Rainwater's Sketchbook

[Rainwater]

Why not try exploring abstract shape and then turning those shape into subject matter. You will probably find out what kind of subject matter come to you more naturally.

Or maybe you could just do some fan art if you want something a bit less soul searching it depend how important it is for you to find out what you have to communicate.


I certainly feel like there the weight of ''academic work here'' thing feel a bit formal and leaking in creative term when it come to the expressive side of thing.The meme are nice but they feel more like study you could try to almost turn them into caricature where you try to push certain feature in the subject matter.

I think a great way to find interest in your work is to find out how to make thing interact with each other for example in certain of the piece i observe that there like one subject matter at the center inside a square in a few of the image here.

So in a sense i think your more interesting piece are naturally environment because you have composition that spice it up.

Those are good ideas, thanks!
I think I feel uncreative because of tons of stress and anxiety that I feel due to work and my current life situation. I've stopped doing many things that I enjoy because my guilt wants to make me believe that it's all a waste of time and that I should rather focus on things that will stabilize my life. I should "progress quicker instead of wasting time with doodling". So instead of having fun and playing around, I only do studies when I find the time. I'm working on this kind of toxic attitude, but this guilt always lingers in the back of my mind. Not a good condition for creative work.

Yes, I love environments I'm currently learning Blender, to make my environment ideas more interesting. In the end, I want to become a generalist. I enjoy worldbuilding – I have several stories in mind that I would like to visualize.

Oh okay I gotcha. A tiled floor didn't really occur to me. Hope you keep posting!

Thanks! Yeah, I also tend to get lost in my own chaotic linedrawings

You've got skills, man !

Thank you

[darktiste]

I think you doing plein air drawing would do you some good that if you can find the head space to make time for it. Just committing to disconnecting from this grind mindset that can burn you out. I am not saying it does not come without consequence there sacrifice for peace of mind and relaxation.

I also encourage you to get into that doodling habit to sit there and try to observe your thought and emotion to identify why you don't allow yourself to do some introspection perhaps. Also to identify your priority and your value.

But i think going out and spending time in nature would do you a lot of good just because you need to be in a relax state to be able to pick up what cause are the cause of the stress once you go back home you always can feel the weight creeping back in that in those time that you have a better contrast between your calm relax mind and your stress disorderly mind guilt trip mindset.

I wrote a piece a while back on positivity and how to have a better workflow when working


Feel free to read them or not but if you do probably also think of how to pratically apply the concept to your own circumstance but i think if anything be mindful of where thing spiral out of control but don't be a control freak about it sometime it also about letting go of the old.

So here the post you can feel free to read.

Positive thinking

https://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-6483.html

How to increase optimal workflow(the theory)

https://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-5494.html

One thing also for creative exploration would to do portrait mix with landscape find way to mix both subject matter

here some example of anthropomorphic landscape.

This is in a sense a exercise where i invitie you to mixing the idea that we are one with the environment and to bring awareness that we need to be conscious of were environment if we don't want to be the victim of were own internal turmoil.By incorporating a self portrait with some of the element of your surrounding you can perhaps feel the energy that can be the partial cause of the stress for example a messy room is a good indicator of internal turmoil some say.

https://www.google.com/search?q=antropom...s-wiz-serp

Also one thing i personally believe is that the fastest way to kill the inner child is to stop playing so be playful be joyful and be grateful.

[Noone]

Hey there, very nice studies and variety of skills / approaches here. I feel like it may be time to do some "finished work" purely for yourself. Grinding studies isn't bad, but it can become a crutch of sorts.
I wouldn't try force coming up with a theme or idea or style, and also realise not every idea has to be unique or amazing  to be worthwhile. Putting too much pressure on yourself is a good way to keep burning out. You have enough skills, just come up with any old thing that moderately interests you and take it as far as you can.
And if you have ideas you want to do. Develop them now. Time waits for nobody, and you'll never be good enough, if you keep waiting to be good enough.

[Rainwater]

Hello everyone 
Excuse my long hiatus (again). I'm still working to get my life back on track and my mental health improved somewhat. I also work as a freelance graphic designer and had to do a lot of client work so I had less time to post new art.

