How to Stay Inspired as a Digital Artist
Just like you, digital artists—professionals and students—sometimes feel like they are on an emotional rollercoaster. Sometimes you’re bursting with confidence and great ideas. Other times, you’re stuck and can’t break through a creative block. Experienced artists have been through it all, and along the way, they have discovered effective ways to stay inspired and blast through those inevitable “frozen in time“ moments. These are five key ways they continue to gain inspiration from the world around them.
1. Build Up Your Visual Library
Stimulate your creativity by traveling to new places. Enjoy endless vistas as a passenger on a train or a bus. Experience the tranquility of a long walk in a park or the visual stimulation of the bustling nightlife in a trendy neighborhood. Learn from the best by watching movies and TV shows with top-notch art direction, special effects, and animation.
2. Showcase Your Digital Art Online
Build up digital collages of your best pieces on websites like Pinterest and Instagram. Share your art with fellow digital arts and students on portfolio platforms like ArtStation and CG Society. Stimulate your creative juices browsing through other artists’ portfolios, noticing their unique styles and approaches. Gain inspiration from artists who are also working in your field of interest such as digital character design, environment design, anatomical drawing, or creature design.
3. Take a Digital Art Class
The top digital artists never stop learning—that’s how they become the best in their field. Whether digital art is a hobby or a career for you, signing up for an online class or an offline class near you can help you climb out of your slump and move from frustration to artistic creation. Remember, inspiration is always out there as long as you keep looking for it.
4. Study Existing Artwork and Games
Visit galleries and museums and come away with new ideas of expression. Inspiration can come from anywhere—an ancient Egyptian mural, a medieval battle scene, or a theatrical costume exhibit. Experience the top games like Call of Duty, Uncharted 4 and Titan Fall and notice the details that impress you most about them.
5. Tell a Story With Everything You Create
Take your time, and think about the mood and story that will involve your audience, no matter how mundane the particular project may be. When you design as many details as possible, it can help you to create a convincing project that results in enthusiastic responses from decision makers.
CG Master Academy is a leading provider of online digital art education for professionals and art students. Through our CG Master Classes in 2D, 3D and VFX, we provide comprehensive instruction by the industry’s top digital art professionals. CCGMA’s digital experience facilitates artistic growth and achievement through a very simple and intuitive program distributed across weekly master classes. To view our full programs and course list
visit us here.
