Michael_Giff

I wrote the review and thought the language I used was curt. I stand by the substance of the review but, the sentence structure came off as cold and unkind. Ultimately it dosen't matter too much. He or she never got a reply back and haven't really decided if I'll get back to writing reviews or not. The critique exchange on discord seems to be working just fine in getting people their feedback in a timely manner.

Thanks for your time.

Hey there! I'm not sure if your still with us but I got some notes from a Teachers Assistant about this critique and feel I should pass it on to you.

First off, do not worry about redoing the Funnel Exercises. They feel that them being circular is perfectly fine. They also feel you need to focus on creating smooth ellipses and making sure you follow the one line, one stroke rule. No matter how far off a line may be we should only draw it once. Also when doing the Ghosted Planes exercise be sure to carefully put your pen down on its plotted point before making your final stroke.

That's all from me. Cheers and Happy Drawing.

Rough Perspective: Solid. The boxes are drawn through and you used a straight edge to create guidelines back towards the Vanishing point. Try to keep in mind that your Vertical and Horizontal lines should not have any tilt to them. Try to keep those lines as straight as possible. Also as always, continue to practice ghosting every single stroke that we make to improve on creating nice straight lines.

Disclaimer: I try to keep these critiques direct and to the point. It's not my intention to come off as harsh or detour you from drawing. I have a system that gets me to finish a critique in about 90 minutes and I follow it rather rigidly. Keep in mind that like you I am a beginner. These critiques are based of a: widely available critique guide, the lesson plan and its accompanied video companion, and my own experience from completing lesson 1 and revisiting the exercises as a regular warm-up. With that all out of the way LET'S DO THIS!

Superimposed lines: Good. A nice variety of lines with them being confidently put down with minimal to no fraying at the starting point of your lines. All good. We'll work on the fanning and overall accuracy though continued practice.

Ghosted Lines: Solid. The lines are confident with no wobble but we do have some slight arching and waviness. Be sure to rotate that page and focus on straight lines. It's fine to over and undershoot your lines at this stage. That will improve with time and practice.

Table of Ellipses: Solid. We have two properly constructed tables, full of circles and ellipses. They are drawn through twice, have that element of smoothness that we are looking for and are all touching with minimal overlapping. Jus be aware that you drew far more circles than you did ellipses. As you will find out it's much harder to get that even shape and to orientate them to have the same tilt over and over again when they are oblong ellipses. Don't shy away from practicing them in the future.

Ghosted Planes/Ellipses: Good. We got two full pages with a good variety of sizes and angles. I still see some of that waviness. Continue to to rotate that page, ghost your strokes, and from one confident motion from your shoulder put down your lines. Make suer that you plot your points for every single line that you create. The cross that bisects your planes appears to be missing them. The Ellipses are overall good with them being drawn through, smooth and only a couple instances of them bleeding out of the bounds of their plane.

Funnels: Solid. Take special care when setting up your funnel. We need that minor axis to be properly aligned in the middle of the funnel to get the exercise to work properly. Be sure to find a curve to trace whether it be a cup, bowl, or protractor. Again I would recommend to implement more oblong ellipses to the exercises when your revisit it. It's a good deal more challenging but you'll want the practice under your belt.

Plotted Perspective: Very Good. It's completed as instructed. Consider adding hatching to the front face of your boxes, using that trusty ruler next time.

Rough Perspective: Good. The boxes are all drawn through and you used a straight edge to create guidelines back towards the Vanishing Point. Line quality needs some work. No matter how complicated a problem may get be sure to always go back to the basics of creating nice straight lines. Make sure you get your vertical and horizontal lines straighter in the future. There should never be any tilt to those sets of lines. Try to get those horizontal lines to be parallel to the horizon line and those vertical lines to be perpendicular to the horizon line to make sturdier looking boxes.

