If you're an artist, you probably know all too well the feeling of wanting to draw, but not knowing what to draw. That is the writer's block, but for artists, what is not-so-affectionately referred to as art block. It sucks. But the good news is, art block can be defeated! Even if it takes a while, and if you're not exactly creating the pieces you'd like to be in terms of subject matter, using prompts is a good way to get your creativity working and start defeating that dastardly art block. Here are a few prompts that you can try to get yourself in the mindset of creating again:
An animal that would be highly improbable to be seen wearing ice skates, indeed wearing ice skates.
This could mean a number of things. First and foremost, what kind of animal is it? Not an arctic or polar animal, of course. Is it an animal that has never seen snow before? Does it live underwater? Does it even have legs? How does this animal feel about ice skating? Is it nervous? Enjoying itself? Will it ice skate again in the future, if the opportunity is there?
A landscape of your favorite place during your favorite season.
Maybe you're not so much an animal-drawer, but you really love drawing trees and a sky. Think of the place where you feel most comfortable, or most excited, or happiest. What kind of weather would make that moment perfect? If your favorite place is inside, what decorations are up during this time? What seasonal items are strewn about? Think of your perfect setting, and put it on the paper.
A character from your favorite book.
Try this one if you like drawing people. Does this book have a movie adaptation already? If it does, you can emulate the movie or create your own interpretation. If it does not, take descriptions straight from the text to guide you. Bring out your favorite traits of this character in them physically--show their insecurities in their posture, their passion in their smile, their slyness in their smirk. Whatever that character means to you, make it come alive.
You and your best friend as animals.
Are you the same type of animal, or different animals? Are you unlikely friends from different ecosystems? How do you interact as these animals? How will you bring out your real-life personality traits into those shown by your animal interpretations?
A 12-foot-tall flower wearing a hat.
What kind of flower is it? Is it one that you created yourself? What kind of hat is it wearing? Why is it wearing this hat--for a formal event, to go with a new style, for fun? How will you show this flower's great height? Is there something next to it for reference, will you play with perspective to accomplish this?
An eerie path that someone is drawn to.
Where is this path--a forest, a town, a castle? What makes it so intriguing? What do you suppose it leads to? Who is the person about to embark down it? How much of the person is shown? Will they change their mind, or venture on? Are they alone? Will they tell others about it? What does their instinct tell them immediately to do?
A person holding an old photograph.
Who is the person? What is in the photograph? Can we see it, or is its back to us? How much of the person can we see? Just their hand, their eyes, their whole body? How does the person feel about the photograph? Do we know? Is it a memory, new information, evidence? How have they come across it? What does coming across it mean for them?
Keep on doing art! Don't let that no-good art block stop you. And in the mean time, make your own list of prompts and ideas for when you get stuck. Best of luck with your artistic endeavors!
