It’s not possible!
- It seems impossible to draw from your imagination – where do you even start?
- I’ll go over a number of ways that will help you get started.
- First let’s go back to your childhood.
Why are kids better at it than adults?
Ask a 5 year old to draw a house and they would most likely draw a square for the base, a rectangle for the door, a triangle for the roof and a circle for the sun. If you ask yourself why they draw it like this, the answer is really simple. It is because they instinctively break down real life objects into simple shapes that they already know: square, rectangle, triangle and circle.
Ok so you already know how to draw these shapes but what about the human eye, an astronaut or even a circus performer? Find resources and look closely at them – they are made up of these simple shapes too.
Imagination:
“The ability to be able to generate new ideas that didn’t really exist before. A fresh concept or altering an existing one to become different than before.”
Circus characters inspired from fruit. Start with basic shapes and create dynamic silhouettes. (by Liza Lluma)
Your visual library
Build up a visual library in your mind by practicing drawing things that you are interested in. Look through books, make studies from life or create Pinterest boards on a particular subject. It takes time but also learning perspective and basic anatomy will really enrich your drawing abilities. Practice often and fill up a sketchbook using your reference material as a guide. Really observe the subject and practice drawing it from different angles.
When you want to draw something from your imagination you can then easily visualise and draw upon these references which will now be stored in your head. It might not be exact but it will be recognisable and you can then manipulate it to create something new.
11 Ideas to draw from your imagination
1. Avoid the obvious
Draw something that means love. Did a red love heart pop into your mind? Try to think of something that represents love to you without it being something that everyone else is coming up with.
2. Recognise cliches
A circus scene: a clown in colourful baggy clothes with a red nose, curly hair and juggling balls, a male lion tamer with moustache and whip and a high flying confident acrobats. Did you think of something similar? What about if we mixed it up a bit and made the acrobats scared of heights and the lion tamer a young wispy girl in a ballet costume with an ability to talk to animals. Try something that hasn’t been done before.
3. Transmogrify
This is a fun one. Transmogrify means to change or alter something greatly for shock or humous effect. Take an everyday object like a chair and give it long spindly legs so that it looks like it’s come alive and could crawl across the floor like a giant spider.
4. 1 + 1 = 3
Take one unique object and combine it with another unique one to create something completely unique. For example take a coffee mug and Bigfoot and you get one very hairy mug.
Coffee cup + Bigfoot = Hairy mug (by Liza Lluma)
5. Inverting Idioms
This one puts a real spin on things. “Straight from the horse’s mouth” could become “Straight form the dinosaurs mouth”. “Having your head in the clouds” becomes “Having clouds in your head”.
6. Changing perspective
Try changing your view of the world. What would bird’s-eye view look like or worm’s-eye view? How about from a child’s perspective or even an animal. I’ve always wondered how my cat sees things.
7. Abstract thinking
What is the hidden meaning behind something, think about the bigger picture. Just because something doesn’t exist as a physical thing doesn’t mean you cant draw it. You can draw what it represents to you – for example take ‘Freedom’. It could mean running a cross a field filled of wild flowers or running around naked. Both would be fun to draw!
Image by M.C. Escher
8. Obfuscate (visual confusion)
This means taking regular objects or scenes and turning them into images that are unclear or confusing. Think of an artist like Picasso or the amazing graphic artist M.C. Escher with his complex works of art. They would break down complex shapes into simple ones and then redefine them into a new form.
9. Exaggeration
Take normal features and make them smaller or bigger. It can bring a fresh, yet dramatic perspective for the viewer. It’s what makes caricatures so entertaining.
10. Seek out the extra-ordinary
The world around us is really magical. Take the time to observe and you will find tiny worlds that exist right under our noses. Like the underside of a shoe, the lifeforms between blades of grass or how about the inside of a dog’s ear.
So hopefully this has given you some great tips on how to draw from your imagination and helped smash down that creative block.
I have made a great book called Creative Drawing Prompts for Kids that you can check out on Amazon. It’s perfect for children aged 8-12 however I think it would be fun for anyone over the age of 12 as well. There are drawing prompts on each page to get you started and tips to help open and focus your mind.
Follow me on Instagram @liza_lluma for creative tips, demos and quirky illustrations.
What do you think about drawing from your imagination? Let me know what struggles you have and comment below.