Artistically Freeing Practices, Methods?

[daeyeth]

What are some drawing, or painting, practices you do that are artistically freeing for you? Where you feel you can just let loose without worrying about technical detail. It can simply be a style of drawing/painting where it's the easiest to do, making it relaxing. Methods where you can let it flow out naturally; creatively opening practices let's say.

[Nateman742]

I put on some heavy metal and sketch like mad until something resembling a drawing comes out. Sometimes I'll go back and refine the sketch, mostly I just leave it in raw form to inspire myself later. It feels great to slam the intense emotion of the music down on paper.

[Nezumi Works]

I like what I've been doing lately. Start with a couple of pages of circles or spheres to loosen your arm up, and then do some drawings that aren't actual things. Like the blob stuff in my recent sketchbook pages, they're not actually of anything, and all the anatomy is totally ad-hoc. Loads of fun, and some surprisingly fun stuff comes out of it that I could probably capitalize on if I were headed in that direction right now.

And music of course. Lots of music, it doesn't matter what sort. Long as it's good.

[Sumisoul]

I also put on some crazy ass music, then do loads of gestures (usually from pics, but not necessarily) I draw shapes I love. I make chicken scratches. loops. detailed emotes. render quick particle effects (like fire). Then I move on to doing whatever I wanted to do in the first place.

[daeyeth]

Thanks. I ask because I can't draw from my head, except for the same tired doodled I always do. I try but as soon as I see it's technically hideous, I lose all motivation to continue.

I like the shapes thing, I'll definitely try that. When you guys are sketching, are you thinking about what you are going to be putting on the paper first?

[Nezumi Works]

I like the shapes thing, I'll definitely try that. When you guys are sketching, are you thinking about what you are going to be putting on the paper first?

Nope! In fact, I try to avoid it if I can. The more I can approach a drawing without preconceptions, the better. I've found with the blob shapes I've been doing, my best results are where I try the least to make it look like something specific.

[hunchback]

gestures!!!

[QueenGwenevere]

Sometimes I'll do semi-automatic drawings: I start drawing more or less at random without knowing exactly what I'm going to draw, and let the lines suggest something, and then flesh it out...

Or sometimes I'll mess around with loose ink-wash-and-pen, it goes all over the place so you never know what you'll end up with. Or I'll do slapdash mini-paintings with cheap tempera paint.

Or if I need a break from drawing cute things for work, I might draw me some gore. Blood spatters are always fun.

[Arshes Nei]

I play with Alchemy a lot. http://al.chemy.org/download/

Putting some really large mark or stain on paper helps. It means "well this already went bad, now to make it better". Be sure when you do stain or mark paper you let it dry if you're going to draw over said mark.

[Farvus]

There is this Nick Pugh technique which is about doing massive amount of abstract doodles without thinking about it too consciously and just going with the flow. It won't make you draw better but it's a way to deal with cliches - http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/sto...lity-in-Design

I also sometimes play with drawing different solids/ geometric shapes and combine them i perspective into some structures. They doesn't need to have meaning but sometimes end up as simple characters, architecture or some weird machines.

[daeyeth]

There is this Nick Pugh technique which is about doing massive amount of abstract doodles without thinking about it too consciously and just going with the flow

Although I can't buy the videos, even just the sample of Nick Pugh's process was very helpful. Being able to see the process explains a lot for me. Not to mention he's very eloquent! I definitely may buy his vids one day.

I've tried it only a bit so far but I've found I'm running into the problem of wanting to turn the scribbles into the same stuff I always (attempt to) draw...which circles back to me being frustrated at my technical inefficiencies. I suppose it'll take practice to learn to just turn my brain off and draw as I've never really done that before.