and time in my drawings.

[AChipps]

I can draw digital, or paint with oils any thing I see, but I can't draw things I have a rough time imagining. I did portraits in oils for 7 years, and it was one painting every week, so I didn't need to work too hard, just spend about 2 hours a day. The rest of the time I did a lot of other things, even win pool games against the state champ. So, I have painted people that were dead, and picture of a baby taken before the baby died in a house fire. I put so much into capturing the babies personal additude, from the picture, that strange things happened after they had there picture at home. Their father didn't believe in God, until the first night the oil painting was in his room. You would be surprised at how famous an artist can get from something like that, and I don't think I had much to to with it, just because I was born part medium. It does cause things to happen around my paintings. I quit doing it, because I think the dead should stay in peace.

[gogidolim]

Environments.

Things around charicters, what pisses me off the most is when I look at my sketchbook and they are all floating in pergatory. But I know I can get over that. =)

But what I completely cant draw EVER...is probably my dog ginger. We had to give her away a while back, still feel soar about it.

Same here. But for me it's more like a incompetence than emotional thing.

[Leonor]

Alright, as you might know, I have five month old daughter. And I can't draw her. Whenever I try, I either tear all up or go "awww..." and play with her instead.

LOL! I totally expected this thread to be something different. Not that I was going to join in a moan fest of "I know how you feel, I'm so incompetent, woe is us" or anything. I'm too morally superior for that!

I fail to completely capture the adorableness of kittens

That should be a challenge. The last man standing (that didn't die of cuteness or went crazy) wins!

[Katfayheirti]

That should be a challenge. The last man standing (that didn't die of cuteness or went crazy) wins!

I agree wholeheartedly!

[Sorknes]

Yeah, it's not so much technical hindrances, ask maurice, it's more about hormones sprouting out of my ears, I think.

Yeah, taking tons of pictures. And I *have* resolved to get the artist I've already talked to and chosen for this painting her, as I'm no good in oils anyway and it'll be nice to have later with a "pro" doing her

The shotgun prolly won't come out before she starts datig though. A sawed off one at that.

I guess I just have to let time work a little on this one and just keep taking pictures to capture her likenesses (she changes like every friggin week) and then do the work later on. Kind of bums me since drawing from a second source (photos) will never be as good as drawing her as a real life model.

I'll keep trying and the day I end up not being all happy teary or aaaaaaaaaaaaw'ing it'l be both a victory and a bit sad since that means I've passed into another stage motherwise, heh.

[Psychotrope]

For the longest time, I couldn't draw the female form. I could chock it up to being a guy and a) having myself to draw from since I picked up a pencil, and b) having the majority of my drawing experience being muscle-bound warriors and robots, but even when I practiced, it still put me in knots. I've gotten a lot better, but...

Oh, and environments that any scope beyond the immediate. But that's because of lack of practice.

[Jason Rainville]

People who are standing solidly and convincingly on the ground.

[AdventDawn]

my girlfriend/ or girl-friends.

Its just....i dunno - I'm not into the whole sentimental thing.

[ask maurice]

Totally sorry Sorknes for my mis-interpretation of your post.

I'm old and a man that has been callused by the screwed up things that happen in the world so, discussing emotional mind blocks are not usually on my palette or a creative hurtle for me. However, I have planned the challenge of doing a piece of my only daughter as a toddler (who was murdered about 5 yrs ago). Chances are it will only comfort me.

Ask Maurice.Org

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[SoufMeng]

(Off topic sry) So sorry to hear that, ask Maurice.
I hope you feel free to post up what you do if you ever feel it might help.

[Gavage]

Meant to reply to this much sooner... I think you should keep trying even if you do get a bit emotional while doing it, it sounds like the sort of thing you could regret not doing later - my mum was very into photography when she first had me and she constantly laments (possible slight exaggeration there) not having many pictures of me when I was younger. Of course don't force it if it does feel a bit too much.

There isn't really anything I can't do in art for emotional reasons (plenty of technical ones though). Actually currently working on a big old pile of dark work inspired by some of the nastiest things that have happened in my life and it's proving more cathartic than anything else at the moment. The actual creative process isn't troubling at all, although getting feedback on it is more daunting because the more personal a piece is the more it feels as though the criticism is coming directly to you. But that's not too much of an issue.

[donm]

I can't really draw any family members and show them because when my last grandpa died, I tried to draw a portrait of him and my grandma and give it to her on the day of the funeral... but it was only well received because of the sentiment and...thrown in the shed soon after. Im very skittish now with showing any family member my art, save my brother and wife. this was all before I even understood the basics mind you. Im sure I will give it another chance to cancel out the bad memories eventually.

[ferretula]

i am CRAP at coming up with landscapes from scratch, once, i had to do this project of a "jungle hero" swing through the rainforest, my problem was i that i was trying to learn how to draw that backround while drawing that background, what i eventually did was put a lot of time into looking at tons of pictures of all kinds of different rainforests and drawing them and incorporating ALL that knowledge into that background, and it finally worked.

[Bruce Pluto]

First of all I think that you may be too emotionally attached to your subject to feel that you can do an accurate likeness any justice ( meaning of your daughter and I totally understand).

Now Yepper, although I haven’t really tried as of yet I do believe that I would have a hell of a time rendering a real life recognizable person ( ie a well known celebrity). I just don’t feel that I have it in me (at the moment) to have a depiction be realistic or recognizable.

I do believe that whenever someone does achieves the notoriety of being called “ An Artist” it is believed that they can draw or paint any subject ( or thing) at will and have people know who or what it is.

Although I do like to draw and paint I try to always make sure that I title myself as “Creator”, meaning that from a blank piece of paper or canvas there is now something (good or bad) that wasn’t there before.

A way of not being judged too harshly. Art to me is a hobby although I have had several pieces of artwork published by good friends of mine.

Anyway, I do think that you made a good decision, at least for now.

Bruce

[Crass]

There are things that I can't draw due to technical inability, but I don't think there is anything I couldn't do for sentimental or emotional reasons. That beings said, there are things that I wouldn't WANT to do, but that is something completely different I guess.