Finally stopped rushing my sketches after a 10-year habit of blasting through them

Used to crank out a full page of thumbnails in 15 minutes flat, but last Tuesday I spent 45 minutes on just one composition and it clicked more than any finished piece I've done this year. Has anyone else had that moment where slowing down actually felt like moving forward?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_taylor6d ago

Used to think slowing down was just being lazy (especially with a thousand ideas bouncing around), but after forcing myself to sit with one sketch for way too long, I finally got it. The details started showing up naturally, like the whole drawing breathed a sigh of relief. Now I'm the one who takes 45 minutes on a thumbnail and actually calls it progress.

paul_taylor216d ago

My first 45 minute thumbnail ended up looking like a potato wearing a hat, so at least there's nowhere to go but up lmao. I used to blaze through sketches in 10 minutes flat and wonder why they looked like a 5 year old drew them while riding a roller coaster. Now I sit there staring at the paper for like 20 minutes just letting my brain catch up to my hand, it's honestly kind of calming. Still not sure if that potato was supposed to be a person or a landscape though lol.

paige3316d ago

That 15 minute thumbnail sprint worked for me for years though. I think some of us actually need that speed to stop overthinking and just get the idea down before our inner critic wakes up. If your hand is faster than your brain, blasting through can be the right speed for where you're at.