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Need help on lesson 2 arrows exercise!

2:46 AM, Wednesday December 2nd 2020

Im going back to redo some older lessons to sharpen my skills a bit more, and i realize im having a huge trouble with drawing arrows, they always look off compared to the ones on the lesson page samples no matter what i do & i just want to get better at drawing them to be more dynamic and fluid. i have a sample of how im practicing and what im doing.

my first thing i think is that my first inital curve is weird but im not sure exactly how to fix it?

and second thing is i have a hard time matching the second curve to the first inital one i drew, i dont know how to add perspective/ make it so that it gets bigger as it gets closer to the viewer

any help would be extremely appreciated ! :D

https://imgur.com/a/oyu2X6z (samples of some i drew for practice)

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8:35 PM, Wednesday December 2nd 2020

It took me a while but I finally got reasonable at this. Things I learned were.

Arm needs to flow from shoulder for both top and bottom lines.

Always be looking a the next turn back to judge your curveback right. It helps keep your vertical alignment.

And from Uncomfortable's feedback to me, remember perspective. In particular the lines should overlap and compress more as it comes towards you.

But like most things practice. Look at what doesn't look right. Isolate that and practice it. Then try again.

12:08 AM, Thursday December 3rd 2020

hey thanks for the reply! ive been practicing for almost a week now and i still cant seem to improve myself at these even when i try to look for mistakes, i think i have a big issue with "overlap and compressing" my arrows.

my first initial curve/s curve is always looks wrong for some reason even after many tries

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2:02 AM, Thursday December 3rd 2020

Hey there! I'm on this lesson now and a few things I've noticed while practicing arrows lots and comparing them to the lesson examples. In the example, you'll notice how the curves and angles of the arrows align with each other. This way, when the lines are draw in to connect the curves, it's clear where the arrow is changing directions and what not. It gives the arrow that clean, sweeping look. I tried to show the aligning curves in this image.

https://imgur.com/a/ovEHWLM

2:07 AM, Thursday December 3rd 2020

You have nice aligning curves in yours, but a few them aren't aligned as neatly which throws the viewer off. I tried to show it in the notes where I thought your curves are strong and where it could use improvement. Also, adding some lines in the creases can help identify where the arrow is curving. And careful with the arrowhead...I think you elongate the arrowhead too much. Hopefully this helps.

https://imgur.com/a/Azyanio

4:42 AM, Thursday December 3rd 2020

hey thanks for the help! yeah i have a huge trouble with trying to replicate an identical curve underneath, i try to go quick so its a smooth line but i cant draw the line super slow or ill wobble if that makes sense? im not sure how to get a smooth line and also make sure its alligned correctly at the same time?

2:22 PM, Thursday December 3rd 2020

Try to draw confidently rather than quick or slow and always keep your eyes on the line your are following not your hand. You will always be aware of where your hand is peripherally.

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12:35 PM, Tuesday December 8th 2020

Hey! I agree with SCOOBYCLUB and MMANSALAD, but I would like to add something:

You say that you struggle with matching the second curve with the original one. I would recommend that you take your time to ghost it, this seems to be the way to achieve accuracy. It could be more difficult than drawing a straight line from point A to point B (at least it is to me), but the same principle applies here. Also, don't forget to draw the second curve in segments (which I think you already do, since your arrows look controlled and accurate).

As for the initial curve: I actually don't see how it is weird. It looks perfectly fine to me. The only thing is that I see a little bit of wobbling in some of the lines, try to eliminate that and draw confidently, as SCOOBYCLUB already pointed out.

As for perspective:

Try to consciously reduce the space between the initial curve and the segments of the second line that you add up to create an arrow, as you go deeper into the page, if that makes sense. It may not come out perfectly after the first attempt, but aim for it. I think you actually managed to achieve the 3D-effect with your arrows on page 2, with each segment getting gradually smaller/thinner. My only critique would be that in some of them you could increase the space between the lines in the first segment, the one that is the closest to the viewer. Try to experiment too, so that you don't stick to only one type of arrows.

Other than that, I think you're on the right track. I hope this helps a little. Keep up the good work!

12:33 AM, Thursday December 10th 2020

Hey thanks for the reply! ill be trying to take some of this tips into consideration :D hopefully it'll help!

12:38 AM, Thursday December 10th 2020

oh one thing sorry i forgot to ask, when ghosting how are you suppose to do that and also, make the second line in segments? (im actually not drawing it in segments just one continious line for the most part so)

9:39 PM, Friday December 11th 2020

On ghosting a curve, you do it the same way as ghosting a straight line, applying the same ghosting method from Lesson 1, but to draw a curve. It's trickier than drawing a straight line, but from what I can tell practice does wonders.

On drawing a line in segments, it's actually a tip Uncomfortable gives here. Apparently, it's not a set in stone requirement, but it helps me greatly with my arrows.

No problem! I hope it helps too. I wish you best of luck!

12:00 AM, Sunday December 13th 2020

alright will do! thanks for the help!!

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