SimonH

Ok thank you, this is great - very actionable advice, as always. With hindsight, and as you're pointing those things out I find I'm asking myself why I didn't do these things correctly right away....

One thing however still isn't clear to me re the outline topic: how can I convey some forms with the binary values that ink provides when the adjoining 'surfaces' on my 2D reference image have degrees of black values?

This example here shows what I mean: https://imgur.com/a/KIBDbz7

So I'm assuming one shape for certain I create is number 4. But if I do this, what do I do with the area to the right of number 4 which is the same as area 1?

And then, how do I distinguish 2 and 3? Or don't I?

The problem I'm referring to can be seen in my tire no. 17 for example: the tread on the left side seems to 'need' an outline on the upper part - or doesn't it?

So, to rephrase my question: I cannot completely avoid some outline, correct? It seem to me that way also looking again at the instruction for this excercise.

Oh, and one more question: if we look at the center tread of number 20 that runs the length of the tire all around. I think (?) I used cast shadow correctly to convey the right side of that tread, yes?

And I outlined the left side of it, which would be incorrect, right?

Now, if I didn't do the outline of its left rim, I would just be left with the right rim which then looks like a simple line running along the length of the tire - how do you solve this?

Thanks, as always!

I think I misunderstood the assignment to focus only on trying to achieve ellipses aligned with their minor axes, rather than doing this as well as creating an actual, believable cylinder.

I think I understand the issue you point out, and I think I've managed to address it here: https://imgur.com/gallery/ofU2qLl

Hi there,

here is my resubmission. I did a couple more in case you don't mind looking at more. If you do mind, then just take the cat, the dog, the cow and the elephant as my resubmission.

Keen to hear your thoughts!

Simon

https://imgur.com/gallery/Mf1k4B9

Hi there, thanks again for those points. While I'm working on the resubmission, I have a question and two remarks.

Question: in my elephant drawing I drew the tops of the elephant's left legs according to how they attach to the underlying masses. While the rear leg could possibly done with more of a sausage form, I have a hard time imagining how the front leg's top could be done with one (other than attaching a 'connector' to the top of a sausage form? Would that be your approach? The underlying reason for this is because the reference also has this leg without a shoulder bulge (https://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/00513-african-elephant-with-baby)

Remark1: I don't cut back on the dog's head - I think what you're referencing is one of the two contour lines I used to give me it's orientation.

Remark2: on your detailed critique of the rat (this is super-helpful by the way!!) the rear leg's top shape is caused by the underlying ovoid shape of the torso mass. It's not arbitrary. Or did I do that wrong?

Hi, thanks as always for the very transparent and constructive critique! Got your points I think.

Regarding my ... innovative : ) ... approach and by way of explanation: I was probably misled by two things. In your critique of my lesson 4 submission one of the main points was me not using sausage shapes, and in your initial lesson 5 instruction (here: https://drawabox.com/lesson/5/1/masses) you made a point of creating masses for pelvis, ribcage, etc. From that I somehow concluded that the starting point was the skeleton (like, using the bones in limbs as the sausage basis) and then building masses on top, like in the cat example above. This is not my justification, but just because others may have the same confusion.

Anyway, I think that's cleared up for me, here is my resubmission:https://imgur.com/gallery/69WXfoQ

Hope this is closer to the mark now.

Ok great, understood and thanks again.

Not sure what I will do about the hi res pics, but will look into it.

It's Chrissy eve here in Germany (which is when the main celebration is as opposed to Boxing Day morning for most of the English-speaking world), so the kids are busy with Lego'n stuff, also great for 3D thinking...

Have a Merry Christmas wherever you hail from!

Simon

Hmm, I think I see. I've done one more, starting out with a simple mass for each single element except for the wings, and then building masses on top of them. Better?

https://imgur.com/gallery/ljGE02e

Again, appreciate you looking at this briefly, but I'm super keen to fully grasp the concept that you're trying to convey before moving on.

Thanks again for pointing these issues out - I realize I had not completely grasped that concept of creating underlying masses and then building out on top of them. Not to stick around here too long here and I don't want to take up more of your time than necessary, but given that there is a key concept I need to internalize - I've done just one more Weevil to practice. Here I've created three simple underlying masses and - particularly for the thorax and head - built them out from there, with only a carapace on top of the torso; also, every leg and the feelers I've started out as a simple sausage form and then built on top of these as required.

Is this more like what you meant?

https://imgur.com/gallery/68K5wmH

Thank you very much as always for the very detailed and actionable feedback!

Now I've tried as much as possible with these insects drawings for focus on the constructional aspect - adding solid mass on top of solid mass. I did struggle with the beetle's thorax a bit as I laid down an ovoid and then added another mass and now we can see the underlying ovoid still - but I think this is not the mistake you referred to with the ant's head example above.

I've created the imgur album in the sequence I did them. With the Wasp I tried to be as minimalistic as possible, same for the ant (here I struggled with using an underlying shape for the head and then just outlined the final form as I saw it - any hints with that head?), then trying to address your point above regarding too little complexity with the bee, and then focusing on construction again with the Leaf Beetle.

Here is the album: https://imgur.com/gallery/81lJfvm

Let me know how I went! Thanks heaps in advance

Simon

you were right - again. I did make the mistake of starting the next mark from the end of the last instead of from the last ellipse. Here is a revised take: https://www.flickr.com/gp/191092915@N06/TYLP7n

Although the whole thing appears relatively wobbly sometimes, I can see how this approach smoothes the overall shape.