Bounceback Tanya Combrinck gets advice from four artists about pushing through when you hit a plateau

ARTIST NEWS, SOFT WARE EVENTS

AT THE CORE OF THE DIGITAL ART COMMUNIT Y

The Castle of the Waterfall Hollow, a piece Aleksandra Wojtas painted in her spare time to push herself out of her comfort zone.

Rhigu’s fan art of the Disney character Kida.

“For a long time, I thought I had to use only one artistic style. I was wrong,” says Aleksandra Skiba.

The exhilaration of seeing your skills grow and work improve is a great feeling, but like all good things, it doesn’t last forever. Hitting a plateau in your abilities is disheartening, but you can take comfort in the fact that it happens to everyone, and there are ways through it.

“Artists often plateau because they stay in their comfort zone too long,” says Anna Podedworna, an illustrator and concept artist working in games. “We often find success with one kind of style or genre and stick to it, which can trap us in a positive feedback loop. You draw one thing because you get the most attention for drawing it, which then attracts more people who expect only that one thing from you. Before you know it, you might be stuck.”

‟My greatest inspiration for staying out of plateaus were the people I worked with ″

Trying something new will help you to escape the loop, whether it’s a different genre, new subject matter, or transforming your workflow with alternative tools. “Your best guide is your fear,” says Anna. “What are you most scared to draw? What software do you find intimidating? What subject do you find the most uncomfortable or out of reach? That's your North Star right there; it will guide you out of the plateau.”