So today I want to talk about a classic beginner artist problem: simply not drawing enough.
I’m sure there are tons of artists out there struggling with this, right? Obviously, I’m one of them.
I’ve been wanting to fix this for the longest time but haven’t been able to make it happen, so I figured I should start by psychoanalyzing my own habits.
Fair warning: this post is basically just a wall of text lol.
How Much Am I Actually Drawing? 📊
First off, how much am I even drawing per month?
Let’s take a look back.
When I First Started Digital Art 🖥️
I first dipped my toes into digital art around May 2020.
I bought my first screen tablet and started practicing lines, drawing faces, and studying hand anatomy—basically doing the most stereotypical “beginner digital artist” moves imaginable.
But apparently, I got bored super fast and ended up dropping it after about three months.
When I Actually Wanted to Git Gud 🎮
Fast forward a whole 4 years since buying that tablet (time flies way too fast man), and I remember finally realizing around April 2024 that I seriously wanted to get better at drawing.
So, last year.
If we start counting from there, I have 19 completed illustrations.
All of those are uploaded to my Pixiv, but I also have some unpublished stuff and practice files. In total, I did a little under 30 practice pieces and 127 gesture drawings.
That covers the 14 months from April 2024 to June 2025.
My average for completed illustrations—which is arguably the most important metric—is 0.7 pieces per month. Yeah, that’s definitely way too low.
I have a decent number of gesture drawings, but tbh I haven’t even been keeping up with those lately.
Why Can I Only Finish 0.7 Drawings a Month? 🤔
For starters, I’m just a really slow drawer. It takes me like 15 or 20 hours to finish a single illustration.
Looking at just that number, you’d think, “You have a whole month, surely you can manage more than that.” But the reality is that I’m not managing it. So let’s dig into the reasons I already lowkey suspect.
Let’s just assume for now that it takes me 15 hours per illustration.
Actually, even though I set that baseline, let’s ignore the time-per-drawing metric for a sec.
Because I already know that drawing faster isn’t a problem I can just fix overnight.
Why Does 15 Hours Take a Whole Month? ⏳
Taking 15 hours for a piece isn’t super abnormal depending on the detail level, but taking nearly a whole month just to put in those 15 hours? That’s definitely abnormal.
Basically, it just means I spend a massive amount of time NOT drawing.
I think that’s literally all it boils down to.
I actually spend a good chunk of time sitting in front of my PC at home.
When I’m home, I’m almost always either at my desk or rolling around on the sofa.
So what am I doing when I’m at my PC? Pretty much this:
- Drawing illustrations
- Watching YouTube
- Playing Granblue Fantasy (grinding)
- Chatting on Discord
- Tinkering with this blog
- Reading books (including digital ones)
Yeah, that’s roughly the breakdown.
I put “Drawing illustrations” at the very top of the list like I’m some dedicated artist, but tbh it probably ranks around 4th place in terms of actual time spent.
The vast majority of my time is spent playing Granblue while watching YouTube in the background.
Or reading.
I used to endlessly scroll YouTube Shorts, but once I realized how much of a massive waste of time it was, I practically quit watching them entirely.
Even when I watch normal YouTube, about a third of the time it’s art-related content. But that means the other two-thirds is just me aimlessly wandering through my recommended feed, so I definitely need to cut that down.
And then there’s the Granblue grind. Honestly, it’s not even that I’m having the time of my life playing it—it’s more like I’m just playing it out of pure inertia at this point.
If I could just quit Granblue, I’d definitely secure a ton of free time. But I don’t really *want* to quit, and it still has its fun moments, so tbh I don’t see myself dropping it.
Which leaves me with the ultimate question: what do I do then?
Another huge time-sink is reading. I can literally read forever until I pass out.
It’s probably my favorite hobby overall, so I feel like there’s really nothing I can do to stop that one lol.
Ideas to Secure More Drawing Time 💡
The Granblue Prescription 💊
Since I can’t bring myself to quit Granblue, I’ve thought about just setting a strict time limit for it.
Even though it’s just a gacha game, there is an endless amount of content to grind, and since you can play it in the background, it’s super easy to play forever.
The classic solution is “just do your dailies and log off,” but since it’s a massive game, there’s basically a permanent rotation of events happening.
Still, aside from Guild Wars, most events can be cleared in a day or two. So if I just do what I need to do and immediately close the game without pointless grinding, I should be fine.
That’s probably the absolute best I can manage…
The YouTube Prescription 📺
Honestly, I feel like I could actually stop watching YouTube if I put my mind to it.
Or I could just leave it playing on the side while I draw.
I used to be physically incapable of multitasking while drawing, but I think I’ve gotten the hang of splitting my attention lately. I can draw while an anime is playing now, so unless it’s a video that requires 100% of my focus, having it as background noise should work.
