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#177 - How To Make Yourself WANT To Draw

was listening to a podcast while drawing recently, something I love to do, and the interviewed person said something interesting:

You get a dopamine hit from the anticipation of sex.

(This is about drawing, I promise. I’ll get to that.)

I am guessing you get a dopamine hit from having sex, but that you get a dopamine hit from the anticipation of sex was a revelation to me. It makes sense, and it explains many behaviors we see around us.

How does this relate to drawing?

What if there was a way to get a dopamine hit from the anticipation of making art?

We can achieve that if we 1) enjoy the drawing activity and 2) enjoy the end result, the drawings that come out. That will make us anticipate that joy the next day, and we will get a dopamine hit from that anticipation.

How do we go about achieving that? For this week, I want to propose the following drawing activity, and I hope you’ll join me:

First, make sure you have a sketchbook. For use at home, A4 size sketchbooks are good because you can work larger, but A5 is nice because you can take them outside with you more easily. Make sure the sketchbook isn’t so expensive that you don’t want to draw in it.

Second, find a mark-making tool you enjoy using. Preferably, it should be a pen like a fine liner. Something like a Pilot G-TEC C4 is a good option.

Other drawing tools are fine, too! If you prefer drawing with a pencil, colored pencil, ballpoint pen, fountain pen, or brush pen, that is fine, too. The most important thing is that you enjoy making marks with it.

I prefer to use pens with thin lines so I can sketch lightly and build up lines, while the ink flows freely so the pen glides smoothly over the page. Your preference may be different.

A4 sketchbook page spreads I did the first week of December, 2024 using my new art flashcards.

I used pens with different colors for these, filling the pages with sketches done in light yellow first, and then drawing over those with darker colored inks. I like the “texture” it creates, like the look of the pages even though individual sketches may have “failed”.

Not that it matters anymore, but these could have done well on social media, as people probably look at all the detail longer, which the algorithm tends to think is a signal that a post is “good”.

I wonder if Artificial Intelligence would be able to make sense of these...

But that’s all you’ll need: a sketchbook and a pen. A portable art studio!

Now, draw from observation, drawing things you think are beautiful. Try to draw freely. If a line comes out differently from how you intended, try to turn it into something pleasing. The goal isn’t to make a perfect copy but to end with a pleasing result.

Here are some ideas on how to approach that:

Copy Art

Copying art you admire is a great way to learn. Just make sure you don’t sell or pretend it’s yours. The benefit is that you copy something with a pleasing design, so your drawing will likely come out well. I have Kim Jung Gi’s sketchbooks, and I enjoy copying from these pages. His designs are just so gorgeous!

You can also find nice reference images on Pinterest or Google Images.

You get to see how other artists arrived at their beautiful designs using simplification and idealization.

Work From Reference

You can work from life and the things around you, model drawing classes, or use photos you took or found online on Pinterest or in magazines, for example, and try to develop your own idealizations and simplifications.

If you base your drawing on copyrighted work, keep in mind that it has to be significantly different before you can show or sell it.

Having said that, you are free to find your own way to simplify and idealize the subject.

For inspiration, look at these three artists:

1) Mike Berrier ( @mike.berrier on Instagram ) does a model drawing class, creating dynamic poses using a beautiful, loose line. He simplifies and idealizes the human form by using spherical forms.

2) Richard Powell ( @rchrd.powell on Instagram ) makes these beautiful gestural drawings directly in pen using quick but carefully placed lines.

3) Prakash Thombre ( @i_design_experiences on Instagram ) creates these gorgeous loose drawings directly in pen, based on reference.

All three have very different drawing styles.

Imagine how much fun it must be to draw loose like these guys do! And look at how visually pleasing their drawings are! Imagine doing that yourself. Wouldn’t you get a dopamine hit from anticipating drawing like that again the next day?

Please try this drawing activity this week: draw from observation with a pen in a sketchbook. Make sure you enjoy the tactile experience of mark-making, and try to create or copy pleasing designs.

Celebrate when you have a pleasing drawing or page! It will help you, as you’ll be more eager to draw again the next day, getting a dopamine hit from the anticipation of creating another great result.

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