When we start our digital art journey (or art journey in general) there are some things that we all go through. And that’s the feared “art block”.

But an art block is more than what it seems. Sometimes it is just that we’ve run out of ideas or that we have too many and don’t know what to choose. It could also be a sign of our brain to rest and relax because we’re oversaturated and stressed and sometimes it’s just that we don’t know how to turn our ideas into reality.

Especially for beginners, it’s easier to be overwhelmed by a block or slump when you’re just starting in the media and you don’t know where to go or what to do.

But it’s nothing to stress ourselves about. We all have gone through blocks and slumps throughout our lives, it’s part of our nature as humans to overcome those blocks and grow. We just need to find some ideas!

And that’s what this article is here for. Let’s dive right into drawing with these great digital art ideas for beginners!

Section 1: Social Media Art Ideas

#TrendArt

If you’re into social media you should’ve noticed for sure that certain trends go viral from time to time. Be humanizing inanimate objects, redrawing iconic screencaps in your style, showing your art with an effect or filter, etc. these trends are some fun and smooth ways to interact with other artists and be noticed on social media.

Many artists join these trends either to interact with their mutuals, feed their audience, or just for fun, some might find these trends tacky and even ridiculous but jumping on the trend is a great way to create content without mushing our brains for new ideas while also getting our art out.

Trends mean visibility, so as long as you’re creating something new and getting out of the block, gaining more views and followers make a nice extra.

FanArt

Don’t you have something you love? Some series, games, anime, manga, books, etc?

I’m sure you do, we all do.

Making fan art out of our favorite show, anime or book is also a great way to create new content without having to mush our brain for new ideas. It will also make the algorithm of your social media find the right audience for your fan art and you’ll gain more followers while drawing something new and getting your art out.

Make sure to use the right hashtags and to be very vocal about what you like and you’ll see the results in no time!

Our favorite content keeps us motivated and inspired. Making fan art even when it’s very self-indulgent will also attract another artist that we can interact with and maybe even collaborate with in the future.

Also, some artists tweet and repost the fan art that is made for them and that’s also a great source of motivation for us! So if you haven’t, give fan art a try and have fun!

#DTIYS

I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen or heard about it. But DTIYS (Draw This In Your Style) is also a great way to create new content while interacting with other artists and growing your audience on social media.

DTIYS is sort of an art challenge where an artist draws something and asks for their audience to draw it in their style. You don’t have to be a professional to participate in those challenges and it takes away the creative burden of “making something new” while also attracting a new audience to your page.

It’s a more Instagram-based challenge but it’s worth the try especially when you’ve fully run out of ideas!

Create filters for social media

With software like Procreate and Spark AR, you can create filters for social media easily. You don’t have to focus on make-up or funny filters but maybe making something with your own art that speaks about yourself and appeals to people will do.

Or maybe make something fun for you and your friends or followers. It doesn’t really matter since all this is about is trying something new and getting out of the block while doing it!

Trying new media is key to getting out of the block. And in digital new media can be somewhat confusing but experimenting with AR and 3D is a great way to create while also learning and trying something new.

Section #2 – Ideas to Help You Learn and Grow as an Artist

Now that we’ve talked about some social media-focused ideas let’s get a little bit more serious and talk about those ideas that will not only help you grow your audience but to learn and grow as an artist as well.

Because yes, having fun is part of getting out of the block, but learning will also give us new tools to grow as artists that will for use get us out of blocks and slumps.

Style study

This is more an exercise but it will for sure get you some fresh new ideas to draw.

Go to Pinterest or Instagram and look for the art styles you like the best. Gather them on a board or canvas and choose two of them. The ones you like the most.

Now copy them. You can trace, paint over, overlap, do whatever you want, and try your best to make a carbon copy of them.

You’ve now for sure noticed a couple of things you would’ve done differently, a couple of things that seemed wrong, and a couple of things that you liked the best.

This style study is not to post online, but to help you explore and learn from other artists’ styles. It will help you figure out new coloring techniques and see details that you wouldn’t have noticed just by looking.

