For me, the New Year isn’t so much about reinvention — as recalibration. Stripping away distractions and embracing the interplay between discipline and play, especially with art and illustration.
Discipline is what gets me into the studio—project scoping, breaking down art-making into manageable steps, and blocking hours on the calendar. Do I over-plan? Yes, sometimes. Often. But, the aim is to plan just enough to ensure that studio time is a given and that when I get there, I can launch straight in. Boldly.
In principle, discipline in designing a picture works the same way. A strong composition gives room for expressive mark-making. Designing simply gives you even greater freedom to explore your materials and create in ways that feel spontaneous and emotional. To play. It worked for me with the 100 Crows project last year.
But this week, discipline failed me. At the drawing table, I was struggling to generate thumbnail sketches for a picture I had in mind. So, as usual, I turned up the discipline. I pulled out another sheet of paper, drew more boxes, and continued to sketch. But, none of the results were . . . it. To be clear, I don’t expect thumbnails to be loose and fresh — that’s for the finished piece — but I do want a composition I’m excited to take to finish. Instead, I watched in horror as my prospects for future play fizzled.
This was disconcerting. My focus for 2025 is to show up in the studio and finish pictures — and, as I mentioned above, play is my central modus operandi here. Working with the materials I love! Subjects that give me juice! In the moment, pouring my energy into what matters! Play, freedom, and spontaneity in the studio are essential.
What other ways can I approach ideation and picture design? One thing is sure: I’ll be doing a lot of compositions this year.
Two artist friends advised starting over, this time exploring basic shapes and poses for the figure. Only when you have something you like, draw a box around it and compose the picture with the division of space. Good solid advice, which — with all this adhering to discipline — I hadn't been able to find for myself.
Back in the studio, I decided to eschew the drawing table entirely and opted instead for the easel, working on large paper with charcoal and pan pastel. Moving freely, I searched for angles, connections, and a sense of space. No more stiff little thumbnails. The exploratory drawings flowed quickly, and I found compositions I liked.
What a relief.
I always feel a tension between discipline and play. In art, navigating this tension occurs in one way or another. Shall I begin this picture freely and energetically, then refine it, or start with precision and introduce chaos later?
This tension isn’t a problem — it’s the creative space where interesting work happens.
This week, I was compelled to let go of control sooner than I’m comfortable with and to bring play into the design process itself. As a result, the solutions emerged naturally, without feeling forced.
My sister, a writer, refers to this letting go as “functioning with more ease.”
Yes, that's it. And it's wonderfully recalibrating.
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