Inspiration versus Patience

[jdthomaswriter]

I have a dilemma.

Currently, I use Clip Studio (Manga Studio 5) and Photoshop CC 2016.

My problem is that when I get inspired by other people's web-comics, I know I am artistically capable to create similar if not equal work with my own added differences to make it unique. However, my problem is I lack the patience to take the time to make it look awesome! I put pencil to paper and pen to tablet and rush through it expecting a great result but inevitably I end up tearing out the piece of paper or destroying the .clip/.psd file because it never turned out the way I had it in my mind; inspiration and talent all but dived off a cliff into nothingness.

What are some ways to get around this? I want to create the awesome work I know I am capable of doing without feeling like I have to rush the piece. Also, I suffer from ADHD and Anxiety.

[KSlinger]

Can't help you with the ADHD and anxiety, but...why do you feel you need to rush? Are you worried about running out of creative juices before you're finished? If so, that seems more like a motivation problem rather than a patience problem.

[jdthomaswriter]

Possibly a motivational issue.

[jessicasurline]

Inspiration and patience are fickle together. If only there was a device that could pull selected ideas out of the mind and make them real! Its hard to plan and execute a project that takes a good amount of time to craft. I have so many projects I wish I could do but had to either shrink them down into something more manageable or scrap them all together. The funny thing about art is it usually looks like crap until right before its finished. If your foundation of the project is planned out right it will look fabulous when you get to adding the finishing polish. So don't get discouraged. Understand yourself and how you function realistically so you can take it steps. You are not a machine so give yourself a break. You are human and need time to play around and experiment with your art so you can find that beautiful balance of what subject matter you like to create and how you want it to turn out.

[zetina]

Oooh, I kind of think I get that. Like, I believe I can do all sorts of stuff but I never put in the effort, somehow just feeling fine with the thought that I could probably do it if I put my mind to it.
As for advice... Hmmm... Maybe, rather than results, finding more enjoyment in the actual process of creating. Seeing the piece grow and change. Next time you get fed up, don't destroy the WIP. Just let it sit and revisit it later. Some of the really detailed/epic pieces take several days to make (something I never do myself haha).

[nathankschulz]

The best artists I've ever met or heard of don't have any interest in inspiration. They like to be in charge of their art. Inspiration is a like a cat. It shows up, wants to be fed, cuddles... and then disappears. Meanwhile, be working on something and ignore inspiration, and just like the analogy I just used... it will show up when its ignored.

[efdvorsky]

I have anxiety at least, and what I can say is that I get the rush of wanting to get things done and look as good as other people's work. Here's the horrible reminder I have to keep telling myself though: I'm not them. It's not a competition, I have my own goal and style to keep in mind. I'm only saying this because the frustration from wanting to actually destroy the files and paper is a big sign of comparison from you and people who inspire you. And comparisons like these never lead to good things.

You do you and appreciate what you can do. Give yourself a break.

Moving on, I usually take small breaks between pages. (And doodle on other documents) Sometimes I'll work with these pages for hours, maybe after a few days or when I finish it (and it's already been published) take a look at them again and fix the issues. Pages looking good is for my own satisfaction.

Another big thing is: FINISH THE PAGE.

I know it's weird because you're frustrated and think "no it looks bad, there's nothing good about it" but you'd be surprised. Keep working on it, play with the adjustments, flatten it and fix issues on a new top layer and compare the results. Experiment!

But finish the page and THEN determine if you'll publish the work on not.

Don't just be inspired, be determined and motivated but also take care of your needs and blow steam on other things if it's getting to you.

That's all I can suggest

[joannekwan]

I get this often with my illustrations, I'll start one, lose interest, leave it gathering dust in a folder, and delete it a month later.
But I don't get this with my comics. I think it's because comics are a series of illustrations strung together. I also have an ending in sight for my story and each page finished is one step closer to revealing the next big plot point to amaze and astound readers. Try not to rush drawing a page and take it one panel/composition at a time. Sketch the whole thing out before inking, and when I say sketch, I mean do a refined sketch— a sketch that could work as the comic page save for some stray lines. Look it over and if you don't like a part, erase/delete it and start again. That's what I do.

