When a Drawing Idea Stalls, Change One Decision
An unfinished idea can be a place to pause rather than something that needs immediate repair. Changing one decision may make another possibility visible without replacing the whole starting outline.
A separate activity to try
Ask whether the artist wants to continue. If they do, try rotating the paper, using the shape as a smaller component, or choosing a broader subject category. Offer one option at a time instead of a list of instructions.
Look at the next choice
Another possibility is to leave the current version untouched and draw the same beginning in a new space. That keeps the original idea available while giving the artist room to try a different direction.
Decide whether to continue
An example or a reference book can supply another kind of starting task when invention is not appealing. Returning to a supplied outline does not mean the artist must earn their way back to an open-ended exercise.
Use a published book for another starting task
Trace Then Color: Cool Stuff offers follow the printed character lines, then choose colors. Compare that task with Shape Drawing Challenge’s repeated outlines and open-ended responses. The practice suggestions in this article are website-created activities, not additional printed features being claimed for either book.
Keep the next idea open
Shape Drawing Challenge gives artists 16 repeated beginnings, six illustrated examples per shape, and room for 480 independently chosen drawings.