Zoltez

Hello ptdlouis! I will try to critique your homework, hopefully well. It's my first time giving feedback to someone's homework, but I'll try my best to give accurate and helpful feedback. I'll divide this into a few sections: general, lines, ellipses, and boxes. Also sorry for the length of the essay I'm about to write. Being a college student makes you yap a lot.

General:

1. It's good that you notice using your elbow at times, that's the first step to improvement. Ideally, you should aim to primarily use your shoulder to draw straight lines, but it's not the end of the world if you use your elbow a bit, as long as you correct it. If you notice drawing arched lines, you can try to manually arch that line in the opposite direction, as mentioned in Lesson 1. Overtime this should cancel out the arch and result in a straight line.

2. As for the 50% rule, you can draw whatever you want. There is really no limitation, and the end result doesn't have to be a masterpiece. It doesn't even need to be "good". The point of the rule is to feel comfortable with whatever the outcome of our drawings is. So draw anything that pops in your head. It can be a turtle with helicopter blades playing the ukulele, it doesn't matter. As for references, you should avoid using them to draw your 50%. The overall drawing should be your own original work, to force you to put ink on paper even when you don't want to. However, you can use references for specific parts of your drawings. For example, you can look up the reference of a ukulele in the example above, as long as the overall drawing is yours. I know that "draw anything" may not be the most satisfying answer, but that's how it is. If nothing comes to mind, you could use the prompts on Drawabox or the discord channel to inspire you.

3. Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like you drew on both sides of your papers. I think you should avoid this if possible. The ink tends to bleed through the paper, leaving unwanted marks. This can definitely become apparent and irritating in future drawings, and I think it's a good habbit to only draw on one side. This is only a recommandation, since I understand supply can be tough.

4. Some exercises are split on different pages. While the amount of content per exercise is not affected, you should try to dedicate pages to specific exercises. I think it's good discipline to have a nice structure, and could go a long way.

Lines:

1. Superimposed lines are very good. You managed to fit a lot of them and make the most of the exercise, while keeping them smooth and confident. There are a few times with fraying on both sides, so the only thing i can say is to take your time placing your pen. Otherwise very good.

2. Ghosted lines are also good. Same advice as earlier, take your time placing the pen to make sure at least one point is passed through. I can also see you prioritized confidence over accuracy, which is good. Accuracy can be improved over time, whereas wobbly lines are a mistake to be fixed.

3. Ghosted planes are good.

Ellipses:

1. Not much to say here, all ellipses are very good.

2. In the funnel exercies, a few ellipses are a little misaligned, but that is not a problem. If anything refer to what I mentioned in general, stick to the recommended amount of pages and keep the exercises separate. Here there is one extra page of half funnels and half ellipses in planes. Not a big deal, but it's good to be aware in the future, since "grinding" is discouraged.

Boxes:

1. Plotted perspective is good.

2. For rough perspective, all vertical lines should be perpendicular to the horizon line, and all horizontal lines should be parallel to the horizon line. Some lines are a bit off, but I think it's only a matter of execution, and that you understood the concept well, so it's fine. Some lines are a little wobbly, so remember to prioritize confidence over accuracy most of the time. Also, when drawing the line extensions, make sure the lines always converge. Even if they dont hit the vanishing point exactly, they should at least not diverge. If this happens, keep this in mind when drawing the next box.

3. Rotated boxes is good. Not perfectly symmetrical, but it is a very hard exercise, at it's clear you undertand the concepts behind it.

4. Organic perspective is also good. There's a clear improvement from some earlier lines to these lines. Still keep in mind everything from before though. The only problem is that some lines are redrawn. No matter how bad or off a line is, don't try to draw over it. We learn from mistakes after all, and hiding those mistakes won't help.

Overall, it's obvious to me that you understood the concepts behind every exercise and applied them well. Accuracy and line convergence will improve over time, especially with the upcoming 250 box challange. Again, sorry if this is too long, and let me know if you have any questions about the feedback. Good luck!

Thank you so much for taking your time to critique, I'm very grateful. I'll make sure to re-read the parts you commented on (which may lead to re-reading the entire lesson for good measure).

As a fish enjoyer, words can't describe how much I love this drawing. It's super clean and the shading looks great.

And as they say: buy a man eat fish, he day. Teach fish man to a lifetime.

I was scrolling through people's sketchbooks and I wasn't expecting to find such an artistic expression of that initial fear of starting in the description. Safe to say I too have similar thoughts when sitting down in front of a blank paper.

I actually really like the eye. The wavy lines spiraling the pupil feel very chaotic while also having some order. It reminds me of when people say the abyss stares back at you, that's kinda what i see it as. Also the face is really funny, in a good way. I wouldn't even know where to begin making a face. Keep it up, and I'm sure your imagination will be realized eventually.