Rhyldur

I really did not expect to see Uncomfortable when I was checking for my assignment review. You made me gulp at the very least!

Just wanted to thank your incredibly in-detail analysis and mention that I should go over the first lessons in the future. I knew they were being revamped but did not know Lesson 1 is fully updated!

Hi Nathan! I hope you are doing good. I took a look at your webpage and I'm glad you are also doing some letter artwork and logos. They look really nice.

As for the book, do not worry, I shall await my turn. No hurry at all.

I read the introduction and everything looks fine to me.

Would you be willing to provide any public contact info for the record if other artists want to get in touch?

I'm a very introvert person so I'm not comfortable with sharing public contact info. BUT, recently I've been thinking of creating and anonymous Instagram account just for sharing some of my art without being worry that anybody around my surroundings knows it's me. When I come up with a good name (which is a difficult matter for me rn haha) I'll create it and reach out to you.

Here I am, a month after. I was able to finish lesson 5 and spend my credits yesterday before they would expire today. I think I'll try to keep on and start the 250 cylinders challenge.

From what I've seen of your work you have a lot to offer; you have much room to grow and so do I.

I consider this as a great compliment. Thank you.

Would you (yes YOU) at least consider making a contribution to the collab at some point?

I would like to make a digital contribution if you want, since right now I'm more into digital art than I am with traditional. I don't recommend you to send anything this way, it would be such a pain for both of us, but I am grateful for the offer anyway.

I'm glad there was no offense, but sorry to hear your life's getting rougher. I would encourage you look to God for strength and guidance by reading the Bible (listening to what God has said) and praying (talking to God). He does care; God can use hard times to lead us to Him.

Thank you so much Nathan for your support in these moments of weakness. I really appreciate it.

I'm still pushing with all my strength, trying to finish DaB course by the end of the year. I'm a bit stuck with this lesson 5 so I managed to spend some time with some 50% rule drawings. Stepping out of my confort zone and trying to draw from reference complex images or trying new styles like anime (which I never considered tbh).

Have you ever considered doing collaborations with other artists? I've had the interest for a while, but I don't know any professional / committed artists.

Never thought of it since I don't consider my drawings to have much personality or style to even collaborate with someone. The more I learn the more I realize how far I am from the point of consider myself even an "amateur" artist.

Negative thoughts aside! You should really go for it if you didn't already. The professional artists I know I only have been able to speak a word or two to them. I suggest you try to find people in DaB official discord server. There are lots of different type of artists, from professionals to wannabes (such as myself haha) and even if you don't find the people you are looking for, it would be a great starting point.

Wishing you the best as always and apologising again for the "delayed" answer.

Just wanted to thank you for your efforts. It was an incredibly detailed review full of examples that made me realize what it has (and has not) to be done in the future.

Also, thank you for the sneak peeks of the Lesson 4 overhaul! It really consolidates what it's taught here.

Well this was a too long break, to be honest. I'm really sorry for leaving you hanging. You did not overstepped any boundaries, it was just my life getting rougher and harder that I was emotionally drained to even answer some messages.

It costed me 9 months to finally end Lesson 4 (I hate insects so much) but I was able to get back on track these last days. Although I guess they will make me repeat some drawings again.

Taking advantage of this "achievement" I decided it was time to read again everything you sent and everything I missed throughout these months. I'm quite pleased and proud of what you have accomplished and I hope you the best outside DAB.

I was checking the remaining 3 lessons homework and found them quite overwhelming. Although I will still try my best to finish everything and when I feel I won't be able to do it, I'll go rogue.

Since I saw your last message was a couple of days ago, I'll wait for your reply for some days. If no answer is received I'll write to your e-mail.

You really stepped up your portrait game, Nathan! I see little use of ink and lines and a lot of thought. DaB really helped you with that I guess.

This simple black portrait really standed out to me. I feel so much power and strength in just a couple of brushtrokes!

This construction was impeccable I must say.

I did enjoy a lot your automatic drawings, you would be a great tattoo artist if you decided to be. The flow and forms suggests so much on its own that it does not need to represent anything. Couldn't choose just one of them.

Same goes with the automatic landscapes. I really think the would look so neat as a tattoo on someone's skin haha.

Those location studies reminded me to some isometric videogames. Really enjoyed them!

This one was just genius. I should try if I had a bit more skill with portraits.

The cherry on the cake Sometimes our simplest pieces create the strongest emotions. That chicken will stick to my mind for some days hahahaa.

Quite a productive year you had! I'll try to be as productive as you were last year but this one haha.

Don't be sorry for lenghty replies my friend. I enjoy them as much as I do with the shorter ones haha.

(I've left too many things unfinished, but knowing when to quit something also takes wisdom and discernment)

You can't know how much I feel you on that. That's why I am commited to this also. My older me would have left from DaB and never come back. But here I am, little by little trying to get myself used to the grind again. I still don't know what I might do after DaB but if I start another course I'll try it to be a little less serious and more focused on play like you said before. On the other hand, discipline is always a good way for me to take things seriously so, a little bit of this a little bit of that.

