Struggling to Draw? Regain Your Motivation with These Tips!

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

If you'd like to level up your skills or hang out with like-minded artists trying to get better, please check out the link to our Discord. discord.gg/SGFn2vSAyd If you'd like to level up your creature designing skills, please sign up in our Creature Design Workshop: www.creaturedesignworkshop.com/ For my private mentorship, please email me at [e-mail]

[@LuckyBenjamin_]

Thank you for the great video bobby ❤

[@paulmitchell3267]

I am 45 years old and started drawing seriously almost 10 years ago and I have drawn most days ever since. I still hope to do something with my art professionally some day.

[@Murimz]

people like you help me realise how dumb it is to get in my head about "what if im too late to be good" when im not even in my twenties lol. right now everything feels so immediate its difficult to see i have a whole life ahead of me. cheers.

[@paulmitchell3267]

@@Murimz it's only too late when you are dead and buried. Don't get me wrong I still get in my head sometimes and think it's too late but then I tell myself not to be so stupid and keep going.

[@Kristofff696]

​@@Murimz I think almost everyone have that "it's to late" or "i'm not good". And sitting in my 40s (as a locksmith/gunsmith 8hr job) still have time to doodle, sketch and draw while watching Steve Zapata saing "oh I messed up proportion"😁

[@paulmitchell3267]

@@Kristofff696 Totally. Love Steven Zapata. I actually bought his form from imagination course. Very good.

[@michaelhaire7319]

@@paulmitchell3267thanks for saying this i really needed to hear it!

[@eriklemons5209]

i feel as though not drawing for extensive periods of time is almost a key feature in most artist's personalities. it's not bad to take a break from things, especially if you're stressed or dealing with a million other things at the same time. what signifies true love and passion for art is one's ability to always go back to it.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Very well said

[@RavenIsBlue]

Very true, but it gets frustrating when it happens unprompted and has no end in sight, especially when you have shit to do 😢

[@kingofthemoon3063]

I don't know how you do it, but every time I come to youtube looking for help with art, you have just the video I need to see.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

I just try to approach my lessons with no sugarcoating and to tap into the root causes for why artists don't improve. A lot of it can be painful to hear which is why most teachers don't talk about this stuff.

[@st.mephisto8564]

Your paleontology comment absolutely hits home. I had mistakenly taken science even though I was pretty bad in physics & mathematics because Biology was there & I had interest in creatures. I eventually had to realise I'm not cut out to do science but art & then pursued further career in fine arts

[@nonifuji1566]

"Stop trying to impress people" I needed that. For multiple creative outlets. Thank you so much.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

We've all been there! Then it clicks.

[@stormycatmink]

I would also argue that because something is your passion, doesn't mean you need to make a career out of it. Sometimes that doesn't make financial sense. Some people will find much more happiness doing their passion as a hobby rather than to pay the bills. For me, drawing for myself and doodling when stressed became my way to find comfort and relaxation.. I realized I didn't need to do it for anyone else at all. It could be something I could never show anyone else, but just being able to see my imagination drawn out in front of me would make me smile, and that was all I needed. A vehicle to get ideas out of my head and into the real world so I could work through them more. And just the exercise itself was such a stress relief.

[@robertsmiley2207]

People make time for the things that they love

[@Lucidnebula_0.o]

This is everything I've needed and I'm so grateful for this content. Thank you so much!

[@lydiataylor2343]

My mom died last year and drawing has been a refuge. I have gained confidence and am learning to draw people. Drawing takes all my anxious jittery energy and channels it into a productive hobby.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

I am sorry to hear that. 🫂

[@AndrewsArt78]

This one cut deep for me. It seems like I make more excuses not to draw especially lately. Social media isn't helping us artists in my opinion. It's just another distraction. But I guess that's only if you let it be. Awesome video as usual!

[@Scarshadow666]

True - and even as someone that minimizes the amount of social media I have/uses only YT - it's easy to get sucked into watching a lot of videos (even if they're tutorial videos) instead of putting what some videos talk about into practice. Social media also, unfortunately, makes it easier for artists to make unfair comparisons with themselves and other artists too (especially since chasing after algorithm standards can burn out artists).

[@DarkBurster]

I’ve always loved animals since I was a kid, I wanted to be a zoo keeper haha, but now I’m a 3d artist in games making monsters and bosses! It’s great but I still have to work from a concept and i found out a year in that my true passion is actually creature design. I think I am getting pretty good at it now after a couple of years from self learning. But I am still at the same job as a senior and have no idea how to switch career into a concept artist or even better, sell my own original IP designs for a living. Life is hard since my health is declining a bit too, but I’m still going strong, I will keep designing in my free time after work and one day I will make this dream a reality!