Rotated Perspective: Solid. The drawing is kind of small and takes away a good deal of the difficulty. Be sure to make it larger next time and keep in mind that we are not meant to succeed at many of these exercises the first time that we attempt them. As for the image itself it's a good effort. The hatching is appreciated and the boxes are indeed rotating. Be sure that you are not using your wrist when creating these small lines.

Organic Perspective: Good. Again another exercise that we are not meant to succeed at. We'll learn more about the "Y" method of constructing boxes and working with 3 point perspective in the 250 box challenge. Be sure to experiment more with overlapping and adding line weight to your boxes silhouette in the future.

Overall Thoughts: Good. The work has been completed and all of the instructions have been followed. Be sure to work on straight lines over accurate lines in the early going.

Disclaimer: I try to keep these critiques direct and to the point. It's not my intention to come off as harsh or detour you from drawing. I have a system that gets me to finish a critique in about 90 minutes and I follow it rather rigidly. Keep in mind that like you, I am a beginner. These critiques are based of a: widely available critique guide, the lesson plan and its accompanied video companion, and my own experience from completing lesson 1 and revisiting the exercises as a regular warm-up. With that all out of the way; LET'S DO THIS!

Superimposed Lines: Solid. We should not be using the example as a reference; just as a guide to what our work should somewhat look like. Be sure the next time you revisit the exercise that you experiment with many different sets of lines. The work itself is fine just be sure to take your time when setting down your pen. We should only have fraying at the end of your lines.

Ghosted Lines: Solid. We have a wide range when it comes to the quality of your lines. We got some nice straight lines but we also have some with severe arching and some of your lines missing both of their plotted points. Again be sure to carefully put your pen down before making your stroke. Also be sure to take your time and rotate that page for every single line to find the most optimal position to make a nice straight line from your shoulder.

Ghosted Planes: Solid. We can fit quite a few more planes as well as play with more angles and sizes but overall it's a good effort. I'm not too concerned about the over and undershooting of your lines. That will solve itself with time and practice. Right now it's all about creating those nice straight lines. Remember to take your time and follow the process for every single line your make. Plot your points, rotate your page, ghost your stroke, carefully set your pen on a plotted point, and in one confident motion from your shoulder put down your line. It may seem like an overly painstaking process but it will pay dividends down the line.

Table of Ellipses: Needs Work. Be sure to carefully read the instructions. We should have created a table that was detailed to us in the lesson plan, (https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/tablesofellipses). Although the Ellipses are drawn through many of them are not touching and there is a lack of variety when it comes to the orientation of their tilt. Consider drawing your Ellipses on the bound of a previous Ellipse to get them nice and tight together. Be sure to continue to ghost your strokes, and be sure to experiment with a variety of speeds when putting down your lines. Try to find the sweet spot of creating accurate but smooth ellipses.

Ellipses in Planes: Solid. The Ellipses are drawn through and overall they are smooth. Continue to ghost and practice to get a more even shape in the future.

Funnels: Needs Work. Many of the same issues as with the Table of the Ellipses exercise. We'll improve with continued practice. Be careful when setting up your funnels you need that minor axis to be aligned through the middle of your funnel. Be sure to use a ruler and find a curve edge to trace, like a protractor or a bowl. This is a deceptively hard exercise, when you revisit it be mindful that your Ellipses can not have any tilt in them.

Plotted Perspective: Very good. Be sure to properly orientate your page when you upload your work for critiques. Your hatching could be cleaner, be sure to take your time and enjoy your time with that ruler. We don't get to use it very often.

Rough Perspective: Good. The boxes have been drawn through and you used a straight edge to create guidelines back towards the Vanishing Point. I'm seeing some line correcting and lack of confidence in your strokes. No matter how complicated the problems get be sure to go back to the basics of creating those nice straight lines. Plotting, Rotating, Ghosting, and using that shoulder. Keep in mind, that for this exercise that the more parallel you can get your horizontal lines to the horizon line and the more perpendicular you can get those verticals to the horizon line, the sturdier your boxes' construction will be.