[AnnaLandin]

I have artist-friends who suffer from ADHD, and their main way of coping with the issue of rushing through illustrations is to a.) listen to something while drawing - music or podcasts or just a tv-show in the background - to distract their brain from getting too worried about what they're doing with their hands, and b.) getting up and moving around frequently. I don't know if these things apply to you specifically, but it might be worth trying and see if it helps keep you a bit more calm while drawing.

[hushicho]

I have had this happen more than a few times to me, at least being inspired and thinking "I'm gonna create a comic, I can do a story now!" and then a little bit in finding myself able to do no such thing. I work as a professional, so I have to agree that it isn't about inspiration when you're producing; inspiration is one of those things that's nice to have...as long as it's directed where you want it, which it rarely ever is.

My advice is, if you feel strongly inspired by something, first spend a while developing any potential story. Figure out where the story can go, where you want it to go, what you want to do with it...do some sketches of characters and develop them. Develop them to distinguish them from the source of your inspiration, so that they are characters that are distinct. The practice will also make it easier for you to draw them. Muscle memory is a part of art, and once you've drawn a character enough times, they become almost like a reflex.

The time you've spent doing this, developing the story and characters, can help you decide if you're really interested in doing that story. It also forces you to wait before tackling the main project and organize it a bit better, so if you do end up going on and doing it, you'll have an easier time and sure footing.

Even if you decide not to do the brainstorming, sketching, and organization, I still advise this above all: wait. Give it a week or two. If after that time you still feel like you want to do it, then go for it -- you're probably dedicated enough to it and it isn't just a momentary fascination. But usually trying to do stories right when they hit you...that doesn't end well. That momentary enthusiasm dissipates awfully fast, I'm sorry to say.

Last of all, I'd like to add: don't get rid of the pages that you work on. Don't get rid of the sketches or anything else. Keep the files and look them over later on, because sometimes they can inspire something better. My current project is something that had two or three previous forms, each with several pages completely produced before I decided to set it aside until I could develop it to something more workable. It took months of walking away and coming back, but eventually I did decide I was up for the task and committed to it, and now I have half a year's worth of comics waiting to be posted, with more produced every week.

Good luck and I hope this helps!

[PixyByte]

I use Manga Studio 5 too.
I also have ADHD and severe Anxiety.
It sounds more like you have a creativity and motivation problem, if you are looking to other comics to get inspired. Inspiration can come from anywhere, try learning from movies/tv shows/ or even take inspiration from your own life experiences.
In the end, you just have to develop your own story to create for your webcomic, get absorbed into it, because when you are really excited about getting something across, especially if it really relates to you, you will have no problem being motivated to see it to the end.

[SpavVy]

When you start to become frustrated, then perhaps it would be a good idea to back off from the drawing and come back to it later. And don't throw away, rip up the paper or delete your files! Even if you don't plan on turning them into the final piece they might be good for thumbnail reference.

[Luie]

Srsly though, divide how much time it takes by how much patience you have. Do it until you get bored and save it away to finish by the next time you get inspired. Inspiration is a very temporary form of motivation. Use it to start your work but don't let it dictate how much time or effort you put into your work. When I get inspired, I can work for 12 hours with few breaks. But when I'm not inspired, nothing gets done. It's better for me to take a full break and stop while I'm still inspired so that I can come back with the same eagerness to get it done, rather than waiting until I'm bored of my work. I pull myself away from the thing I really want to finish if I know I can't complete it all at once. But if you do get bored of your work, save it away somewhere, forget about it even, then come back when you have another spark of inspiration. As you complete more and more pieces you'll be able to reassure yourself that even though they take more time than you'd like, you are capable of getting the results you want, and that fact itself might be the inspiration and the motivation you need to keep going.

[Doubtcent]

DO A SKETCH PAGE!
If you have an idea and you don't want to fully commit just yet, just make a page full of concepts or ideas for a character you would LIKE to draw (really fill it up with sketches and colors!) and then you can take what you really like and then find some focus now that the idea part is done. This way, it's like you have a map of what you want, and if you do in fact lose focus, you can always make another sketch page. Sketch pages can also help you focus on what kind of ideas you want to drift towards in your style or in a project.

The cool thing about a sketch page is that you don't have to commit to anything unless you really REALLY want to do it.