I might have the best ideas for soundtracks and music, but I totally can't "create" them, even with the best tools at hand.
Musical competency? I has not.
Artist / Musician, nothing can beat this dual class combination. XD
Unfortunately, I'll need to heavily rely on muscle memory for this (I can't read a jack on music sheets). XD I should REALLY get myself a piano and practice all day on it. It's indispensable for an indie-artist.
Music relies on "flow" and "muscle-memory", the dexterity of which I have a hard time grasping. But for drawing / art, rather than the flow, it's "abstract perspective" that's required first and foremost. And for writing, you need a bit of both: the FLOW of music (for fleshing out) and the ABSTRACT perspective of art (for the beginning "skeleton"). In which case...
I get that, except replace "soundtracks and music" with "drawings." I can barely draw stick figures, and it's so frustrating because I have all these wonderful ideas for art in my head (usually based on dreams) and I can't get transfer them onto paper.
I could actually teach you! Or better yet, you might want to find a local artist who can teach you in person.
Or in case you can't get someone to get you up to speed on the basics, I'd greatly recommend watching Youtube just to see
how these artists do what they do (tip: when in abstract, at the first stages never focus on details; just the
composition. Details come later. Work your way from big to small)
Here's some of the best links I've known:
1) *You just can't live without
Bob Ross -- The Joy of Painting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7idELSC-sghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NMyeSBYpb02) Youtube also has an
auto-generated channel for Painting; great source from multiple artists!
http://youtu.be/7aeIpW0Tkvc <----- Simple and inspiring video by bubzbeauty (great to start with)
http://youtu.be/9RgLHG2hWi0 <----- And another one.
http://youtu.be/WlSBKobJsfM <----- Dragon vs Viking oil-painting technique, by Jeff Miracola, has been my most ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE tutorial by far! And to say he made such a great interpretation of his son's short-story!
http://youtu.be/CiDEj7WEZoI <------- Lachri's surrealism beauty; begins with simple and ends with awesome.
http://youtu.be/YpK_UFzpQfs <------ Of course, if you've no plans or ideas to start with, you could always just go for "automatic drawing" sessions out of random whims!
3) And then there's
Art Apprentices, great for beginners and intermediates alike.
4)
Jason Bowen has excellent tutorials on landscape painting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHxcDB9TBHs5) If all you've got is a pencil, then
Mark Crilley (author of Brody's Ghost) has got you covered!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCD2CF65888663986 <------- That's the whole "How To" playlist of his.
http://youtu.be/SCW9D2GytHo <------- 1-point perspective Background Tutorial
http://youtu.be/bBoa8TAy65shttp://youtu.be/rSIdwDIAVBw6)
Mural Joe also has some great time-lapse videos of his, well, murals and stuff! He also explains his works pretty well.
http://youtu.be/UuVnK2FnrJE <------ here's him airbrushing flames.
7)
Darryn James Rae (Reart) is a CRAZY fellow! He can not only come up with the craziest ideas for Abstract Art and how to paint them (hint: like, "sticking nickels on a canvas" or stuff), but will also show you HOW he does it! And before you know it, his nonsense suddenly begins to make
sense to you. Chick out some of his videos here:
http://youtu.be/NDKm9BOwnHM <---- In this video, he asks you to get any stuff that's laying around your house... and stick it to your canvas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrMYSc7qXEQ <--------- A speed-up of one of his murals.
8 )
Igor Saharov is also a great source if you just want to watch the process of painting, as opposed to tutorials:
http://youtu.be/dkxG3CBdUdo9) And for a synesthete as you, how could I go without recommending
Voka's surrealism?
http://youtu.be/f56WNu4T2aYhttp://youtu.be/HviaL11bnQk10) And if you're in the mood for the HARD way, the
ZEN way, what better than the masters of
Sumi-E Ink-Wash technique?
Like Kazu Shimura? Or even
Virginia Lloyd-Davies?
(Note: The essence of Sumi-E is not to capture the surface details of what you see or imagine, but the
essence and
soul of it, stripped away from the unwanted to preserve its identity.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0ljeeZJcRA <------ This is just the preparation of the ink.
http://youtu.be/Ri-LEBbDJP4 <------ Painting a sparrow, with nothing more than black ink.
http://youtu.be/cr6HEm_kkPM <------ Virginia really hits a point home; that there can be more meaning in a brush-stroke, than there should be more brush-strokes in a meaning.
11) Some more great tutorial sources...
Painting and Drawing channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/paintinganddrawingGagnon Studio (next best thing after Bob Ross):
http://www.youtube.com/Gagnonstudio http://www.timgagnonstudio.com/lessons/Also, don't forget the music!
https://www.youtube.com/user/KacskaTBIf neither of these hit the mark, let me know: what kind of style do you wish to learn? I can help with that.
Of course, you could completely ditch tutorials altogether and go for experimentalism; i.e., teaching yourself via trial and error. Just keep in mind that, as Bob Ross puts it, when it comes to art
there are no mistakes, just happy accidents. Honestly, the best way one could ever learn painting well is by thinking like a child, playing around and making random mess and chaos. Think about it; what's more fun than
that? And besides, just the process of painting can actually be a great meditative experience. As Picasso puts it, painting helps clean your soul of the dust of everyday life.
So don't worry about failures, and just enjoy yourself!
*Note: Bob Ross videos actually come as a collection DVD set. Most of the videos on Youtube are de-centralized, so you're more likely to hunt for it than have a specific channel, save for a few like
BobRossClips.
Reminds me of that similar problem I have with writing. Many ideas cross my head, but I just can't seem to be able to flesh them out into an actual story.
Haha! This reminds me of the old saying: the ideas that cross your head are usually just a fragment puzzle piece of a greater picture.
Now, the process of writing is even more complex than actual painting, and the styles and approaches are various. What kind of style suits you? Plot-driven or character-driven? What sort of feel do you wish to give with your work? What do kind of things do you want to convey?
The trick is to just
not worry about it (part of the reason why I never get anything done is because I worry too much), unless the stress is actually positive enough to drive you to work on it with energetic anticipation.
Depending on what you need, I think I can help! Planning on writing a short-story? How do you normally work on it?