Do you dream of being able to spend more time at your drawing table doing that one thing you really love. You know how good it feels with your pencils in your hand. Time just passes by and there isn’t a care in the world.

Do you find that yet another day has gone by without even picking up your pencil. The evening comes and now you’re too exhausted.

If you find this is happening to you then you’re in the right place. I once felt just the same. Then I decided that drawing was the one thing that I just had to do no matter what. I began to truly value drawing as an important and essential thing that I needed to do.

Maybe these top 10 tips that I’ve used daily to create more time and motivation to draw (while valuing my drawing time) can help you too.

 

My top 10 tips To help you draw more often:

 

#1 – Claim your drawing time:

My first and most valuable tip is that you have to claim your drawing time and don’t wait for permission from anyone else. Make a conscious decision that you’re embracing drawing as your special gift to you.

#2 – Draw in your Pyjama Time:

Don’t wait for the big blocks of time to come because they rarely do. In other words don’t wait until you have a whole day free. Learn to draw and color in the little blocks of time. I often call these blocks my ‘Pyjama Time’ because often it’s that time of night when I’m in my PJ’s (hence the name Draw PJ) that I claim for drawing.

Even if you’re feeling tired, just show up at your drawing table anyway. You’ll be surprised where the energy comes from if you’re motivated enough to draw and color.

#3 – Book it into your calendar:

Plan when to draw and then book it into your calendar. Even if you can only manage to set-aside smaller 15-minute blocks daily you can still include drawing into your lifestyle. It would be great if you could block out 1 or 2 hours once a week. Whatever you can do to fit in with your lifestyle, it can really help to block out the time in your calendar. This will help you to avoid procrastination.

#4 – Find your biggest motivation and write it down:

Find what motivates you to draw and write it down for yourself.  Would you like to learn to draw cats, dogs, farmland and woodland animals or things from your immediate environment? You could really impress your children or grandchildren. Perhaps you could pass your knowledge on to them too.

Maybe you’d like to make your own Christmas cards and gift tags, or other special occasion cards. Think of all the money you’ll save on not having to buy them. Create lovely artworks to decorate your home or give at gifts. Perhaps you’d love to leave a legacy to your family and illustrate a book. It doesn’t matter how big your goals are, write them down.

#5 – Always keep moving forward:

Even when you find that you’re feeling stuck, don’t stop drawing. Set the problem aside and either find out how to fix it through other tutorials or watch other artists and how they solve the same or similar problem. Just keep moving forward by learning new things. Discover something new or try a different way to do things. You can avoid ‘Artist’s Block’ by having your next idea ready to go before you even complete the drawing you’re working on. Avoid the dreaded blank page by thinking of your ideas in your daily life before you even show up at the table to draw.

The easiest way to to keep moving foward and avoid staring at a blank page is to prepare before you draw. There are many ways you can do this. Here’s two of my favourites for you:

• Draw or color from a tutorial: Just print out the image from the tutorial and you’re ready to go. This is the best place to start. You can learn so much from tutorials and you’ll be moving forward at the same time as really enjoying yourself. This is a good solution if you’re super busy working or caring for loved ones and you genuinely have very little time to draw and color.

Tip: Print out your image from the tutorial way before (even the day before) you are about to sit and color it in.

• Gather ideas before you draw – for original art: If you’re creating a totally new drawing from your imagination, always have your idea at least started in your mind and sketched on a piece of scrap paper before you show up to the blank page. That means write or sketch your idea away from the table and during your everyday life.

Tip: Make sure that you keep a little sketch pad or note book in your bag, pocket or beside your bed etc…ready to draw at any time. Ideas rarely begin when you’re sitting at the drawing table, they usually happen in your everyday life. Ideas can happen in the shower, while you’re washing dishes, cleaning, or even while you’re watching a movie. They can happen in the early hours of the morning too! So keep a tiny torch beside your bed – preferably one of those little clip-on ones and have it attached to your note book ready to sketch your idea and put little notations on there so you know what what your scribbles mean in the morning haha.

#6 – Join a drawing community:

By surrounding yourself with like-minded people (who also love drawing and coloring) you’re more likely to draw reguarly. In our online community at Cindys Drawing Club we’re always excited to hear from one another and we have short little discussions and chats daily. We share so many things like our latest baked cakes or meals, beautiful gardens, holiday snaps and of course our latest artworks. Our common bond is that we all love drawing.

We all cheer each other on regardless of the level of ability that everyone is at. We celebrate each every drawing we see in the club, because we know that its a huge success just for showing up to draw or color in the first place. We all draw for the sheer joy of it. You’re more than welcome to come join our club too Cindys Drawing Club

#7 – Celebrate the small successes:

Just showing up to draw is a huge success in itself – worth celebrating! So don’t be hard on yourself if you only manage to color a little bit at a time. You’ve already succeeded just by claiming that little bit of precious time for yourself. Well done!

#8 – Keep your art materials set up:

If you keep your art materials out on your desk at all times it’s way easier to pick up again from where you left off. If that’s not possible for you to do, use a shallow plastic or cardboard box with a lid to keep everything laid out in it. Put the box on your table when you’re drawing, then just put the lid back on to pack it away each time quickly and easily.

#9 – Have a daylight globe in a little lamp:

Having a daylight globe means you can see more clearly at night. That will help you show up in the evening to draw and color.

#10 – Nurture your space:

Put on some ambient music (or whatever your favorite music is) and some headphones. Light a fragrant candle or incense stick. Setting the mood helps you to relax and enjoy your PJ time even more. If you’ve got a dedicated corner in a room, put up some motivational quotes like ‘I’m drawing for just a little while. I’ll be back in the real world soon.’ ‘This is my special ‘me’ time. I’m going to be way happier afterwards too, just because I’m drawing now.’

Summary

That’s my top 10 tips! Remember that drawing and coloring are a gift that you must receive for yourself. You deserve to have time out to be calm, at peace and to re-center yourself. If drawing and coloring make you happy, that is a gift to everyone else around you too. Your happiness will radiate out towards others.

Perfect short courses to get you started today:

If you’re looking for wonderful starter courses from me, to color with check these out here:

For beginners to drawing: Learn To Draw in 60 Seconds

For beginners to coloring: Coloring For Happiness – Max Cuddleecat

For more information on coaching and mentoring with Cindy:

Art Coaching and Drawing Mentoring