[@Momo-gh7ph]

This video has really opened my eyes, I struggle with trying to perfect anything I draw and I give up if it's not up to my expectations. Sometimes I forget my problems are only temporary and I get so caught up degrading myself for taking a break longer than I want it like about 2-4 weeks or even a month. It's hard having a clear head about art but I've been drawing as long as I can remember and I have to remind myself how far I've come.

[@brandon8667]

Something I learned about learning when I learned guitar: You must practice the fundamentals, but don’t exclusively do that. Variety helps burnout. Knuckling down and doing the hard work is necessary, but so is fun.

[@stanimirgeorgiev.87]

I love how you often mention that a sketchbook is our diary. This is a very interesting concept and way of looking at things. i love it.

[@righteous4399]

dude watching you sketch in your past videos re lit a love of art that i had, just felt like it was hard to pursue with the constant feeling of being stuck. you’re insanely talented and i only hope i can be half as good as you someday!

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

I appreciate that!

[@lowgman384]

I dig your video format: pure drawing and rock talking.

[@sophiesteph9593]

Love your vids I’m bed ridden and getting depressed so yes I’m “losing” my desire because I haven’t taken care of myself But this helped me so Thankyou 🙏

[@MSpotatoes]

I haven't drawn in 15 years because I decided to become a musician instead, and drawing time turned into practicing guitar time. I somehow have been able to get back into it, albeit rusty. Your videos have been really inspirational, thank you!

[@REMcVey]

Love this video as it is freeform, with no set idea and kind of back basics. I used to do this with a ballpoint a lot and the commitment with ink to paper with no erasure or ctrl-z forces me to problem solve and refine my technique as I go. Love what you mentioned about motivation and getting out of a slump of being stuck. One thing I have also found helpful was to sometimes stop, and walk away for a few do something and come back to it. Sometimes 5-10 minutes away gives you fresh eyes on where you left off. 😊

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Walking away does wonders!

[@TheSkinStealer]

I've been drawing since i was a kid but recently things have been tough...but the people around me and this video has defiantly helped me see that i don't need to be in my shell anymore, that my fear has been holding me back. Thanks for posting these videos!

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Glad I could help!

[@EtchAndSketch]

So I’ve officially watched all of your videos so I can equip myself to teach drawing and not just ‘Show’ my drawings. Thank you. Your lessons are extremely valuable.

[@Pingwatt]

I dont know if anyone feel like I do, I feel so calm and feel the flows when playing his vdo along while working or painting. Just like when you sitting with someone and you do your things, they do their things and also they keep talking to you. Like be together with a good companion but work separately, you know. Danm, I'm lonely. lol.

[@tiffanymolina1285]

Came out the gate swinging with this hot take! It’s good, really, but it’s a little too straight forward. Which in itself is the best way to get your life together for the simple task of doing what you love. A lot of people - myself included - do either one of two things. One is to hyper fixate on not being able to draw the perfect image, so putting pencil to paper feels like a waste. Even though that’s the only way to get better. Another is a more niche aspect of being afraid of everything. Soooooome, haha, people… really can’t bear to look at even the most mundane things in life without being afraid. Like everything is going to go wrong, and you don’t want to look at the bomb going off. With art, it’s to be avoidant as to not fail. Anyhow, there’s just too much brain stuff going on. That’s why you have a good take - one that can’t be related to all that much. Except maybe by people who’ve grown up in the eighties, you remind me of my brother to a degree. Could be a social phenomenon with us spazzes.

[@animaloftides4739]

I have trouble facing mistakes/taking the first step. Because I know it won't look as good as I'd wish, and then I get discouraged and stop because it's not fun. I have done drawings I think were good, but they just seemed to happen with little effort, kind of randomly and the key thing is I would have fun doing it and lose track of everything else around me. Trying to get back into it and find that spark I had when I first got interested in drawing, and you're a great inspiration I have to say. Your detail in drawings and artstyle is 'relatable' in a sense.

[@helloimkat]

I actually got out my sketchbook and a ballpoint pen for the first time in a while (I’ve been using a fine liner because of recommendations I’ve seen) and actually ended up enjoying it and remembering how fun ballpoint is

[@BTT16]

For me personally my motivation has slowly dropped over the years due to the overall status of the game and film industries. I lOVE Art and Design...I love to sketch and render monsters, props, environments etc...but all of that hard work has gone unseen by Pros who are already established in the industry, and definitely not seen by the larger companies/corporations. It seems like in general these companies don't want or need Artists anymore, and if they do, they already have a small established few to choose from. Recently I've been seeing some Artists upload their Production work fro Alien Romulus and I'm just like damn, how did they get those connections to work on a huge production like that?