Rotated Perspective: Good. We're really not meant to succeed at this exercise at this early juncture. What's important is you gave it your best effort and attempted to draw every box. Again take your time when plotting those points and executing your lines. Consider adding hatching and some line weight to make the image more clear when you revisit this exercise in the future.

Organic Perspective: Good. Again this exercise is designed to give us trouble. We'll learn more about the "Y" method of constructing boxes and working with 3 point perspective in the 250 box challenge. Again let's add some line weight to the silhouette of your boxes and experiment with some overlapping and a greater degree of size differential in the future.

Overall Thoughts: Solid. All the work is complete, you gave your best effort, and all the instructions (Table of Ellipses excluded) have been followed. Be sure to focus on line quality and improving on your Ellipses when you revisit these exercises.

Looking Good I marked the work as complete.

• Continue to work on these exercises as a regular 10 to 20 minute warmup

• Complete the 250 box challenge

• Consider writing critiques for others students. Here's a helpful guide. (https://pastebin.com/dYnFt9PQ)

• Also you may want to join the DrawABox discord to share your thoughts and concerns about your work.

That's all from me. Cheers and happy drawing!

Superimposed Lines: Solid. We got two pages full of straights and "C" shaped curves. Be sure to practice "S" shaped curves and some shorter straights in the future. We want to get that shoulder comfortable in creating any kind of stroke. Also, although it is slight, I do see some fraying at the start of your lines. Be sure to take special care when setting your pen down on its make your mark.

Ghosted Lines: Solid. We have a good variety of lengths to your lines but we do see some waviness creeping in. Be sure to prioritize confident strokes over accuracy at this early stage. Continue to rotate that page to find the most optimal position to draw from your shoulder.

Ghosted Planes: Solid. To the letter of the law the exercise is complete. We got two pages of planes. I would strongly suggest however, that when you revisit this exercise that you play with more sizes and angles, like we see in the lesson plan. (https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/ghostedplanes) Technically speaking this is not a distortion or perspective exercise but it's a good place to start experimenting and understand 3D space. Remember to plot and ghost every single stroke. Your lines bisecting your plane seem to suffer from a bit of wobble.

Table of Ellipses: Good. Two full pages with most of the Ellipses touching without too much overlapping. We do have some wobblers that creep up from time to time. Keep ghosting and using that shoulder to improve with that. I'm also noticing that none of your Ellipses tilt to the left. Be sure to implement some next time you revisit this exercise.

Ellipses in Planes: Solid. The ellipses are in their planes and a good deal of them are smooth. Continue to practice drawing completely through your ellipses twice from your shoulder to improve.

Funnels: Needs Work. Make sure you take your time and carefully construct your funnel. If the minor axis is misaligned it will be impossible for the exercise to be completed properly. It's best to use a ruler, to create the minor axis and then find a curve that your can trace whether it be a protractor or a cereal bowl. I notice that some of your smaller ellipses have a good deal of wobble to them. This could mean that you're falling back to using your wrist. Whatever the case continue to ghost and use that shoulder. Consider changing up the speed of your Ellipses from time to time to see if your need to speed up or slow down to create a smoother shape.

Plotted Perspective: Needs work. I recommend getting hold of a clear ruler for this exercise it makes it much easier to keep track of your lines. Be sure to take your time. This assignment is an exercise in patience and precision. Start with one vertical line and extend 4 angled lines back to both Vanishing points. Once you have those lines down, carefully fit two more vertical into those angled lines and create another set of angled lines (https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/plottedperspective) None of your vertical lines should be tilted or protruding through your angled lines. Also notice that you did not draw the back corner to any of your boxes. I would lastly say, consider adding line weight to the silhouette of your boxes and hatching to the front face of them. It's not required but it is good practice.

