[lionfloss]

Circle Rugs

[hillergoodspeed]

Hi Hiller- when I was younger I loved to draw. I'm an adult now and for some reason when I sit down in front of a piece of paper I don't know what to do. What advice do you have for a grown up who forgot how to draw?

Oooh that’s a tricky one. Sitting in front of a blank piece of paper is probably the most intimidating thing and has always been kind of scary for me. I’ve come up with a list of things for you to try to make drawing a bit easier.A. Work on old paper/materials. End papers from discarded books, craft pads from second hand stores, a notepad from grandma’s junk drawer, a cool piece of wood you find in a dumpster, stuff like that. It takes away the pressure of having to create a perfect thing if the material you’re working on is already flawed or smells weird.B. Draw a lot. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. Only a small fraction of things I draw end up being shared, maybe every one out of twenty things will be decent. What people don’t see is the heap of not-so-great things I create in the process of making that one thing. If you’re drawing different ideas all the time, and thinking of how to make those ideas better when you’re not drawing, eventually you will get better and the good ideas will come more easily and more frequently.C. It’s incredibly hard to draw when you are overly prepared to draw. Sitting down with the intent to create a perfect drawing adds a terrible amount of pressure and is the thing that trips so many people up and makes it hard to even start creating in the first place. Draw informally, when you’re watching television or listening to music. Watch a movie and draw a picture of something you hear that would be interesting when taken out of context. Try to not think too much about it. Approach drawing from an angle, not head on, if that makes sense.D. Finding your subject matter can also be difficult and may be what you’re actually talking about here. A few things influence the content of my drawings:

Inspiration from the world around me. Other artists’ work, books I read, music, conversations I have while waiting to buy groceries, things like this.

My feelings and internal dialogue, what I’m thinking about or am moved by or want to express to others. Daydreams, real dreams, imagined conversations are all good sources for drawing material as they are things that no one else would ever know about unless you expressed them.

My ability as an artist. I am less of an M. C. Escher and more of a David Shrigley. You have to find the right spot on the infinitely wide spectrum of art in which you can create work that you like and you think is good. I like drawing amorphous shapes and faces and fun things, so that is where I’m currently situated. Agnes Martin drew lines and dots and is well known because she was super good at it.

Hopefully, at some point, 1, 2, and 3 will come together and allow you to create something that you consider great or good or even okay will do sometimes. I think those are four good things to think about. The very beginning is the hardest part when it comes to making art, I wish we could all just skip it. Hopefully this will help you, and maybe others, get started again.

[daniellasaga]

[sunbursts-and-marblehalls]

By Brett James  (please do not remove credit)

[company]

i'm literally an artist who doesnt create anything. no i can't explain it to you

[weirdlandtv]

FROG poster by textbook publisher, Ginn and Company. 1987.

[nothemez]

[tkkatherineblog]

[the-wolf-and-moon]

Star Cluster M22, Mars and Saturn

[mothermishy]

“Spanish style”, 1990. Via press_sf on instagram.

[burtoo]

Everywhere At the End of Time - Brendon Burton

[radladybear]

[angiethewitch]

All jokes about being an introvert aside, humans are naturally social creatures and we need stimulation. Whether you're self isolating or your city/town/country is on lockdown, this will affect your mental health if you don't take care of yourself. I know we all joke that we never go outside anyway, but the fact we can't go out, even if we want to, is going to affect us. So I've compiled a list of things to do!

Clean. Cleaaaaaaan. Being in a clean house will make this so much nicer. If you're stuck in your house all day, being in a clean home will help. Plus, it's good exercise.

If you have a garden and can go in it, do! Plant some stuff for spring, tidy it up, feed the birds, whatever.

If you have a Netflix watch list, go through it. Watch stuff in the background while cleaning or something.

If you're sick, change your bed. I've been in bed a lot and I just changed it and it's nice to have fresh sheets instead of my sweaty ones.

Take up a craft. Go on pinterest and diy some shit.