[@kingofthemoon3063]

I don't know if this is the kind of answer you are hoping for, but I felt the same way when I started learning to draw. My conclusion is that I just want to make stuff purely for my own personal enjoyment and self expression. If I make money, cool, but I just want to make things.

[@Scarshadow666]

@@kingofthemoon3063 My thoughts as well! For making my art/drawings, I turn to making it more out of personal enjoyment than out of monetary reasons (though it's not a dig at other artists that are able to monetize/popularize their art, because it's definitely something amazing to get considering how the industry and Internet are like). It has made me wary to post my art online though, as sadly those high industry standards can extend to the Internet and I've heard of plenty of artists that have had their enjoyment of art ruined from uploading online.

[@HermitUnion]

I could watch you sharpen a pencil and would have still learned something. You are making the world a better place.

[@inkwad]

Im really glad i found your channel, listening to what you talk about really made me think about my art. Ive drawn for as long as I can remember and I would always adjust my “style” to what I saw and what was perceived as “cool” but I never really drawn for me even when I was little I would copy the people on tv, but watching your videos and doing the exercises made me really think about what I liked drawing and what I wanted to draw. I swear watching your videos are so much better than any art class than Ive ever taken!

[@kalidibusart1275]

I clicked this video hoping to help get over how shitty I'm feeling with art these days, and get over the depression and stress I feel about creating / not creating enough. "If you really desired it you wouldn't have given up for two months" Oh, ok cool. Thanks man.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

How bad do you want it?

[@henriquefeliciano5929]

Thank u for the video Bobby! 🖤

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

My pleasure!!

[@carruba4893]

Thank you for your videos an, you're saving my life, I LOVE the way you talk and you express yourself in those deep talks while giving tips to get better in art; I was in a critical situation but sketching with you really made my day. Once more, thank you

[@CyberValeth]

I'm finally in the process of talking to someone to find out the why I have stopped drawing and where/what I can do to fix this and get back to it. So while I don't doodle/sketch a lot I do a little here and there

[@Salomão-y6m]

Thank you for this video Mr Rebholz, I’m not giving up.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

You're welcome

[@countesschewi2399]

"Don't draw to impress other people." Ouch, that hurts but it's exactly what I've been struggling with recently! I let the pressure to improve and become a pro let me forget about drawing for myself, and only focused on drawing as a means of impressing a potential employer (or during University, my teachers). Didn't really make me better, it just turned me into a perfectionist. 😅 I'm finally starting to get over myself and focus on drawing work I want to and not what I think will get me a job, and I'm already liking what I made way more even if my skills haven't necessarily improved.

[@Disent0101]

i grew up in the 80s loving drawing too, the difference is i grew up in Australia, so by the early 2000s, when i started looking for work, there were probably 50 professionally employed artists in australia....so i fell into design, such a shame, now its different with the internet allowing remote work and the gig economy, but there is also generative AI, making the almost 20 years worth of skills i picked up kind of redundant. good times! create because you enjoy it, you may make some money or some one who writes better prompts may take that job that you spent decades honing skills to get..

[@U3gr]

Love your videos a lot buddy! You have the best art style i’ve ever seen.

[@luckiedarat1300]

Hi! I'd like to thank you very much for making this video. It was like you could read my mind or something like that lol. This definitely opened my eyes to my flaws and it helped me get out of my art block (sort of). Keep up the good work dood, im excited to see what you got next!

[@lukedyllonvanloggerenberg3879]

Hi my name is Luke I really enjoy your work and content it always inspires me even when I'm drawing along with you all the time, however I have been battling lately to figure out what direction I need to head towards I'm writing music, drawing new designs to experiment with my 3d printer, crafting cement pots and a little bit of woodworking but I seem to be overwhelmed as I am a Tool setter by trade for injection Moulding machines and I have been doing it since I was 17 years old and every time I find myself working on the things I want to do I am too tired or I overthink allot , I have been told that I that I am taking on too much at once I would just like your take on my situation. Once again thank you so much for the great content that you have been putting out for world

[@NumSkull-vp9wf]

Hello sir i hope all is well with you. I just wanted to thank you for this video and everything you said during it. Have an amazing day

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Thank you and same to you!

[@boragunes1855]

I've just started to learn drawing after years of wanting to. I now realize why I have been so scared to start. Not knowing what steps to take and also feeling like I am behind on everything makes the process very difficult. Do you have any advice for people who are just starting out and don't know how to get better on their own? Not being able to draw anything that looks good and being stuck with the elipses, lines and circles is very demotiveting. Does it get better? And how? Thank you for all the great videos.