I think you doing plein air drawing would do you some good that if you can find the head space to make time for it. Just committing to disconnecting from this grind mindset that can burn you out. I am not saying it does not come without consequence there sacrifice for peace of mind and relaxation.

I also encourage you to get into that doodling habit to sit there and try to observe your thought and emotion to identify why you don't allow yourself to do some introspection perhaps. Also to identify your priority and your value.

But i think going out and spending time in nature would do you a lot of good just because you need to be in a relax state to be able to pick up what cause are the cause of the stress once you go back home you always can feel the weight creeping back in that in those time that you have a better contrast between your calm relax mind and your stress disorderly mind guilt trip mindset.

I wrote a piece a while back on positivity and how to have a better workflow when working


Feel free to read them or not but if you do probably also think of how to pratically apply the concept to your own circumstance but i think if anything be mindful of where thing spiral out of control but don't be a control freak about it sometime it also about letting go of the old.

So here the post you can feel free to read.

Positive thinking

https://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-6483.html

How to increase optimal workflow(the theory)

https://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-5494.html

One thing also for creative exploration would to do portrait mix with landscape find way to mix both subject matter

here some example of anthropomorphic landscape.

This is in a sense a exercise where i invitie you to mixing the idea that we are one with the environment and to bring awareness that we need to be conscious of were environment if we don't want to be the victim of were own internal turmoil.By incorporating a self portrait with some of the element of your surrounding you can perhaps feel the energy that can be the partial cause of the stress for example a messy room is a good indicator of internal turmoil some say.

https://www.google.com/search?q=antropom...s-wiz-serp

Also one thing i personally believe is that the fastest way to kill the inner child is to stop playing so be playful be joyful and be grateful.

Man, thank you very much for your advice! It really helps. I'm still on my way to better mental health recovery, but I'm starting to see improvements over the years. I still struggle between my so called "duties" and being relaxed and playful. But I'm getting there, I hope.  Also, thanks for the art idea. I think I'll try this out.

Hey there, very nice studies and variety of skills / approaches here. I feel like it may be time to do some "finished work" purely for yourself. Grinding studies isn't bad, but it can become a crutch of sorts.
I wouldn't try force coming up with a theme or idea or style, and also realise not every idea has to be unique or amazing  to be worthwhile. Putting too much pressure on yourself is a good way to keep burning out. You have enough skills, just come up with any old thing that moderately interests you and take it as far as you can.
And if you have ideas you want to do. Develop them now. Time waits for nobody, and you'll never be good enough, if you keep waiting to be good enough.

Thank you! I started to do more freestyle work this year. I still feel guilty and stressed out because I have so many other things going on in my life right now. I kinda force myself into it because I feel the clock IS ticking and I need to finally take this seriously and not entangle myself with questions about money, future and "am I good enough?" or "what's the point?". I know the danger of AI is looming over the horizon, but I try not to discourage myself from doing my work.


Some more studies I did this year:















Here is a non-study, I did this year. I'm not very happy with this image. It still looks a bit flat. Can anyone give me an advice on how to improve it?

[cgmythology]

Excellent updates, always enjoy your brushwork. The latest image is great, really surprised to hear you not entirely happy with it as the colors and composition are very strong. You can push lighting and values a bit further if you wish, but I feel it already is solid as is. Keep up the great work!

[Rainwater]

Excellent updates, always enjoy your brushwork.  The latest image is great, really surprised to hear you not entirely happy with it as the colors and composition are very strong.  You can push lighting and values a bit further if you wish, but I feel it already is solid as is.  Keep up the great work!

Thank you! 
I don't know to be honest. Maybe I'm too hard on myself, lol.
I'll try to post more regularly

[JosephCow]

I actually really like this painting. Favorite part is the texture of the greenish rocks and orange stick in the corner. It's all working really well. A little bit of flatness in the painting honestly is helpful, it emphasizes textures and colors.

That said I see some minor things like the red cloak could have more form I think. The dais and fountain the wizard guy is standing on could be drawn tighter as well, I feel like maybe if we saw it from above it would be more of an oval shape rather than perfect circle. The trees in the background look good, but seem too detailed to match the rest of the image I feel like. You could add a bit of atmosphere over the giant and trees if you wanted more depth+ shade and highlight his spherelike body a bit more probably.

I think it generally looks good already though so it's up to you what direction to take it!