Healthy Drawing Habits You Should Start Doing NOW

If you're an artist, then odds are, you have acquired a collection of bad habits over time. You might recommend them to everyone else, but neglect them as soon as it comes to you. This is a sin that every single artist has committed, including myself. Right now! This article is a reminder to myself as much as it is advice for you. I figured by preaching to an audience, I will be held accountable for failure and more likely to be called out.

So, for both our sakes, here are healthy habits that artists should start doing. Feel free to keep score on if you are doing any of these things. This article won't be graded, but if you do all of them? Then you have earned bragging rights that most artists don't get!

Vary Your Projects

Having at least one other discipline you're working on is a very healthy thing for your creative thinking. I personally find I get burned out if I stick with one type of thing for too long, and being able to rotate helps with my own productivity and ensuring I can finish all my projects.

It's not like you need to get any new supplies. If you're an illustrator and you're reading this, then you already have all the tools you need to get into writing, for instance. If you are a writer, then chances are, you have a phone that has a camera. Which is all you need to start getting into photography. These are two examples, though, and I suggest you to look into any creative activity you want to try. You'd be surprised by how many you already have everything you need for and can get started!

If you're an illustrator and would like an idea for a new discipline, I highly recommend photography. You can read why I think it would be a good idea for you here: https://dextiveblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/benefits-of-getting-into-photography-as.html

Leave It Be After Export

A philosophy I have is "once it's done, it's done." There are no do-overs, no "just one more fix." As soon as an illustration is a PNG, a photo is overwritten, or a blog post is moved to Blogger? It's done. I'm not allowed to touch it. What you see will be that way for the rest of time.

This is to avoid falling for perfectionist traps where I may end up adjusting and working on one project for way longer than it actually needs. In fact, it can end up doing more harm to a project by making it overcooked. Which, everyone can agree is something that should be avoided.

Take Screenshots and Record Footage

Unless you're working with potato devices, there is no reason you shouldn't document your creation process. While these two suggested things are best for digital illustration, the main point can apply to anything. You get content out of that documentation, and you create receipts to help with things such as debunking accusations of utilizing gen AI and proving your legitimacy.

Even before generative AI broke into the creative fields, there were always scammers, and documentation is exactly how clients verified artists. So, you're basically putting yourself at a disadvantage by not documenting.

Organize Everything Into Folders/Stop Storing Them On Desktop

If there is a point that is calling everyone out, then it has to be this one. Yes, your desktop is a mess. Mine often gets messy as well. Here is the state of my laptop's. It's pretty bad, but my current desktop's is a lot better, as that is when I started getting better at organizing.

So, yeah, if this isn't you? Give yourself five points if you're keeping score, as you have clearly ascended. If this is you? Go organize your files. Please. You'll thank yourself for it.

Sign Your Work Somewhere Difficult to Crop Out or Remove

Finally, please sign your work, but don't put it in the standard corner. The margins are very easy to crop out for scammers, thieves, data scrapers, and other forms of bad actors to use your art.

The best practice is to put the signature where cropping would ruin the piece, such as against the focus of the piece, and where it can't simply be colored over. Which is as easy as making your plain colored background into a subtle gradient instead, where attempts of covering it up will leave some sort of scar.

As for myself, I am good at the placement, but when it comes to the background? I do need to start making it more difficult to color it over with either this method or something similar.

Conclusion

If you already do all of these things, then good job! You officially have bragging points, and you are literally a better artist than I am! Not in skill, but by following healthy habits that make your life a lot easier.

If not? Then you're human. You're in the same camp as the majority of artists. Messy, flawed, but somehow making it work. The ultimate important factor is that you're getting your projects done. It doesn't mean you don't mean to approve, as that is the other part of being human: striving to improve yourself and become better for it.

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