[@levisimpson516]

I can’t stop drawing with different tools. My wife loves her ballpoint pens and my pen case is filled with all kinds of pencils and pens. My current favorite is a wide flat carpenter’s pencil.

[@Koontah]

I know what you're doing with all the characters and critters and biomes! You're making your own Voynich Manuscript!😅😅 On a more serious note, I really appreciate your posts! You've been a great help to me!

[@realsillyyuri]

This dude is my therapy.

[@paulonopa]

Pure awesome.

[@TM-nw6gk]

Very inspiring fast scribbling and what evolves out of it. Should do too. Since a few months I started creating Spaceships out of household trash. Then the material changed into organic stuff like mulch and now my hobby is creating creatures out of it. I think I could do scribbles of them first.😅

[@alexkemp7146]

Will Weston's classes on Drawing America. If youre struggling to draw then that guy gives you crystal clear steps.

[@wdcstudios]

Awesome video, really need to hear this.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rdkfarinha]

DUDE! This video helped A LOT!!

[@SeyasWhimsicalArt]

To be honest, I had just recently found your channel, and one thing is that, your art is incredible!! I’d love to be as good as you someday! ❤ also what pen did you use in the video?

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Thank you! It's just your standard Bic ballpoint you can get at Target or any store. More specifically, the Bic Ultra Round Stic Grip.

[@thethinker2688]

Haha, perfect timing, I just asked myself, "I wonder if Bobby posted a new video?" Not even a minute before this dropped

[@DaxTheWyrm]

You might like metro if you like all those games. It’s an apocalypse story game with monsters, based on the book series Metro 2033. Gears of war is still my favorite, monster-wise, but Metro was quite fun. It’s monsters are kind of ‘mutation’ based, with a few that aren’t quite explained. The books make some of them out to be absolutely chilling. Also kind of makes me think of ‘the road’ in some ways, with how it’s written and the ‘genre’ of writing.

[@Saitamacz34]

Thank you

[@BTT16]

Speaking of drawing dark scary things, In Grad School I took a layout for animation class...now I can design in a multitude of animation styles, but my portfolio at the time was more realistic, Horror, Sci-Fi and Action oriented. We had to bring our portfolios in and my Professor said my stuff was way too dark and scary and it was too much for the class...I was like yo man, I'm not gonna draw this kind of stuff for an animation layout class, but ever since that day he had it in for me the whole semester, and everyone else would try to get me to stray away from what I wanted to do...meanwhile you have people who have made a successful career doing exactly what I love.

[@DoggoStreamwatcher]

Speaking of motivation...Could you did a video on ARPGs? ARPGs are dying out because there's few big community-art sites like DA, anymore. Many of them feature around creatures, but many don't. I've found them fantastic to combat art block. They're indie-run, usually by small creators and communities.

[@ziadhakim5490]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@SaHaRaSquad]

For me motivation is kind of complicated - there are times when I can do a single activity 16 hours a day for weeks, but inbetween there’ll be periods where it’s completely uninteresting and it’s near impossible to control. That said drawing is the first thing in the last twenty or so years that I’ve now managed to do consistently for more than a few weeks in a row, I think that’s a good sign.

[@holm76]

Looks awesome. Which tip size are you using with that pen?

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Standard Bic ballpoint pen

[@Incenpilz]

"U just have to want it enough" is definitely not true in my opinion. Because people in arts in particular often suffer from neurodiverse disorders. Here, "wanting" can even become a problem, because the more you really want something, the greater the inhibition to actually do it becomes. But the point that u should never try to be creative for other people when u are in a phase like that is VERY true. That means, never think "what might other people think would be cool". It is best not to ask the question "what would be cool" at all. U have to start first. U have to get into the flow. Once u are in it, THEN u can try to steer it. But steering first and then driving off doesn't work.

[@SqualidsargeStudios]

That long space ship or space blaster, looks more like an alien cryo pod or alien wall art.

[@ritikjaiswal6120]

I am very afraid of detailing so can you make a video on how to deal with detailing❤

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

I've made dozens of lessons on that very thing.

[@ritikjaiswal6120]

@@bobbyrebholz2183 about the heads , the change from shading to detail is very complex for me but I know that its not that hard 😔 I need to understand it 😞

[@ritikjaiswal6120]

@@bobbyrebholz2183 sir can you make a video on detailing of the head of creature with full control on the pencil like for reptiles (head)

[@themosskin]

Great video! but I do wonder why one should stay away from fanart if they want to work on games? Personally especially when I was a kid seeing fanart inspired me a ton. Although you might be referring that from a study perspective I could understand that I think they are fun

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

@@themosskin hiring managers don't like seeing fan art because the artists are putting characters in their portfolio that aren't theirs.

