I started doing junk journaling. It’s cheap but very satisfying…. Although that got me interested in geli printing so now I’m painting, and of course I had to also get acrylic markers… but the ones that I got are too thick for the detail I want. So now I have to get a 2nd set… not to mention the stamps. Never mind. Don’t start a hobby. No matter how cheap it sounds.
I realized recently that like 90% of my things that my mom considers “junk” are art supplies of some sort. (The other 10% are various stim toys.) Yarn, sewing patterns, possibly a million bottles of paint, brushes that are broken on the handle but still have the best bristles for certain effects, a tub of beads, reams of drawing paper (because I always forget about the packs I already have), I could go on and on.
The problem is, I’m shit at organizing. My ADHD brain gets overwhelmed and I never end up succeeding. Besides, I cycle through hobbies but there’s no clear cut-off for when some interests change. I may keep out a crochet project because I had the steam to get halfway through, and I want it nearby so I can pick it up and add a few stitches when I feel like it. But then I decide I want to paint something, so I take out my paint supplies. Before that interest cycles completely out, I start wanting to mold something from clay…
And yeah. It gets out of hand sometimes, especially when I re-buy things I already had because I forgot I already had them. The chaos breeds more chaos. However, having to put away everything just to take it back out a few hours later sounds equally absurd. I know that’s the habit we’re all supposed to do, but for me if something is out of sight for too long, I could forget what I was even trying to make. I only complete projects that I keep coming back to, and any hinderance to that is like stepping on a banana peel on a stairwell, as far as my executive functioning is concerned. It makes it so much harder to arrive to the point where I’m actually done.
To anyone who doesn’t think they have any talent for drawing, but who wants to try, I’d recommend starting with simple shapes. I know, I know, it sounds childish, but I’m going somewhere here.
Start with simple shapes on their own. Then start adding simple shapes to each other. Connect them, overlap them, make some of them squiggly or unusual. Do whatever feels right.
Then, look back at the picture and really look at it. What else could it look like? If you showed that picture to a child, what would they think it was? (Go ahead and ask a child, if one is around. They are really good at this.) Look at those shapes and imagine something new growing out of it. If you must, put the picture down and go do something else for a bit. When you come back, your fresh eyes may see something that you didn’t see before.
Then, add on whatever you imagined, bit by bit.
Not only does this help hone the hand-eye coordination and fine motor control needed for drawing, but it exercises your imagination and teaches you how to perceptualize more complex images (by being able to break them down to simpler parts.) It blends seamlessly in with Bob Ross’s approach of using mistakes to enhance a work, too. Mistakes will happen, nobody’s perfect. Being able to turn a random paint smear or inkblot into something that would fit in with a work can take you far.
something that’s true of most hobbies I’ve looked into: always start with the cheap shit tools/materials because you won’t really understand why the expensive shit is good until you’ve had some experience.
At my level of experience (essentially none) I’d get similar results if I was using copic or crayola.
Start with a basic HB pencil. Costs under 1 dollar/euro.
If you want to add colour, get some basic coloured pencils or soft pastels. Pastels will need, in general, better paper.
Want to ink them? Go for some cheap black fine lighter pens at different widths.
This progression alone can take years and is enough to get decent at drawing, learn the fundamentals, etc. Good materials and tools are useless if you don’t know how to use them properly, so don’t spend too much on them too early.
To start drawing you need a pencil and some paper. It costs almost nothing to start and it can be very rewarding.
I started doing junk journaling. It’s cheap but very satisfying…. Although that got me interested in geli printing so now I’m painting, and of course I had to also get acrylic markers… but the ones that I got are too thick for the detail I want. So now I have to get a 2nd set… not to mention the stamps. Never mind. Don’t start a hobby. No matter how cheap it sounds.
I realized recently that like 90% of my things that my mom considers “junk” are art supplies of some sort. (The other 10% are various stim toys.) Yarn, sewing patterns, possibly a million bottles of paint, brushes that are broken on the handle but still have the best bristles for certain effects, a tub of beads, reams of drawing paper (because I always forget about the packs I already have), I could go on and on.
The problem is, I’m shit at organizing. My ADHD brain gets overwhelmed and I never end up succeeding. Besides, I cycle through hobbies but there’s no clear cut-off for when some interests change. I may keep out a crochet project because I had the steam to get halfway through, and I want it nearby so I can pick it up and add a few stitches when I feel like it. But then I decide I want to paint something, so I take out my paint supplies. Before that interest cycles completely out, I start wanting to mold something from clay…
And yeah. It gets out of hand sometimes, especially when I re-buy things I already had because I forgot I already had them. The chaos breeds more chaos. However, having to put away everything just to take it back out a few hours later sounds equally absurd. I know that’s the habit we’re all supposed to do, but for me if something is out of sight for too long, I could forget what I was even trying to make. I only complete projects that I keep coming back to, and any hinderance to that is like stepping on a banana peel on a stairwell, as far as my executive functioning is concerned. It makes it so much harder to arrive to the point where I’m actually done.
To anyone who doesn’t think they have any talent for drawing, but who wants to try, I’d recommend starting with simple shapes. I know, I know, it sounds childish, but I’m going somewhere here.
Start with simple shapes on their own. Then start adding simple shapes to each other. Connect them, overlap them, make some of them squiggly or unusual. Do whatever feels right.
Then, look back at the picture and really look at it. What else could it look like? If you showed that picture to a child, what would they think it was? (Go ahead and ask a child, if one is around. They are really good at this.) Look at those shapes and imagine something new growing out of it. If you must, put the picture down and go do something else for a bit. When you come back, your fresh eyes may see something that you didn’t see before.
Then, add on whatever you imagined, bit by bit.
Not only does this help hone the hand-eye coordination and fine motor control needed for drawing, but it exercises your imagination and teaches you how to perceptualize more complex images (by being able to break them down to simpler parts.) It blends seamlessly in with Bob Ross’s approach of using mistakes to enhance a work, too. Mistakes will happen, nobody’s perfect. Being able to turn a random paint smear or inkblot into something that would fit in with a work can take you far.
“Good paint pens” are so expensive… Also they go through standard printing paper so they need expensive special paper…
That being said, i don’t draw/paint, so i don’t understand the appeal of these special pens.
something that’s true of most hobbies I’ve looked into: always start with the cheap shit tools/materials because you won’t really understand why the expensive shit is good until you’ve had some experience.
At my level of experience (essentially none) I’d get similar results if I was using copic or crayola.
Start with a basic HB pencil. Costs under 1 dollar/euro.
If you want to add colour, get some basic coloured pencils or soft pastels. Pastels will need, in general, better paper.
Want to ink them? Go for some cheap black fine lighter pens at different widths.
This progression alone can take years and is enough to get decent at drawing, learn the fundamentals, etc. Good materials and tools are useless if you don’t know how to use them properly, so don’t spend too much on them too early.