Rough Perspective: Incomplete. Be sure to carefully read the instructions before starting the exercises.(https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/roughperspective) All of your boxes need to be drawn through and with a ruler create guidelines from your angled lines back towards the Vanishing Point.

This is how I draw through boxes on this exercise: (Feel free to ignore my novice advice)

1: Start with just four points that will create a square or rectangle. Don't worry about anything else other than that all of your horizontal lines will be parallel to the horizon line and that all of your vertical lines will be perpendicular to the horizon line.

2: Now pick any corner of your neatly constructed square or rectangle and ghost a line towards the vanishing point. Keep ghosting till you can visualize where you want the edge of your form to stop and then place a plot point. (Do not draw a line yet just the dot.) Now understand that this dot will dictate the rest of your plotted points, because the next three points you put down from the remaining three corners of your original square/rectangle must create another square/rectangle in the distance. Again, all horizontal lines will be parallel to the horizon line and all vertical lines will be perpendicular. No ifs ands or buts about it.

3: Now it's basically connect the dots. Using a confident ghosted stroke, create another box in the distance and then connect the corners of the near box to the far off box and then VIOLA! You should have some pretty boxes with confident lines, and with any luck that initial plot point was accurate enough that all other lines will follow suit, back to the vanishing point.

Rotated Perspective: Good. This is a very good first effort. Many of the boxes are indeed rotating. Note that you are missing a box in the bottom right corner. Also keep in mind that no matter how complicated some of the problems may get in these exercises, always go back to the basics. Plot your points, rotate the page, ghost your strokes, and from one clean motion from your shoulder put down a line. Lesson 1 is really all about getting that nice straight line.

Organic Perspective: Good. Again a very good first effort. The boxes don't quite have enough size differential but your clearly understand the spirit of the exercise with the boxes following the curve and getting larger as the come closer to the viewer. We will learn more about the "Y" method of constructing boxes and working with 3 point perspective in the 250 box challenge.

Overall Thoughts: It's a solid effort all way around. I feel that you understand the Funnels and Plotted Perspective so I'm not going to force you to redo them. Just keep some of those pointers in mind when you revisit them as a regular warm-up. We do need you to resubmit your Rough Perspective exercise since it was not completed as intended.

Superimposed Lines: Solid. We have two full pages. Be sure to experiment with a greater variety of lines in the future. Add longer straights and "S", and "C" shaped curves.

Ghosted Lines: Solid. We got some waviness to your lines. Be sure to rotate that page and to find the optimal position for your shoulder. Also take special care when setting down your pen. We shoudl never miss our mark when starting our lines.

Ghosted Planes: Good. We have some nice straight lines and every single line has been plotted. I'm noticing some line correcting, be sure to commit to: one line, one stroke. When revisiting these exercises be sure to play with a greater size differential with your planes. Go big, go small, we want to get that shoulder accustomed to draw any length of line.

Table of Ellipses: Solid. We have plenty of Ellipses fitted neatly in their bonds and mostly touching with minimal overlapping. Continue to ghost your Ellipses and focus on getting that even and smooth shape. I feel that too many of your Ellipses are facing straight on. When you revisit the exercise be sure to add more that tilt to the left and right.

Ellipses in Planes: Good. Their a couple of instances when your not drawing through your Ellipses completely. But overall the Ellipses are drawn through, fitted into their plane. As with the previous Ellipse exercise focus on smoothness.

Funnels: Good. The funnels are properly constructed, the ellipses are all touching with minimal overlap and the minor axis cuts many of your Ellipses in half. Make sure you draw through every single ellipse and continue to work on creating that even smooth shape. Remember to keep ghosting and use that shoulder.

Plotted Perspective: Very good. Everything seems in order. Keep in mind when adding line weight we only go over the silhouette with one additional stroke.

Rough Perspective: Solid. The boxes are drawn through, you used a straight edge to create guidelines back towards the V.P and you added hatching to the front face of your boxes, all good stuff. I'm seeing some line correcting which we want to avoid. Take your time when plotting your points and draw those lines with confidence. Keep in mind that every single horizontal line will be parallel to the horizon line and that every single vertical line will be perpendicular to the horizon line. Those sets of lines should never tilt.