[@themosskin]

@@bobbyrebholz2183 Ohhh that makes sense thank you for taking your time to respond! I though you said just stay away from fanart in general like dont do it period 😅

[@ericadurda9027]

I need to make more time for my art. I have 2 toddlers so it can be difficult to find a good amount of time to just get in the flow state. (I also loved drawing and dinos and wanted to be a paleontologist 😂) so I've just been intuitive doodling. I used to hear the same things. Now it's why are you wasting your talent? "You should" ... I'm ranting now haha

[@kaizokutaicho3266]

I like the Real Talks™

[@robertsmiley2207]

Looks very H.R Gigar style of drawing xenomorph 🧐😎👽😉 biomechanical

[@yuvalyanovitch2504]

I came to art becouse I saw all the images in my head, they were not always the most clear of pictures but they were there. I saw hald dragon human hybrids in a war against mankind, I saw space battles in the sky, machines fighting against others machines. I want to draw so I can see them all the time, I want others to see them, I want to them fight for their lives because I feel I am fighting for my live. I want to draw to be myself, and I want others to be themselves...

[@ritikjaiswal6120]

Sir ❤ I do want to feel normal like you

[@thebreg]

"There's no medication for motivation" - this somehow boils down the whole video for me

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Motivation is such a polarizing subject because we have to set aside ego, ambition, training, and blaming others. We just have to look at ourselves and ask "do I really WANT to do this or do I like the idea of being able to do it?"

[@mydemon]

"When you really want to do something, it doesnt matter how hard it is" someone has never heard of mental illness, depression, anxiety,...

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

I cover those topics on my channel as well. If you're struggling, please join our Discord.

[@filipkwapisz7375]

All i hear are excuses

[@collohomemrisadas]

I'm pretty sure that nobody's going to even see this but i think i need to vent a little. I'm a 17 year old dude from Brazil and i had a big argument with my mother, which made me throw away 7 years worth of drawings I've made through out my life. It killed my passion for drawing or art in general and i'm really confused on what i should do now.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

@@collohomemrisadas follow your passion instead of your mom's passion.

[@_justnick]

i hate drawing, i just hate it, because I suck so bad at it I end up hating myself too, but I always try to come back. And I always give up. The amount of stress I get from drawing is ridiculous, I have no idea why I even keep coming back to it. Oh I guess it's because my life is literal hell.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

Dude, please join our Discord for help!

[@markimlem]

I feel like I'm never able to create my own art, I can copy other people's designs, but I'm unable to make my own creatures. If you know what I mean :/

[@meat2023]

TL:DW Draw, if not, give up

[@RavenIsBlue]

How'd you know i was struggling right now? 😂

[@sketchasaurrex4087]

I still don't get how you thumbnail. You just start scribbling without thought or form, how do you do that? I have to have some idea of what I'm doodling.

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

I let the forms happen based on the scribbles. I don't deliberately scribble the forms.

[@Sherlockrogers1]

if this talk makes me feel like i dont really love art, then why do i still want to do it?

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

You might actually love it deep down but there's something else going on preventing you from taking the necessary steps to getting better.

[@Sherlockrogers1]

@@bobbyrebholz2183 it makes sense, thank you for the reply and for all your videos. I want to learn the fundamentals from scratch again to give myself more freedom with creation and expression. Your channel is really helping with that. I'd really love for drawing / concepting to be my full time job one day, and i think im finally at a place to get my drawing habits in order. one thing you touch on which really hits me is drawing for myself and not others, somewhere it became more about others, and i think thats where the passion has degraded. Any insight into why that might be? i feel making others happy with my creations was initially very rewarding. Anyway, thanks again, happy creating!

[@asdfgha]

No. You have not all been depressed before. You maybe have felt down, but you surely weren't 'all depressed before'. Don't encourage people to believe or say such a sh**. There are enough people saying they have xyz just to feel special or because they have a negatice mood. Depression is an illness not a mood.

[@DaN-ri7eh]

yeah to be honest maybe i don't love art or drawing

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

That's totally fine, too. You'll find that passion in something else. Just don't force it.

[@DaN-ri7eh]

@@bobbyrebholz2183 I'll start looking thank you for the great videos👍

[@ChadScarbs]

Im just very glad that i found your channel, so Thank you 🥹🙏

[@bobbyrebholz2183]

You’re welcome 😊