As Greg Manchess mentioned in a previous post regarding the generation of ideas... Greg said “just start drawing”. It is that simple. To further that thought, I tell students that when you are exhausted and simply can’t draw anymore... draw some more. It is in that last bit of effort that you may find your solution. Nobody said this career path would be easy.
Another method to kick start your inspiration is to have a drawing exercise that is entertaining, enlightening and just plain fun, Keeping a schedule for this exercise will also help you develop your skills, drawing discipline and visual competence.
For me this happens on Fridays....
Ladies and gentlemen.... I give you the Smoking Gun web site. Every Friday they have their “Mug Shot Roundup” This weekly “Roundup” displays the mug shots of various citizens arrested for a multitude of offenses' What you’re seeing in these police photographs is a person at their worst.... or should I say their best, for us artists anyway. i usually pick one or two “perps” to draw. I must tell you that the variety of faces and expressions are timeless and will supply you with endless hours of creative fun and artistic fulfillment. The hairstyles alone are priceless. Oh the humanity.
I usually give myself around fifteen to forty minutes per drawing. I get a cup of coffee and sit back with my sketchbook or clipboard and several sharp ebony pencils. I work directly from my computer monitor. These drawings are quick, don’t worry if they are not accurate “Just start drawing”! In some cases you can spend more time rendering them into finished drawings at a later time.
Have fun and let’s hope that we don’t see anyone we know on the Smoking Gun, Mug Shot Roundup. Although I thought I recognized someone from Muddy Colors a few weeks ago!
Here are a few quick examples:
I usually indicate the criminal offense on the drawing as well.
Links: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/
Recent mug shots (The Smoking Gun does keep an archive of past offenders): http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/12-10-10-mugs?page=0
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