Anyone else struggle finishing unfinished work?

[Idioms21]

I have this thing with me where I binge the ever living hell out of whatever it is I'm doing in one sitting to get it done ASAP. I do this for a lot of things mainly for school works and projects but it's been very noticeable ever since I started drawing over a year ago where the moment I put anything down and decide to finish it the next day, the drive to finish it just evaporates and it just gets left unfinished or half-assed rushed during the day of submission. In my drawings in particular I feel like I could never remember what it was in my mind during the flash of creativity that made me wanna make something so I just end up messing things up and make things worse or just get too scared to mess up and scrap the whole thing. It really just saps away the last bit of confidence I didn't know I even had seeing myself get so close to making something great but still fail halfway through.

Anyone else feels like this? or maybe you're the complete opposite and prefer to take your time when doing things? 
What your personal record on the longest binging session for a project? (Mine was 3 days filming, recording and editing a vlog for a school project)
Or just share stories of your toil and how it went

This piece I started 3 weeks ago but I had to scram immediately while doing it and I tried finishing it a week ago when I finally got back home and I feel like I made it worse. It's probably time to scrap this whole thing and move on to the next. Sadge since I felt this vision of what I was going to make and it was gonna be great but forgor what it was and now this is all I got left.

[kymoh]

First off, you said you made it worse but that looks AMAZING! It looks very professional like something out of a manga

With that out of the way, yes, I used to be a bit like that but not as much anymore. I still struggle with things like essays where I finish the first draft but don't feel bothered to edit it. I get the feeling of having been super motivated, full of ideas when starting something but losing interest when coming back to it. I don't know how exactly to fix this commitment issue, but I have a few ideas to think about:

 

-My hobbies are primarily making video games and music, both of which take a lot of time for one project. And while I might be able to rush a song in a day or two, that always ends up in me noticing an issue and going back to fix it. In a similar way, with video games I'm constantly testing with friends and finding bugs, which force me to stay committed to the project. So, maybe if you went back to your drawings and simply look at them, you will start wanting to make changes?

-Sometimes I draw, and while I used to always finish it in one sitting, I usually take more time now. Perhaps it has to do with the process? If you have a specific idea for the entire drawing (being able to imagine exactly how it'll look), it's definitely hard to remember it all. In that case, you should start off with a general sketch, write down some of the ideas, or use a reference. (Honestly I think you're a better artist than me so I might be wrong)

 

PS How do you make such clean art? All my drawings feel like they have so many unnecessary fold lines and details and it looks messy

Edited November 9, 2024 by kymoh

[Idioms21]

4 hours ago, kymoh said:

-My hobbies are primarily making video games and music, both of which take a lot of time for one project. And while I might be able to rush a song in a day or two, that always ends up in me noticing an issue and going back to fix it. In a similar way, with video games I'm constantly testing with friends and finding bugs, which force me to stay committed to the project. So, maybe if you went back to your drawings and simply look at them, you will start wanting to make changes?

Damn son, video game creation, music production and drawing too? quite the varied skillset you got there. Which made me remember the whole reason I learned to draw was that I wanted to also get into game making but didn't want to use the free assets or buy any so I wanted to make my own. In the end I learned none of the actual important things in making games (stage designs) but instead went hog wild on character design.
Tangent aside, I do go back on my older works and change it a bit sometimes but most of my sketches have a date to track my progress so I can look back to what I used to make, kinda like preserving the past. I don't feel like touching them despite seeing so many things I can change since I want a timeline of all my works. But you did give me the idea that I could force myself to be committed, I'll try on an illustration board perhaps?
 

4 hours ago, kymoh said:

-Sometimes I draw, and while I used to always finish it in one sitting, I usually take more time now. Perhaps it has to do with the process? If you have a specific idea for the entire drawing (being able to imagine exactly how it'll look), it's definitely hard to remember it all. In that case, you should start off with a general sketch, write down some of the ideas, or use a reference. (Honestly I think you're a better artist than me so I might be wrong)

Yeah remembering all the details is definitely the issue here as you just made me realize. I think its on my sketch being too messy or not painting a clear enough picture of what it should be. Probably because of how I always finish my stuffs in 5-8 hours I didn't bother making sketches clear as the idea is still fresh in my mind that I never considered how I would see it the next day if it's still unfinished. 
 

4 hours ago, kymoh said:

PS How do you make such clean art? All my drawings feel like they have so many unnecessary fold lines and details and it looks messy

Personally I like it when things are kept simple and with very little detail as possible, so I try simplify a lot of the designs and cut down unnecessary details that no one will look at for more than a second. Stuffs like clothing fold can get really funky so I try to use drawn references rather than real life photos since someone out there probably figures out how to draw the same thing with as few lines as possible. As for the process itself, its messy, hella messy, but I just try to sketch very lightly to not imprint anything permanent on the paper, and as much as I possibly can, I try draw as big as possible to make it easier to do tiny details and control line thickness.


But hey, thanks for the advice I actually realized stuffs about how I work and how I could change them. Though I'm curios on what genre of music you make, do you upload them anywhere? or any of the other stuffs you make in general.

[kymoh]

I might have many hobbies but I'm sort of mediocre at all of them :/   If only my skills run as deep as they are wide...

Also, it's cool your love for drawing first came from an interest in game design. I've heard of many illustrators and music producers that initially wanted to make things for video games, but instead just became really good artists normally!

 

On 11/9/2024 at 6:52 AM, Idioms21 said:

Tangent aside, I do go back on my older works and change it a bit sometimes but most of my sketches have a date to track my progress so I can look back to what I used to make, kinda like preserving the past. I don't feel like touching them despite seeing so many things I can change since I want a timeline of all my works. But you did give me the idea that I could force myself to be committed, I'll try on an illustration board perhaps?

Oh yeah, I definitely get what you mean. I guess in my previous reply I was thinking about games and music- completely forgot that drawings can't be so easily modified and preserved. Also, the thing about forcing yourself to commit to a project is it can quickly lead to burnout. Sometimes you really might be leading yourself to a dead end, so be careful.

But one healthy method to stay motivated is doing it for a person/purpose/deadline. I've made drawings for my friend's birthday, for my song cover, and for cirno day. It works really well for me because I plan several days ahead, and make sure everything looks good before sharing my work publicly.

 

On 11/9/2024 at 6:52 AM, Idioms21 said:

Personally I like it when things are kept simple and with very little detail as possible, so I try simplify a lot of the designs and cut down unnecessary details that no one will look at for more than a second. Stuffs like clothing fold can get really funky so I try to use drawn references rather than real life photos since someone out there probably figures out how to draw the same thing with as few lines as possible. As for the process itself, its messy, hella messy, but I just try to sketch very lightly to not imprint anything permanent on the paper, and as much as I possibly can, I try draw as big as possible to make it easier to do tiny details and control line thickness.

Thanks for the advice! Using drawn references is smart. And I suppose I should start sketching with a lighter pencil because I've always felt like my sketching gets in the way.

 

I love making hard techno, hardstyle, and other similar styles of electronic music. Just anything I can dance to (which is yet another hobby of mine). All touhou remixes, of course! I don't even know music theory, I just use midi files .  

I post my works on youtube, although they're uploaded alongside some of my other cringy videos so I won't show it here, sorry :P

[ReisenFanatic17]

this but for absolutely everything i announced to you guys

except that 4/27 special thingy