Today we’re going to talk about how to loosen up in our art. I know a lot of us struggle to have a sense of freshness and energy in our work, especially as we develop a piece from looser sketch to the more finished piece. What often happens is that a sketch starts off feeling loose and promises something better than what we end up with. It’s very common to find that we like our sketches more than the final illustration. Why is that? And how, if at all, can we achieve the same loose feeling of our sketches in our final art?In this episode, I’m going to share my own story of how I wrestled with this question — of having a more spontaneous feeling to my work versus something more planned out — and why, over time, for ME my work has seemed to head more in the scripted, planned out direction — and why I’m okay with that. At the same time, I still try to build in as much looseness as I can, and at the end of the episode I’ll share some tips on how to do that. HOW TO SUPPORTMy team and I work hard to produce each episode for this podcast. You can support what we're doing by joining me on Patreon at http://Patreon.com/tomfroeseYou can also support me by taking my Skillshare classes. Visit http://tomfroese.com/teaching to find links to all my classes. Use these links and get 30 days of free membership on Skillshare! IN THIS EPISODEChapter 1: To be (Scripted) or Not to be (Scripted)?Comparing being scripted in this podcast to planning out my illustrationsComparing my earlier more improvised illustration style to my more planned out style todayWhy I made this shift to more "scripted", in both illustration and podcastingIs there a trick to looking or feeling spontaneous and loose in your work? If so, what is it?Chapter 2: How to Loosen Up in Your ArtWhat does it meant to be loose?How can you loosen up?Looking unscripted doesn't mean literally having no planResisting the temptation to close every shape5 tips for loosening up in your work LINKS FROM THIS EPISODEMy first professional illustration job - Tidings Magazine (link to Issuu — https://issuu.com/ukings/docs/tidings2008summer) PODCAST TEAM/CREDITS Julia Herrick, Script Editorhttps://julesherrick.comMark Allan Falk, Audio/Video Engineerhttps://linktr.ee/semiathleticAll Music, including Theme Song and Cues by Mark Allan Falk. FIND ME ELSEWHERE http://linktr.ee/mrtomfroese