HELP! I Think I've forgotten how to draw my characters!

[aqua03]

So, bad news. I think I might have forgotten how to draw my characters.

I mean, I can draw them basically well enough so that they're still recognizable, but they all seem off in some way and I can't seem to get the proportions and details quite right anymore, especially in regards to the characters from DRAGOONS: Days & Knights. It's kind of weird and off-putting to me.

I don't know how or why this happened, but it just did and it's kind of worrying to me. It have something to do with kind of a massive funk I've only just recently came out of regarding me being super discouraged about my world and characters of my current comic (DRAGOONS) to the point I started kinda hating them and wanting to just quit and move on, but I do hope I can salvage them, because I really am feeling a lot better about things and wanna get back in the groove. Even if I start small with some silly drawings of them.

[ryoko]

This happens to me from time to time, usually when I'm suffering from exhaustion from my work schedule. Sometimes I feel like I can't draw at all, or if I do draw everything looks off. It's normal to have this happen and it may take some time to get your mojo back.

For me, it helps to give myself a break. Sometimes just drawing them out of context or doodling them without any real effort into making them 'perfect' helps me get my brain, eyes and hand back in sync with each other.

[aqua03]

Thanks. I think I might try that and see where it gets me.

[Kryanari]

Think you could post a couple pictures of a character, one you've done recently, and one back when you feel you've drawn them fine?

[aqua03]

Uh, sure. Though the one I made when I realize that I have forgotten is just a crude sketch at the moment if that works for you.

(Honestly, it's starting to feel more like less that I've forgotten how to draw them, and more that I simply can't bring myself to draw them. because for some reason, i feel like I might start crying when I do so.)

[sadghost]

Can't you use references of your own past pages?

I don't know if this is a memory problem or maybe is because your art style changed.

[amortelito]

maybe you are just having a bad week... I mean I was drawing my own characters very pretty the whole month and this week I can't even remember their hairdo from one panel to the next. I think this update looks very wonky (my update not yours! XD) but I'm pretty sure it is temporal. We are not machines so I think it is normal

BTW maybe you are falling into the Perfectionism trap again! Don't let it get to you.

[aqua03]

Thanks! I might be falling into that as well. I think I'll let my buffer run a bit lower for a few weeks and then see what I can do.

[Kelheor]

Aside from giving yourself a break (that is probably a must, you don't sound happy with the whole situation still), try doing more sketches Don't try to draw a full coloured perfect picture, just let yourself loose, maybe even take a pencil and notebook, and just make sketches - doesn't matter if they are really untidy, if they are just body parts or whatever. It should help you relax a little.

[faisalhussein394]

You need a few days rest, just lay on your bed, drink something sweet and warm, and watch Netflix.

But if you feel that you need to draw your character to proceed like me, I would look back at some of my previous pages to remember my characters in full form.

[ZatchZ]

Did you make a character design sheet?

[ZatchZ]

Real talk, that happened to me.
So what did I do?
I rolled with it.
I incorporated the new additions into the design.

[erudenedure]

As long as the characters are recognizable, I don't think it's too much of a problem. Sometimes, accepting things won't be perfect helps with meeting goals, if that makes sense.

Also, I don't have a link to legitimize it, but allegedly the creator of My Hero Academia has talked about how he can't draw a particular character's hair consistently. (Denki Kaminari, if you're curious.)

I think it's important to keep in mind even professional comic creators don't have perfect consistency.

[Cronaj]

This is called "growth," my friend. It's okay if your style evolves after time, and in fact, I personally love to see it. However, if it really bothers you, why don't you do as others have mentioned and try referencing some of your past drawings of your characters to try and match the style. Or try redrawing an old piece/panel, to see what has changed.

[darthmongoose]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much.
It's inevitable that over time, your style will evolve, but so long as generally the character retains certain "key identifiers" that are distinct from the other characters in the cast, your audience should always be able to tell which character is which.

The comic I'm currently working on uses a character I've worked with in comics for about sixteen years now, and so inevitably 34 year old me doesn't draw her the same as 18 year old me did. Fashions have changed, my style has changed and I've had years of professional experience, read a lot of books and learned a lot since then... but her key traits always stay the same: Left handed, slightly pear-shaped build, intense green eyes, straight eyebrows, scarlet hair that's very smooth on top then has a spiky fringe, tends to dress in a brash way, has a big heavy anime sword with a brass and red-wrapped hilt.

I think a person would hopefully be able to skip even from the top row to the bottom image and go "Oh yeah, that's the same character" in the same way you can skip from the first pages of longrunning webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court to the most recent ones and still recognise Annie, even though the style has changed a lot and the character is several years older.
If it helps, make a model sheet that specifically points out and labels the key identifiers of each major character. So long as you include those most important elements of the design, you're usually fine!

[Kryanari]

The reason why I wanted to see the OP's images of their OCs in the past and now, is because sometimes when we grow as an artist, our "artistic eye" improves. We often think we're drawing worse than we used to, when we're actually drawing better. The difference is, as we get better, we become more critical of our work because our eye is improving.

There's a good number of excellent artists I'll read about who will say that they think their art isn't very good.

I'm in a slump too at the moment with my own art and characters. Am I improving? I won't know until maybe a couple months down the road.