Now, don’t post them online. This exercise must remain private since it’s a study. The artworld is harsh with unwanted studies and critiques and unless you’re willing to deal with that, keeping them private is a must.

Redraw

We change, as humans, change is part of our daily lives and is also key to our growth. And just as we can change from one day to the other or through the years, our art can also change.

And appreciating that change is also key in our growth as artists, but there’s little we can truly learn just by looking, so another great idea for beginners is to make new versions of old art.

By redrawing old art we aren’t just appreciating the change in our style but learning from our past mistakes.

So take the oldest piece of art you created and draw it again in your new style with your new abilities and you’ll not only be seeing the fruits of your hard work but also giving yourself the unique kind of feedback that re-creating something we made can give.

Portrait and Anatomy Study

There are some fundamentals that we can’t avoid, and those are human figures and face structure. And I know it doesn’t sound like the funniest activity in the world but we can cheat our way by making portrait art of our favorite characters or just by making anatomy studies with simple yet appealing details that give our art value even if it’s just a study. That way we can create new content that besides helping us improve will appeal to our audience and help us grow our platform.

Color Study

Color theory is the subject most artists struggle the most with. And it’s quite normal since some of us jump straight into creating while ignoring the fundamentals completely. I’m not going to lecture you on why color theory is important to grow as an artist since that’s a matter for another article, however, there’s a fun way to practice color theory while making color studies and also creating new art.

Take a simple piece of your art, the simplest you can find, just lines and colors if possible, then make it small and duplicate the lines the times you want to make these studies. Then go ahead and with new colors create new versions of your art! If you have a preferred color palette, go with it and also try new color combinations. Have fun and you’ll end up with something that might surprise you.

Section #3 – Ideas using Photo Editing

Photo Bashing

As many wouldn’t believe, photo bashing is not a newfound technique, it isn’t cheating and it won’t ruin your career as an artist, it’s just another technique to accelerate the workflow of many creative departments and concept artists and also to explore new ideas and techniques, so give it a try, you’ll be surprised with the effect it has in your art.

Editing photos or graphic assets in your art will not only improve your workflow but help you practice composition and you’ll also learn a new technique that is used by professionals in concept art and environmental design.

Art Collage

Digital art is incredibly flexible, besides creating brand new art, you can also use old pieces to create a collage.  Making a collage creates a new form, not just by placing them together but by looking for harmony in the composition, colors, and shapes of your collages.

You can also use digital assets, pictures, and even 3D art.

Section #4 – Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

Character creation

Yes, and I’m sure this is something we’ve all thought about before but creating our characters with their traits and stories is one of the most fun parts of being an artist. And also a great way to get out of the block. Create a new character, make clothes, items and traits for them and you’ll be brainstorming ideas not only about them but about your art as well.

Doodle

It might sound like the simplest thing in the world, but sometimes doodling helps you get new and fresh ideas out.

Just by making random shapes, characters and using new colors, like making mandala art, it will get your head out of the oven for a while and help you take a nice breath of fresh air and ideas.

Prompt Generator

These prompt generators have been out for a while already and they never fail to spark the creativity and inspiration of any artist that is either just starting or going through a block. You can find art prompt generators through the internet that will take away the creative weight and leave you with clear ideas for new works of art. You can try the very diverse generators for landscape art, concept art, character art, etc.

Themed

Sometimes all we need is sticking to a theme, it takes some of the creative weight out of our head and makes it easier for us to follow a said theme and create new art around it. Let’s say our theme is the ocean, one day we can create ocean creatures, one day we can draw a beach, the next day maybe a whale, a starfish, our characters in a beach setting, etc, etc.

Conclusion

Not only do beginners struggle with lack of ideas and art blocks, but it also’s pretty common and it’s part of the process of growing as an artist so don’t beat yourself up if you run out of ideas and take that chance to engage with your audience, learn something new, relax and have fun!

I hope this article helped you get new ideas for our art! Thank you for reading and until next time!