None of which I need to know the answers to, but just some prompts to help you get started

I'm really thankful for the prompts, I'm already thinking about them. To be honest, the main thing drawing keeps me coming back is because to me is like magic. I know it may sound naïve, but I am stunned when something gets depth, form, perspective and our brain falls for it. Also, I enjoy so much that feeling when you know what you are doing after hours or days of practice. That feeling when you are one with your craft and everything seems to flow because you have been at it a million times and know all the possible outcomes but, at the same time, you have the knowledge and know what you have and what you are missing. That last thing is what I've come to DaB in the past, because it helps me to know what I have and what I'm lacking, going into detail and not leaving a hint out. Well, enough ramble for my part, sorry hahaha.

Thank you so much for the review of my last promptathon, you really hit the nail on the head with your answers. The 2nd or 3rd day of the promptathon is usually my peak of performance somehow but this time I am so proud of every piece I made because it meant to hit some key objectives on each one. Even if I struggled a lot in some ways (drawing feet, creating a simple city skyline, buildings in general or even foliage) I was deeply satisfied with the outcome on all them. i think I am that satisfied because I managed not to get frustrated while drawing any of them hahaha.

The joys of being an artist! XD I feel your pain. Why do we have to be such temperamental beings!? I don't know, maybe because we're pursuing such an amorphous goal as "getting good at art." What does this really mean? We may not really know, "but we'll know it when we see it"! I'm trying to be more consistent in finishing stuff. I just want to get on the Finishing Train and ride it for a decade or two. If we could just keep producing work without judging ourselves so harshly, we could go far; but for some reason I keep getting off the train to stop in each passing town to take art lessons, to try to learn some new skill XD I'm loving this metaphor!

I needed to quote all that paragraph because it is pure gold! haha I can't agree more on the concept of "amorphous goal" because I could not define it better. It is a goal not only with no form but also evershifting. For me, I can't think of a way to manage to produce finished art at the same time as I'm learning, my mind has those two things disassociated and I'll try to get to a middle ground some day... I think I might be lacking a lot of skills right now just to be able to get on the Finishing Train. I could get on board in the luggage room but they would easily kicked me out hahaha. Still, I see much younger artists posting finished drawings (I don't mean they are good or bad just finished) at the same time they are learning and it blows my mind.

(I'd also like to monetize my art at some point; so that is also floating around my mind).

That's also a recurring thought I have from time to time since my actual job is not paying much. On the other hand I don't want to look like I'm begging and that's difficult to get rid of my mind if I don't have my art in a high steem hahaha.

3 days (of drawing) to go! :) I should finish it this upcoming week. Hurray!

This time I'm a 100% sure that you'll be finished with it. Congrats on this milestone my man!

Hello my friend, I'm still around, don't you worry haha. Thank you so much for your birthday wishes and hopes about my health. Drawing helps from time to time although I still don't know if resuming my Drawabox lessons will help or not haha. I'll try!

I almost forgot about Winter Promptathon, and when I logged in Drawabox I thought it was over but much to my surprise it hasn't even started so you'll be able to see what I did!

Wish you all the luck and patience with the 250 cylinders challenge, you'll be finished sooner than you expect!

I was still productive: took quite a bit of time to think about my goals, journal, and plan for the future.

I should do the same sooner than later because I'm feeling quite lost right now to be honest.

For me process is super important because the process is your life and the result is what others see about your life, and of course what you leave behind.

Those are wise words, Nathan. I managed to finish all my 7 drawings for the promptathon thanks to your words from months ago. I had that "finished not perfect" mindset all along that week. Unfortunately, as soon as the challenge ended, I forgot about that mentality. I struggle with my goal-oriented mindset because whenever there is not an specific goal, like, very defined, I can't manage it well and get lost into details.

Steven Zapata's art is really daunting to me. I like to learn from the bests but I deal better with art I feel I could draw in the future haha. Anyway I'll check him out again!

He strongly emphasizes the importance of joy in creating and pushes people to make finished work; both are messages that I strongly resonate with.

I should pin that mindset in a wall or something haha.

I'm thinking of posting a collection of art highlights from 2022 on my website. I'll try to remember to let you know if/when I do so.

Definitely let me know!! I'll be more than glad to take a good look!

Here's a recent picture I sort of finished: Look Up; there was more to it, but I wanted to crop it to a clean-looking, finished image: the rest of the page ;). Note the advice from Zapata :D.

Really enjoyed this piece of art. Your progress is so tangible in this one. It can be easily seen how far you've come since we first met! (By the way, I spent some time reading through your notes haha)

Well, I've been wanting to answer to you text since I first read it a couple of days ago but I wanted to be in a mostly-good mood just not to sound too negative haha. Hope you keep improving and I'm sure you'll be done with your cylinders by now!

I am still alive, Nathan!

First and foremost, I am really sorry about my long absence. In tune with what you last said October 24th, that's life. Work, demotivation, technical dificulties and mental health issues have got in the way of my drawing journey. Sadly unexpected but, as you said again, God may be teaching me other lessons or even trying me to go over those lessons.

I am back since myself and my therapist have both insisted on resuming my drawing activities even if it's only little by little. I would give this Winter Promptathon a try although I do not know if I'll be able to complete all 7 days.

Tomorrow is my birthday so, what would be a better gift to mysel than to keep drawing, having fun with it and , last but not least, keep improving and getting better at it!

Keep me up-to-date about you and your progress here at Drawabox. I'll be all ears.

P.S.: I spent some time reading your next-to-last message and I have that saying about "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" stuck in my mind. It will define my mindset these days.