LIA Quest 7: What’s the difference between Zero and 60?

We all want more time to be creative. And the bad news is, we only get the time we have. So it’s up to us to make the time!  

But here’s the question: Do we really need as much time as we think we do? Where does all that time go, exactly?

Regular Quest:

Track your time while creating your next piece of art. Track it honestly! You can use a post-it note, a spreadsheet, or something like David Seah's Emergent Task Planner.

Every time your pencil stops moving while you sit at the art desk, track that time as well. Track any breaks you take during the process. Share your results in a blog post with any reflections about how you used your time and what that teaches you about your creative process.

Things to watch for:

• At what point in the process did you need a break?
• When did you stop out of hesitation?
• When did you stop out of frustration?
• What parts of the process went faster for you? Slower? Why do you think that is?

Heroic Quest:

Select a previously-finished piece of art (or comics page) that you’re pretty happy with. One that demonstrates you at your best. Set a timer and give yourself ONE HOUR to draw exactly the same thing.

You can re-ink the image by turning the original into a non-photo blue printout or re-ink the digital pencils. Instructions on how to turn your black and white drawings into non-photo blue can be found in this tutorial video.

Compare the two. How do they differ? Is the new one any better or worse than the first? If so, how? Were there any shortcuts you took to make your deadline that you could bring over into your regular work?

Bonus points if you show the two images to a non-artist and capture their reactions.

Share your results in a blog post and Twitter with the #liaquest7 tag.

Deadline to have your quest discussed on the next LIA Cast: June 20!