Watch documentaries

Change out of your pyjamas, even if it's just into a hoodie and some sweats. You'll feel better.

If you have schoolwork to do, do it. I know, it's boring, but itll kill some time.

Paint, collage, sketch. Try and improve your skills. Get creative!

Call your family and friends! Facetime or phone. Call your mum, your auntie, your best friend, whoever. We're human and we need contact.

Rearrange your furniture, create a new environment.

Have a clear out of clothes you don't wear anymore

Read!! Read books you haven't read yet or reread your favourite books. Get lost in a different world.

If you're not in school, perhaps teach yourself something. I like to study stuff in my own time. Botany, human evolution, space, anything. Learning stuff is fun when you're not getting graded on it.

Fuck it, learn a new language. Go on omegle or something and talk to people from different countries and test your skills.

Bake, cook, make something. I recommend bread. I have a recipe under my #angie talks tag.

Support small businesses. I'm on a group chat with fellow shop owners and they're all worried about the sales going down. I know, right now you're worried about needing necessities, but shop around on etsy and buy birthday presents, diy kits, jewellery etc. You'll make their week.

If you're sick, open the windows. Its recommended for coronavirus anyway but its nicer to be in bed with the window open.

Watch nature outside your house. For like half an hour today I watched birds. I counted 56 this morning.

Make your own natural remedies for your symptoms. If you're on any medication, as always, check for interactions.

Nap

Put on loud music and dance. Get your blood flowing

Check out home workouts on YouTube. Keeping active boosts your immune system and itll pass the time

Make stuff out of trash. Pinterest is full of diy crafts, my favourites are bird feeders out of bottles and planters out of bottles.

Get into your sewing pile and mend clothes

Embroider funky patches

If you're quarantined with family, chat to them. Suggest a family movie night or break out some board games. My husband refuses to play chess with me because I'm too good at it, I've never lost a chess game in my life

Chat to people on tumblr

Journal how you feel or vent to someone. Its frustrating being stuck inside

World build! Make maps of imagined places

Upcycle your clothes and make them look cooler

Make a bucket list

That's all the suggestions I have for now. If anyone is interested in more recommendations for books/movies/shows/stuff to learn, let me know!

Please, look after your mental as well as your physical health. Stay in touch with people, we need togetherness in these times, not isolation. Stay safe, stay healthy♥️

[syuga]

MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 Concept Photos (Ver. 3)

[fivestarstudying]

𝓂𝓎 𝒻𝒶𝓋𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓊𝓃𝒾 🍑 

In this post, I list 7 of my all-time favorite apps / chrome extensions that I use daily.  I hope I can help out some fellow uni students who are struggling.  This might help make studying less painful and a tiny tiny bit more enjoyable. 

love, edith 🌾

ig.: @fivestarstudy_

[hillergoodspeed]

I dont know if you answered this before (im on mobile) but what kind of supplies do you use?

I have answered this one before, but here’s an updated list:- Soft lead pencils (typically 6 to 8B, really like Tombow brand)- #2 pencils (any brand really, though Ticonderoga look nice)- Colored pencils (I generally use Prismacolor true blue, red crimson, spanish orange, blush pink, other pretty colors)- Gouache (only ever used Holbien)- Miscellaneous ephemera (photos, books, magazines from the 196/70s)- Old post-it notes, folders, doodle pads, etc. Anything I can draw on that isn’t new. I almost exclusively get paper from the “stationary area” in thrift stores because it’s already faded and imperfect and way less intimidating to work on than white, bleached paper.- Glue stick- Pencil sharpeners. I have like 12 of them.- 6" steel ruler- Exacto knife with a v sharp blade- Self-healing green cutting mat- CanoScan LiDE 200, which I’ve used almost daily for 6 years and cost me $60.- Photoshop! I usually only use PS to play with levels and clean things up a bit. I’m okay with the program but probably only utilize 10% of its features.

[hillergoodspeed]

could you show us a picture of your work space?