Are you struggling to fit artistic practice into a busy life?
Discover 3 simple but effective TIPS to improve your drawing skills
and incorporate them into “in-between moments” of your day.
How to Improve Your Drawing Skills When You’re Busy
“We all have free time!”
How to draw often when we have a busy schedule?
Drawing is a great way to maximize any free time we have in our busy schedules.
Whether it’s the bus or subway ride home from work, a lunch break, or waiting at the doctor’s office, there can always be opportunities to practice drawing.
When I was in school and mastering my design skills,
I started taking advantage of commuters’ 25-minute subway ride home by doing my homework sketches aboard the train.
By optimizing and utilizing those “in-between moments” of our days,
we can fit creative activities into our schedules and hone our artistic abilities!
TIP 1 Identify the “boring time”
Today I went to the hospital with my dad,
who suffered a microfracture in his wrist from a fall down the stairs.
Fortunately, the doctor said it wasn’t too serious.
Nevertheless,
we had to face an extensive waiting time before he could attend his appointment and begin looking into his recovery process.
I’m here to support him through this difficult period.
At the hospital, there was plenty of waiting time.
It was pretty easy to foresee this “downtime”.
Instead of playing Candy Crush, I was drawing!
Luckily, I did plan to advance these moments to draw.
I took my bag and I was ready to draw on the go!
TIP 2 ADD THIS DRAWING PAD TO YOUR BAG
To increase your chances of sketching daily, pre-plan your bag.
Make it easy for you to get your sketching material ready anytime.
I discovered a writing pad recently in a pen store.
And I find it amazingly useful and easy to carry.
You can use it also to draw with a standing position!
- From now on, my writing board is always in my bag with my ballpoint pen.
No matter whether I plan to draw or not that day.
So if I need it, I know it’s with me. (This relation is similar to my phone somehow) - Furthermore, my bag has a special pocket to slot in a laptop or an iPad Pro for drawing. 🙂
- You will always get ready to draw!
TIP 3 SKIP CANDY CRUSH. DRAW!
- If you are a student, don’t wait for your sketching class to draw.
Take any pause time as an opportunity to draw: lunch, dinner, transportation, I know how we all have a busy life. But drawing is first about learning the right sketching techniques but also about practicing a lot. (like how Edward Eyth, Concept artist for Marvel, Spielberg, and Disney… mentioned) - Even if you could sketch only 15 minutes today, you did take that chance, and maybe learned, improved, or discovered something new! It will always be better than a Candy Crush game.
- Repeat all these insignificant moments, and you will boost significantly your level!
NOTE: Exchange your phone for your pen
Most people’s reflex during waiting time is to scroll their phone screen on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok.
But YOU ARE DIFFERENT,
You have a passion and you can improve anytime!
I mean you need to realize that drawing here at the hospital is a chance.
What if your passion was about playing guitar?
It wouldn’t be that easy to practice. Hehe.
As an artist or a designer (beginner or senior), we don’t need any phone, or tablet to entertain our imagination. We can entertain ourselves with a simple piece of paper and a pen by drawing. 🙂
If you see these (boring) waiting moments as an opportunity to practice drawing, you will grab them with enthusiasm.
By the way, I made a tutorial to draw creative and new products easily, using the Happy-accident technique.
Refine your drawings
Just back home, I carry on drawing on my sketches.
I add details, hatching for shadow.
It is a relaxing time to continue in the evening a drawing started during the day.
(Love my new drawing Pad acquisition!)
Believe in your dreams
I want to show you how much you can twist your perspective on “time practice”.
If drawing is your passion, make it a life priority like eating, and breathing.
So you will find ways to fusion drawing with your daily life.
Remember to take care of your passion, and your dreams.
As nobody else will do it for you.
Conclusion
Improving your drawing skills when you’re busy doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your schedule; it’s about seizing the moments and making the most of the time you have.
By:
- Adding a drawing pad to your bag, you ensure that you’re always equipped to sketch, turning any unexpected downtime into a productive practice session.
- Skipping mindless games in favor of drawing, you’ll find that even 15 minutes can be significant for learning or discovering something new in your art.
- Exchanging your phone for your pen, you embrace the unique opportunity to practice your passion wherever you are, knowing that as a designer or artist, you can entertain your imagination with the simplest of tools.
Remember, refining your drawings at home allows you to relax while adding depth and details to your sketches, making the most of your day’s work. And most importantly, believe in your dreams.
Treat your passion for drawing as a priority, akin to essential life functions.
Nobody else will nurture your artistic growth but you.
So, keep your sketching materials handy, see every moment as a chance to practice, and let your creativity flourish even in the busiest of lives.
Happy sketching!
See you tomorrow!
Cheers,
Chou-Tac
WATCH NEXT:
To show you how we can sketch anytime, anywhere,
here is a video I made in Japan studying and drawing products in store. 🙂
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