Ever wanted to explore your creativity through drawing? In this post, we’ll show you how to develop a sustainable drawing habit step-by-step, from:

- Choosing your materials.

- Inviting the muse.

- Shifting your mindset. 

 

 

Developing a Drawing Habit: Choosing your Materials

When developing a new drawing habit, it’s best to keep the sketchbook, pens and pencils you use to a select few. Why? Because pairing down your drawing materials:

• Lowers the barrier to entry.
• Reduces the overwhelming feeling of endless creative possibilities.
• Sets healthy parameters for creative expression.

Discovering your ideal sketchbook makes integrating drawing into your daily routine easier. As a sketchbook can comfortably sit:

• With you over your morning coffee.
• At your desk during the day.
• On your lap as you unwind in the evening.

And taking a minimalist approach with your drawing materials eases you into being creative. Imagine running through a field on a cliff edge with no boundaries.

Paralysing, right? 

Now imagine running through that same field but now with defined boundary walls.

You’re more likely to run wildly with boundaries to keep you safe. Keeping your supplies simple is like setting a boundary wall around your creativity while you and your sketchbook explore new ideas.

 

Developing a Drawing Habit: Inviting the Muse

But what if you have no ideas to run with? Don’t worry. We’ve compiled a list of inspiration you can refer to while developing your drawing habit.

To help welcome your creative muse, you could:

• Journal about your day by sketching any standout moments. Documenting your days can be a great place to start through drawing, as journaling naturally lends itself to being a daily practice.
• Paste in images (say, from Pinterest) throughout your sketchbook. Sticking in images can lessen the fear surrounding starting a blank sketchbook. Plus, you may be surprised how often the pictures spark serendipitous sketches.
• You can develop ideas with like-minded people by joining a creative community. We host online workshops where artists of all abilities come together. We sketch, share drawing techniques and support the development of one another's skillset. 

Still itching for more inspiration? Why not check out our posts:

5 Ways to Fill a Sketchbook

5 More Ways to Fill a Sketchbook

5 Books to Kick-Start Your Creativity

 

Developing a Drawing Habit: Shifting your Mindset

Do you still find yourself coming up against creative blocks while drawing? During your drawing sessions, do you find yourself thinking:

• “I am not a creative person.”
• “Exploring my creativity is a waste of time.”
• “Everything I create has to be the best, otherwise it’s worthless.”

Limiting beliefs may be the cause of a creative block. You may need to shift your mindset to let creativity flow.

We can make a mindset shift by trading in our old beliefs. In the front of your sketchbook, jot down the following:

“I, [name], promise to show up to my drawing practice without judgement or expectation. I understand that exploring my creativity is a necessary human experience. And so I vow to be gentle and kind with my creativity while taking care of myself in the process.” 

Like the journey of developing a drawing habit, the creative process is entirely your own. We encourage you to tweak the words above to suit your needs.

Choosing to develop a drawing habit should not be in the pursuit of creating great art. Instead, the object is to become a great artist, which you become every time you set pen to paper. 

For ideas on how to nourish yourself as an artist, feel free to sift through our blog post:

24 Seasonal Artist's Date Ideas to Unlock your Creativity

 

Written by Caitlin Layfield