Looking for tips/advice to get through the insect lesson, cause I keep getting too creeped out
https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtFundamentals/comments/tqxnaq/looking_for_tipsadvice_to_get_through_the_insect/
2022-03-29 11:30
ExplorAI
Pretty much the title haha. I keep trying to make progress but just focussing on all the details of an insect or archnid just creeps me out to no end. I've been trying to come up with the least creepy subject matter but no difference so far. I assume there is a mental trick to dealing with this? I'd really love to hear thoughts, experiences and advice on how to get the creeped out part of my brain to shut up so I can do the lesson!
Uncomfortable
2022-03-29 13:22
Would drawing crustaceans perhaps be a little less stomach-churning for you? Those are also acceptable, and you'll find some demos relating to them (though the other demos apply just as well) on the informal demos page.
Gredran
2022-03-29 15:41
Maybe there is, but maybe not.
Tbh, when Ive been trying to learn anatomy a little, it kindaaa skeeves me out looking at the different tendons and ligaments in faces and bodies and with my surgeries in the past, I do get a little unsettled looking at the diagrams(I use this as an example because Im not sooo bad with insects)
What works for me is just powering through unfortunately and taking breaks.
You also maybe can learn why insects are part of the lessons and maybe put it to the side for now?
We dont ALL create insects for a living so theres a purpose for the lesson. If you cant get through it, maybe move onto a different one and see if maybe you can then look back at the insect lesson and grab out of it what you may need for the next lesson ya know?
Also maybe instead of using ACTUAL insects as reference, maybe cartoony ones may be easier, but you seemed off put by them entirely, so taking breaks/putting it to the side and seeing what you can do in the next one may be the next best thing.
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 17:24
It's nice to know I'm not the only one!
Weirdly enough I can look at the creepiest insects in a zoo or whatever and I'm not really bothered. Something about analyzing their anatomy just makes me super grossed out in a way that just looking at them doesn't, so that would still happen with a cartoon version.
I might have to find a way to power through too but not sure yet how to approach that. I draw for about 30 minutes at the end of the day when I'm quite worn out already. It was really meditative untill the insect lesson, haha
JukeDukeMM
2022-03-29 16:19
You just gotta power through it. Find insects that you are able to look atleast a little bit. I got creeped out multiple times while looking at google images and searching for a bearable picture. It gets easier overtime.
Don't look at cartoony insects or skip the lesson.
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 17:22
Yeah, I feel I wanna don't want to skip cause I can notice huge improvements from each exercise and don't want to miss out, so agree there :)
I draw at the end of the day when I'm quite poofed and low on mental energy and time, and won't have time to change that any time soon. So was hoping to find a better way than powering through cause most of my self-discipline is going other places. But it's good to know it got better for you over time. Gives me some hope!
JukeDukeMM
2022-03-29 17:34
At the end of the day theyre just images. I found that looking at a specific image for a long time kind of made me numb to its creepines (i of crouse did choose less creepy ones in the first place). It is unfortunate if your energy is low when doing the lessons but we make do with what time we have.
Insects are very unique and theres huge inspiration to be gained from them as well. Learning to bare to look at them is very beneficial when you think about it.
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 17:39
Hmmm, that is actually quite helpful... Like the trick you are using in your mind is divorce what the picture represents from the actual picture. So similarly, I get creeped out by building the anatomy in my brain cause my head starts imagining what it feels like to have six-eight limbs bending at weird angles. But I could try to imagine it more like a machine or a mannequin of some sort that just has rotation points and bending points. That might shut my brain up about how exoskeletons etc would FEEL (lol, thanks, brain).
JukeDukeMM
2022-03-29 17:46
This lessons is kind of doing that already. We are trying to simplify these things and build them up with simple forms.
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 18:24
True! I have to admit that all the advice are helping me home in on what my brain was doing in which helps to dissemble it again
VeryNovemberous
2022-03-29 16:20
What kinds have you tried to draw? Have you tried ladybugs, mantises, moths/butterflies, pill bugs, or jumping spiders? Most people aren't too freaked out by them.
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 17:20
I tried looking at a bunch of different bugs to find ones that didn't squick me out to analyze, and couldn't find one really. Oddly enough the wasp demo bothered me the least? Beetles, butterflies, lady bugs, and mantises are some of the ones I tried and still freaked me out.
VeryNovemberous
2022-03-29 17:25
Hm, that's a shame. What about using toy insects like these? They have pretty realistic shapes but very limited details. You probably won't find any good pictures of them online but could get a pack for cheap at a Walmart/craft store/toy store.
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 17:29
Those are super cool, thank you for the idea :) I'm afraid they'd creep me out just as much. It's not the detail that bothers me cause I can look at insects and stuff without issue. It's something about realizing how their legs bend and their chest and stomachs are all weird... Like I think my brain starts involuntarily running a simulation of what it feels like to have a body like that and it's not a great experience
VeryNovemberous
2022-03-29 17:49
Hm, in that case I think your only option is to either skip the lesson or just do it in small bites. Be mindful of when your mind starts to go there and stop once it does, even if that means only drawing for a minute or two.
Alternatively--study arthropod locomotion and learn how it works.
I used to be really skeezed out by centipedes. It started to bother me so I spent a day learning everything I could about centipedes. They're still not my faves and I would never want to touch or hold one, but now I can see them at a zoo or pet store without getting big heebies.
_MrJones
2022-03-29 18:02
Would combining lessons help? Perhaps drawing a carnivorous plant like a venus fly trap or pitcher plant first help could put your mind at ease?
Ricen_
2022-03-29 19:09
Perhaps rubber toy insects would be just separated from the real thing enough to not bother you? Just a thought. I hope it helps.
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 19:09
I DREW AN INSECT, GUYS!!!
hahaha thank you for all the tips and advice. It really helped me pin down what was bothering me exactly and how I might tackle that.
This is such a great community, thank you all for your advice and support!
FiggNewton
2022-03-29 21:03
I love bugs. I think theyre awesome. I cant find a (nonvenomous) spider or insect I dont want to pick up and play with
ExplorAI
2022-03-30 05:48
I'm actually totally cool with bugs normally! It's just something about studying their anatomy while drawing. But thanks to this thread I figured out a trick!
throwing_in_2_cents
2022-03-29 22:23
Perhaps portraying them as a science fiction extra terrestrial species could create a separation in your mind? If they are placed in a completely fantastical setting, you may be able to convince your subconscious that everything involved is so completely fictional it isn't worth trying to simulate in depth.
ExplorAI
2022-03-30 05:47
Yes! Thank you :D I'm doing something like this now to keep my brain from simulating their bodies haha And it worked!
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 15:15
I feel a little embarrassed to admit the crustaceans look as eldritch to me as the insects and arachnids. I'm not bothered by any of it daily life. It's purely triggered by studying them for the lessons now so I thought maybe others run in to the same and use some mental trick I could copy?
excelzombie
2022-03-29 15:35
Maybe a gray 3d model? (Sorry if this isn't helpful sometimes the color or texture of things bother me)
ExplorAI
2022-03-29 17:26
Thank you for your suggestion, I appreciate it!
The color or texture doesn't bother me. It's literally analyzing the anatomy. I can look at creepy crawlers all day in the zoo and I'm not bothered. I think my brain is doing a funny thing where analyzing the body of the insect gets superimposed over my own anatomy. Like 'ouch, your legs bend like ... What?!', lol. Brains are funny.