From Sketch To Wall-Worthy: My Creative Process

Every artist finds inspiration differently. Some travel and get inspired by city lights, forest scenes, or the flow of rivers and oceans. Some blast nostalgic music, while others watch movies. Even a favorite food can spark an idea.

Then there are artists who are a little more “out there.” I definitely fall into that category.

There are random moments throughout my day when a flash of an image suddenly pops into my head. The problem is, I usually only have about 20 seconds to get pen to paper before it disappears forever. But who can realistically carry a sketchbook everywhere they go?

My solution is... index cards!

I always keep a stack of plain index cards and a pen or pencil in my purse or car. Whenever inspiration hits, I can quickly sketch the idea before it vanishes. Later, when I have more time, I go back and ink the sketch properly.

One of my favorite parts of this process is flipping the card over and writing notes on the back. I jot down color ideas, style concepts, possible titles, and even how I was feeling when the idea first appeared. Each card gets filed away and grouped by the month it was created.

Then comes my favorite part: when artist block inevitably hits, I play what I like to call “index card roulette” and pull one at random to become my next painting.

This is exactly what I did with "The Eye of Allison". You can see her sketch inspiration above and the finished painting below. 

Now, will every index card become a finished piece? Definitely not. I sketch far too often for that to be possible. But that’s what I love about this method. The ideas never really run out. And you don't have to feel confined to that sketch either. As you can see in "The Eye of Allison", I changed quite a few elements between sketch and final piece. That is another point of the index card method that I love. Once you put the brush to canvas, more inspiration comes and things change. I have never let my sketch be rock solid and I am always open to things changing as I go. The creative process should feel free and not binding. 

What about you? Would you try the index card method, or are you loyal to carrying a sketchbook everywhere? Let me know!