Now, in all honesty, it probably isn’t that hard of a question, but I falter when I consider all the parameters involved, because each piece has its own genesis. It really depends.
The short answer, of course, is that inspiration is never far. It can come from external sources, such as sight, sound or touch. Moving in the world around us is a constant cacophony of people, places and things to give us visual stimulation which can later be filtered through the artists’ mindset and set down in line, tone, or color.
And then there are those internal sources, such as experience, memory, and teaching. Often, the external and the internal combine in a fusion which produces and illustration or fine art image.
That’s the short answer. The long answer is, well, a little more complicated. Inspiration is never done in a vacuum, but is a process of editing; of refining a series of images and ideas until once central image is decided upon. Many times, as the adage goes, it’s "not what you put in, but what you leave out".
I have a tendency to put my work though a long period of gestation before I actually sit down at the board and start it. While walking the dog, I’m mentally looking at all the elements of and idea, taking this one out, putting another in. While driving, I’m considering possible color choices and how each one will react against another. While sitting, I’m thinking about how to get the viewer to focus on certain sections and how to use tone and line to achieve that end. In other words, most of my actual planning is done in my head, and when I have narrowed down many of the possibilities, at that point I’ll start actual conception sketches.
If a picture has too many focal points, it becomes unreadable (which we won’t go into today, as that subject falls more in the way of Composition). However, to be inspired, one must practice a few lessons:
1). Find the miraculous in the mundane. Learn to see ordinary objects and places as being wonderful for what they are, and then it is a small step to see them for what they can be. Differ your perspective, which will not only allow you to see things in a new light, but will also make people wonder what you are up to as you stoop down to view the sidewalk or street corner from an ant’s point of view.
2). Have fun with scale. A great example of this is, instead of seeing an old stump of a tree, pretend in your mind’s eye that it is the walls and battlements of an ancient fortress or castle. Why do dragonflies have to be tiny? What if they were the size of horses? Look closely at texture along the ground, and image that you are seeing a terrain map from high above! Imagination is the key to inspiration when manipulating size.
3). View other artwork. One thing which continues to inspire me is looking at other artists’ work. How they approach problems of lighting, color, form, focus, and detail constantly gives me a fresh way to look at my own work. I like two kinds of artists: those who do work similar to mine, and those who do things I would never do. For those who work in the same genre, I am challenged by how they treat similar subjects and situations, and for those who work in other genres, I appreciate that someone is drawing or painting something that I most likely would not even think of drawing.
And most importantly,
4). Allow yourself to have fun. Artists take themselves way too seriously. Loosen up! Have a great time in the very act of doing what you love to do, which is the reason that you draw, paint, color, etc. Yes, yes, it can be work (and often is when faced with multiple deadlines and lack of sleep), but remember to keep it fresh. Sketching will help this process.
Over the years I’ve developed a one word response when someone asks me that forthcoming question, "Where do you get your ideas from?"
"Everywhere."
Cya.
Sometimes, inspiration comes from just
wanting to draw barn rafters.
