a word from the authors
Inspiration is not always an easy thing to find. As an high school student, you have a project that you have to complete in a set amount of time. It's not easy. Art students all have their favorite styles or subjects, some are realistic, some are abstract, others still are just into pottery or other three-dimensional art. You find that you're not inspired during these off-projects. Your teacher wants you to paint an portrait, but you'd rather draw a still life in charcoal because you love that look you can create with the charcoal (or graphite) pencil that makes it seem realistic, and not so cartoon. Animation is different. You want your art to come alive, to be animated. But cartoon is only acceptable for the few people who are illustrating for cartoons.
Its impossible to tell you what will inspire you. It may be a picture of an amazing sunset, or of your baby, or seeing something similar to a look you wanted. Its hard to say. Everyone is unique, not a single person in this entire world is like any other. Its what's amazing in the world. So, if you need help fabricating what you want to do, or make, start with research, and draw it up (use graph paper for 3D stuff - like furniture, etc.). Life is tricky, no one knows exactly where you'll end up, and with art you are constantly changing it. Something doesn't look just right, so you change it. Artists are perfectionists, everyone of them... No matter what facade they put up.
Visionaries are typically frustrated people, as they know what they see in their minds and they want to physically see it. When it doesn't work out exactly that way, they're frustrated. Guess what. Most projects, whatever the difficulty level, you are going to get frustrated as some point because its not quite right. However, don't give up. If all the great artists gave up we wouldn't have such beautiful things to see. Face it, you're an artist. Creativity lives in all, its all about uncovering your muse, that thing that inspires you to want to create art. And anything created is, in someone's perspective, art.
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
creative rules of thumb
1. the best way to get great ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away
2. create ideas that are 15 minutes ahead of their time -- not light-years ahead
3. always look for the second right answer
4. if at first you don't succeed, take a break
5. write down your ideas before you forget them
6. if everyone says you are wrong, you're one step ahead. if everyone laughs at you, you're two steps ahead
7. the answer to your problem 'preexists.' you need to ask the right question to reveal the answer
8. when you ask a dumb question, you get a smart answer
9. never solve a problem from its original perspective
10. visualize your problem as solved before solving it
