I can definitely relate to this. I can always visualise the sketch/painting/whatever I want to create in perfect detail, but very rarely can I accurately translate that image onto paper. The mental image just seems to blur as soon as I try. I've been told that I'm a pretty decent artist (I'd call myself "average", with ample room for improvement), but even the pictures I'm most proud of can never compare with the images I had in my head in the first place.
Something interesting I've found is that, when I'm trying to draw something specific, my first attempt is usually the most successful. The more repeat attempts I make, the harder it becomes to see the image in my mind clearly, and the worse my drawings look as a result. I suspect that this is because the more I concentrate on the mental image, the more it loses focus. Subsequently, my attempts to translate it onto paper just get further and further away from what I actually intended to produce.
Nowadays, if I can't get the drawing right within the first few attempts, I just give up and come back to it later, when I can see my mental image clearly again. Giving myself plenty of time to "refocus" usually fixes the problem and allows me to make another reasonable attempt at drawing it.
Something interesting I've found is that, when I'm trying to draw something specific, my first attempt is usually the most successful. The more repeat attempts I make, the harder it becomes to see the image in my mind clearly, and the worse my drawings look as a result. I suspect that this is because the more I concentrate on the mental image, the more it loses focus. Subsequently, my attempts to translate it onto paper just get further and further away from what I actually intended to produce.
Nowadays, if I can't get the drawing right within the first few attempts, I just give up and come back to it later, when I can see my mental image clearly again. Giving myself plenty of time to "refocus" usually fixes the problem and allows me to make another reasonable attempt at drawing it.
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