Rotated Perspective: Solid. All the boxes have been drawn through and you attempted to draw every box. Again be sure to plot your points and make lines with confidence. No correcting! It's fine to make mistakes. We have a mix of boxes that are and are not rotating. Be sure to re-read the common mistakes portion of the lesson plan (https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/rotatedboxes) when you revisit this exercise in the future.

Organic Perspective: Missing?

Superimposed lines: Solid. A nice variety of lengths for your straights and some nice "C" shaped curves. Be sure to implement more "S" shaped curves in the future. I'm noticing some fraying on both ends of your lines, be sure to carefully place your pen down on its mark before making your stroke. We'll work on the fanning and accuracy issues throughout Lesson 1. Be sure that your rotating your page to find the optimal position for your shoulder to make that straight stroke from point to point.

Ghosted Lines: Needs Work. Their is a consistent wobble to your lines and some of you lines miss both plotted points. Be sure that your are: rotating that page, ghosting the strokes as many times as needed, carefully place your pen down on its mark, and in one smooth motion from your shoulder put down your line. Focus more at creating straight lines over accurate ones at this early stage.

Table of Ellipses: Solid. We got two full pages with many of the Ellipses touching with minimal overlapping. Keep ghosting your ellipses and focus on drawing though them completely twice and smoothly. Keep in mind that the Ellipses should have the same orientation in each section of your table. We want to carefully consider what kind of Ellipse we want to draw and repeat it in that section of the table.

Ghosted Planes/Ellipses in Planes: Needs Work. We got two full pages with many panes and angles drawn. I'm concerned about the amount of wobble and general waviness to your lines. We'll solve the under and overshooting of your lines with continued practice but we'll need to get a nice straight line for you to succeed at these exercises. Be sure that you take your time with every single line. Plot your points, Rotate the page, ghost your stroke, and create a confident line from your shoulder. The Ellipses are solid. They are drawn through, mostly smooth and fitted properly in their plane.

Funnels: Needs Work. The funnels are properly constructed and many of the Ellipses are smooth and drawn though twice and the minor axis cuts the ellipses in half. Far too many of your Ellipses are circular, though. You'll find it much more difficult to maintain an even shape and lack of tilt with oblong Ellipses.

Plotted Perspective: Very Good. We have some line correcting and lines missing their mark. Be sure to take your time and I would recommend using a clear ruler so you can easily keep track of your lines. I would also suggest adding hatching to the front face of your boxes in the future.

Rough Perspective: Good. The boxes are drawn through and you are using a straight edge to create guide lines back towards the V.P. You also seem to understand the basics of the exercise with your horizontal and vertical line being parallel and perpendicular to the horizon line and your angled lines heading back to a single V.P. I would again suggest adding hatching to the front face of your boxes, it's good practice. Also I would suggest that you don't put more than 6 boxes to each frame in this exercise. You want to be able to study how your lines fall towards the V.P and that gets a little tricky when you have so many crisscrossing towards the V.P.

Rotated Perspective: Good. This is a pretty good first effort. The image is large, all of the boxes have been attempted and many of them are indeed rotating. Consider adding hatching and line weight to help with clarity.

Organic Perspective: Solid. It's a good effort. Consider adding line weight t the silhouette of your boxes with one additional stroke. We'll learn more about the "Y" method of constructing boxes and working with 3 point perspective in the 250 box challenge. Remember no matter how complicated some of these exercises may get; always go back to the basics of :Plotting your points, Rotating your Page, Ghosting your strokes, and creating confident lines that originate from your shoulder.

Overall Thoughts: Good. The instructions have been followed and the work has been completed. I'm concerned about some of the wobble to your lines and that the funnel exercise wasn't quite completed as intended.