In this video I talk about the process of warming up when it comes to drawing - and why it's important to give yourself the opportunity to get all your bad drawings out of the way so that you can start drawing the good stuff!
When we're first getting into drawing, it can be hard to find our groove. Nothing's going right, and you're feeling underwhelmed with your output. But don't fret - for these are just the initial lines you're laying down onto the page, and they're precisely what's needed for you to shift into gear.
No one expects you to draw perfectly right off the bat, before you've even had a chance to warm up. Athletes have to stretch, actors have to practice their lines, and musicians need to tune their voice before a performance - you are no different. You'll always require a warm up period with your drawing before you're able to start knocking out work with real potential.
We don't like to hear that. We want to hit the deck running, sketching out the perfect draft that'll direct the final outcome of the illustration as a whole. But that's not the way it works, and you don't want it to - because as an artist it's important to have options. Avenues of creativity you can explore and experiment with. Set everything in stone right from the get go and you'll never know what else could have been.
For that same reason don't be discouraged when your first attempt at a drawing doesn't work out perfectly the way you want it to. The level of quality you start out with is only temporary and as you warm up your drawing muscles, your art will get better and better.
I hope you enjoy the video and that you get a ton of value out of it. If you do, be sure to hit like, subscribe and ring the bell for notifications. Leave your thoughts on this topic in the comments below!
-Clayton
(Thumbnail art from The Ballad of Halo Jones - 2000 AD).