The Reading Prescription 📚
Yeah, this one is tough man…
Especially nowadays with sites like Kakuyomu and Shousetsuka ni Narou (Let’s Become a Novelist), there is a literal infinite supply of free web novels. If I don’t actively force myself to stop, I’ll never close the tab.
I love manga too, and once a reading switch gets flipped in my brain, I will absolutely nuke a long weekend and spend all my waking hours reading.
I might just have to forcefully restrict myself.
Why Not Just Force Myself to Draw? 😤
Yeah. This is probably the most effective way to increase my output.
Like, if I really tried, I could absolutely secure 30 minutes or an hour every day.
Even if it means sacrificing some sleep, 30 minutes is totally manageable.
BUT… I am a weak man. If I force a strict quota on myself, I will inevitably run away from it lol.
I dunno though.
Btw, about five months ago, I wrote a whole post about building a daily drawing habit. I failed so quickly I don’t even remember when I gave up.
I mean, I had a lot of rough stuff happen around then, and I was just way too busy to have any mental energy left… but at the end of the day, I just really hate feeling forced to do things, even if I’m the one forcing myself.
I just wanna keep things chill and do it at my own pace.
Hobbies Require Motivation 🔥
I’m the type of guy who doesn’t really need motivation when it comes to work.
I’ve literally never felt “pumped” to work, and even if I have zero motivation, I can still get the job done.
I mean, the reality is that if I don’t work, I can’t afford to live. “Not doing my job because I don’t feel like it” isn’t a valid option.
Sure, my performance might dip a bit, but at this point, I don’t love or hate my job. I just treat it as a transaction.
Hobbies, on the other hand? Motivation dictates everything.
Whether it’s drawing or updating the blog, if I’m not feeling it, just starting the task feels impossible.
Unlike work, if I don’t draw, I can still eat. I can still live a normal life.
There’s never going to be a situation where I absolutely *have* to draw out of necessity.
Even with my favorite hobby, reading, if the vibes aren’t right, my eyes just glaze over the text and I absorb nothing.
So, considering all that, if I want to draw more and actually get better at it, the conclusion is obvious: I need to find ways to actively boost my drawing motivation.
How to Boost Drawing Motivation 🚀
At the end of the day, whether it’s blogging or drawing, the absolute most effective motivation booster for me right now is simply “getting reactions from people”.
Getting Poetic For a Sec 🖋️
I’m about to say something pretty poetic here, but hey, indulge me for a bit.
I think it’s impossible for a normal person to keep creating things and putting them out into the world if absolutely no one reacts to them.
The only people who can do that are those driven by some intense, burning sense of purpose.
Normal people don’t have that kind of purpose.
I believe that art and blogs are ultimately things you create to show to others.
Hoping it helps someone, hoping it resonates with someone.
There’s definitely the satisfaction of turning your ideas into reality, and the joy of having your hard work recognized and praised.
But because I’ve had my own heart moved by someone’s writing, and because I’ve been blown away by a single illustration before, I have this strong desire to shake someone’s soul with something *I* created.
I want to create something like that too.
…Okay, I tried to sound cool just now, but if you asked me, “Do you *really* feel that strongly about it?” Tbh, probably not *that* strongly lol.
It’s still just a chill hobby for me.
I just wanna get good enough to actually get some likes and comments, that’s all.
Let’s Be Realistic 🧐
Realistically speaking, I’m not good enough to get reactions from the masses yet. So the best I can do right now is keep practicing while trying to make friends I can talk about art with.
Finding people like that IRL is pretty tough, so the obvious answer is “Just use social media bro.” But I’m notoriously bad at building deep connections on SNS, so that’s gonna be a struggle.
But sitting around being shy won’t get me anywhere, so I’m gonna try putting myself out there more.
For starters, I’m planning to attend the Sousaku Market (Indie Art Market) on 9/23 as a general attendee, to soak up some energy from original creators.
My only experience with doujin events was when I went for a “walk” at GOOD COMIC CITY Osaka last year. I didn’t even have a goal; I literally just wandered around the venue and went home. What a weird move.
This time I actually (?) plan on buying things, so in a way, this is my true debut as a general attendee.
Going to illustrator exhibitions or buying artbooks always boosts my motivation, so I know for a fact I’m gonna get super inspired there.
Also, speaking of original creations, I think it’s about time I made my own “Uchi-no-ko” (Original Character / OC).
I’ll probably start with Charlene, but I want to properly design her visually and make her an official character.
I’ve never actually put a face to a character I conceptualized before, so just thinking about it gets me hyped.
Like I said, I’m hoping to get blasted with inspiration from the creators at the market, and use that as the spark to ignite my own creative motivation.
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