Solutions for people who tend to slack off.

Hello, this is KawaiiSensei!

I have to practice, but

I have to paint my work

I have to paint new works...

I have to play games, touch my phone... I skip work...

Are there any of you who have such a habit of slacking off?

Nakamura, who manages KawaiiSensei, was (and still is) that type of person.

If you have a habit of slacking off, can you think of any of the following?

Negative thinking

When I try to draw an illustration, I think of negative reasons.

Maybe I won't be able to draw well.

Maybe I won't get any likes.

When you look for negative reasons such as "I might not be able to draw well," or "I might not get any likes," your motivation to draw will drop dramatically.

Not good at switching from one situation to another.

If you are not good at switching between tasks, you are also likely to slack off.

You may have experienced that you took a short break and then took time off to work, only to find that time has passed without you even thinking about it.

You can't switch your mind and think, "I'll do it tomorrow..." and the days go on and on when you can't do anything...

Perfectionism

I want to paint like a god!

and those who strive for perfection tend to skip work as a result.

Perfectionism can lead to a person not being able to draw until he or she has a perfect image of the illustration in his or her head, or giving up halfway through a picture just because it is not drawn well.

As a result, they draw less and repeat the same thing over and over...

The disadvantage of slacking off is that you lose confidence in yourself, and you are getting further and further away from improving.

I thought, "Today is the day I was going to paint, but in the end I couldn't..."

Breaking a promise to yourself will cause your self-esteem to drop more and more.

Repeatedly, this can lead to a negative cycle of feeling down before you even start painting, and then you end up not being able to do it anymore.

I want to stop slacking off!

Here are some tips to help you become a person who can do things quickly!

After reading this article, you should be able to take action immediately.

In this article

Three choices for people who already know what they need to do.

and "3 tips for people who can't think of what to draw"!

They are not difficult, so please refer to them!

 Three choices for those who already know what to do.

 (1) Let's draw a picture, even if it's just for a minute!

At any rate, try drawing for even one minute!

Do you know what "work excitement" is?

As a brain mechanism, people receive stimulation from their fingertips and vision when they actually move their hands.

You don't have to wait to get motivated, but you can get motivated by moving first.

First, it is important to create an attitude of painting without hesitation, even if you have to stop after one minute.

Next, I recommend extending it to 5 or 10 minutes.

As a result, once you have created an attitude of doing even a little, you can put yourself in a state where you can work more and more, even if you only intend to do it for "one minute!

At this time, be careful not to open social networking sites!

When I see a game icon such as Steam, I tend to press it, so I don't put the startup icon where I can see it on my desktop.

On the contrary, I store them in an annoying place that takes a long time to open...lol.

I also put my phone a little further away when I work on it!

I recommend not putting social networking sites on your phone's home screen, or making it a hassle by daring to make it a hassle by making it so you have to log in every time!

(2) Work on it with someone else!

If you have a hard time working alone, try working with someone else!

It can be a friend or someone in the same situation.

However, it is recommended that you work with someone who is more of a do-it-yourself type of person.

It's hard to slack off when the person you are working with is doing it right, right?

When working on line drawings or coloring, it's fun to do it while talking, and when thinking carefully about rough sketches or composition, just connecting in silence works well.

If you are not around, there are many such communities, so try to find one!

(3) Create an environment where you can start right away

It is important to lower the hurdle to getting started.

Whether you are working digitally or analog, make the environment easy to work in right away.

Equipment is especially important for digital drawing.

If your PC is slow to start up, that alone will make it a chore to work.

Also, lack of data organization will affect your work.

Analog drawing should also be organized by separating and storing art materials that are used frequently and those that are used only occasionally.

In addition, keep your work desk tidy and try to eliminate moving around the room as much as possible.

The key to creating a good work environment is to decide on a fixed location for objects and data.

Once you have a fixed location, you can get things in and out quickly and prevent your desk and data from becoming cluttered.

It may seem obvious, but organization is important!

It can be a chore to start by cleaning before you work or to start looking for data, so let's eliminate those hurdles as we go!

Three options for those who can't think of what to draw

(1) Pin your favorite works on Pinterest.

Use Pinterest as a resource for your artwork!

Pinterest is a tool that allows you to bookmark (pin) and manage images on the web.

When you search for illustrations, you will see many illustrations.

Pin and save the ones you like!

When you pin one work, similar works will appear, making it easy to find the image of the work.

By looking back at the pinned works later, you can see the trend of your favorite illustrations.

It is also a good way to get to know your preferences and think about what kind of things you want to draw!

There are many high quality works on Pinterest, so you should be able to find good works.

When you see good works of art, it stimulates your creativity, doesn't it?

You will surely find a subject that makes you think, "Oh, I want to draw something like that!

(2) Use mind maps

It is also recommended to analyze "what you like" with a mind map!

Mind mapping is a notebook method to write down your thought process.

If you don't know what you want to draw, you can use a mind map.

What do I like?" "What do I want to draw?

What do I want to draw?

Therefore, you can dig deeper into your preferences by verbalizing what you like!

For example, just saying "I want to draw pretty girls" is vague.

Try mind-mapping what comes to mind from there!

Cute girl -> black hair, neat and tidy, girly girl -> does she wear a sailor uniform or blazer?

etc. Visualize the elements of the illustration you want to draw!

If you don't know how to utilize mind maps, look up "mind map usage" on YouTube, etc., and you will find various ways to use mind maps!

If you don't know how to use mind maps, look up "how to use mind maps" on YouTube, etc. and you will find various ways to use them!

(3) Let's copy your favorite works!

Some people do not know where to start practicing.

If so, let's start with "copying"!

The point of copying is to verbalize what you like about the work and what you think is good about it.

It is also important to think about how the artist drew the work while copying it.

If you draw while thinking about it, you will be able to notice details that you would not normally notice.

For example

- Thick or thin lines

- The lines are connected or broken.

- The balance of the placement of the face

- How the hair is drawn

- How the eyes are drawn

- Proportion of the human body

- Orientation of the composition

There are so many things to notice.

It is difficult to draw exactly the same picture from the beginning, but it is okay to make mistakes!

After you have finished drawing, what is the difference? When you are done, study the drawing carefully to see what is different!

It is also a good idea to summarize what you noticed in a notebook.

The face I drew didn't have rounded cheeks, but the real face had fuller cheeks.

I didn't draw as many wrinkles on the clothes as I thought I did, but by drawing lines here, I could make the wrinkles look more three-dimensional.

It is a good idea to note down your findings, such as "I didn't draw as many wrinkles in the clothes as I thought I did.

By copying, you will think deeply about each one, and you will get into the habit of observing the painting.

Instead of "looking at the picture," aim to become "able to look at the picture!

First of all, copy the works of many artists you admire and like, and steal their techniques! It is important to approach this with the attitude of "I'm going to steal this technique!

If you take it seriously, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and self-affirmation, which will lead you to "I want to practice more...! Such a virtuous cycle is born!

That feeling is what will help you improve!

Summary of 3 solutions for people who tend to slack off

Whether you have a specific task in mind or can't think of what to draw, let's start by working on it, even if it's just for a minute!

The things I have introduced here are all things that you can incorporate immediately, so please try them!

Anyway, without action, you will never improve your painting.

If you take action, you will not be bothered by slacking off!

In this column, I will continue to share important knowledge about drawing, not only about painting.

I will also answer your questions in the column!

If you found this column useful, please like and support it! I would be happy if you could support me by liking the column ✨.

See you next time!