I switched from ballpoint to a fineliner for the second rough perspective box. I can't tell if the issue is a cheap marker, or my not being used to it, but it certainly feels and looks different.
I'm also not sure how to keep it from wobbling for the smaller lines. It feels like I can't use my arm in the same way for them.
Hi Pteraxor!
Congrats on finishing Lesson 1! Some overall things to start, since you pointed them out yourself. ^^ Lots of wobbly lines! Looking at all of the assignments, it looks like you are trying too hard to keep your line between the two points instead of drawing confidently. Because while your lines are very wobbly and curved, they connect one point to another. Instead, make sure you start at one point, take your time to ghost through your line over and over, and when you're ready, just draw straight. Where it ends up, it ends up! And if it's way off, it's fine! It will show you where your issues are.
Do you have a natural curve? Is it because you're drawing from the wrist and should draw from the elbow/shoulder? Or is it because your brain just naturally curves what should be a straight line? If you start aiming a little higher or lower, does that help? Does looking at the end point instead of the start help? Or maybe following your pen with your eyes helps? Or hurts? I think you need to do it incorrectly to figure out how to do it correctly.
For the shorter lines, depending on the angle, it can be hard to draw using your shoulder. Make sure you're turning your paper and getting comfortable. For most of them, I have to turn my page a lot and draw from all different sides. I also have neck and shoulder issues, so try using your elbow more for shorter lines instead of trying to lock everything and use your shoulder. Personal opinion > as long as you're keeping your wrist straight and not leaning any weight on your elbow, you should work with what is most comfortable for you.
And it seems like you can draw confidently, because your ellipses are better. When you have that freedom, your lines are smoother. So it seems like it's more a matter of hesitating or trying to stay within those points instead of planning, ghosting, and then putting a confident mark on the paper.
For the fineliner, it's definitely different than a pen. I'm not sure how thick your tip is, but I think it just takes practice to figure out how hard to press and what angle to hold it at.
Here are some specific things I saw (outside of the wobbling):
Superimposed lines - Overall, these are good! Some fraying at the start. Make sure you're always starting at the same point.
Ghosted lines - Definitely need to fill up the paper more and don't be afraid to let your lines cross!
Ghosted planes - You didn't need to do an extra set of these. ^^ The second page fills the space better. It's difficult to critique these, because I'm not sure what issues you would have if you drew these lines straight and confidently.
Table of ellipses - Your ellipses are good! The second page is better than the first. Make sure you're trying to get all of the edges to touch. For the assignment, you should fill the spaces with the same type of ellipse first (more elongated or more circular, with similar angle and degree), then fill in the gaps. So the first page fits the assignment better, but the ellipses don't touch the edges or each other, and the second page has better ellipses, but all of those groups of circles don't match the assignment. ^^ Also, make sure you are going around more than 3 times. It's hard to tell on some of those darker circles. Twice is better.
Ellipses in planes - These are also well done. You did a good job keeping them inside the planes but still touching the edges. Again, try to stick with drawing through just twice. It gives you the practice but also helps you see any common issues better.
Funnels - Again, good ellipses. It looks like you hand drew the outside of the funnel though? Make sure you find something to trace, like a plate or bowl, to keep these even. And draw through only 2 or 3 times at most.
Plotted perspective - Looks good, but try to make better use of your space. Don't be afraid to overlap your boxes and draw them larger and different sizes. It'll help you imagine the space better to figure out how they overlap, which is in front, etc. You have one incorrectly shaded face in the middle section. ^^
Rough perspective - It's difficult to tell because of the wobbly lines... Did you plot all of the points and then draw lines? Or did you draw the square, then plot one line back and work from there? It's easier when you have some lines to work with, since the points are more difficult to judge. Ghost one edge back to the vanishing point, then stop partway and plot a point. Draw your line. Pick another edge, repeat. Also, when you draw your colored lines back to the vanishing point, make sure you're using the ruler to follow the line YOU DREW back to the horizon, not just drawing a line from the end point. https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/16/example See how his red lines trace over the edges from the front of the box to the back and then continue to the horizon? Yours start at the back corners and don't always follow the actual path of your edges, which isn't helping you see where your lines intersect.
Rotated boxes - This is a really good attempt! ^^ There's some wobble in your lines, so that doesn't help, and your outer boxes seem rushed. There's also a lot of space between boxes. Keeping them tight will help to line up those outside boxes better. And shading in the visible outsides of the boxes will help to imagine them in 3D better.
Organic perspective - Did you notice that your lines wobble less in this than previous assignments? There's still some curving and wobbling, but while the first lines and boxes look really shaky, like you're trying too hard to be accurate, these are more confident and straight. It does look like you redrew lines, so be careful with that. Don't try to fix your mistakes by going over them. Make better use of your space and overlap some. Use that "swoopy" line to fill in the full space with boxes, and make sure you have a larger contrast between larger/close boxes and smaller/far boxes. Your boxes don't vary much in size.
Hopefully that was helpful! I think overall, make sure you're taking your time to ghost and plan before you draw a line, and then draw your line straight even if it misses the mark. Remember, confidence over accuracy! Find a comfortable position for each line and just do your best to draw using your arm (elbow or shoulder or both) instead of your wrist.
Next Steps:
I am trying to look at older posts that haven't received feedback, so you may have already moved on, but I still think this will benefit you if you're still seeing these issues.
Because of all the wobble, I think you should do another page of ghosted lines. Go back to that lesson, https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/10/purpose and review, then put a bunch of dots on a page and draw with confidence. Short lines, long lines, lines that cross. After each one, see where you went wrong. Did you still wobble? Why? Did you arc? Did you overshoot or undershoot? Then try to do better with the next line. Worry about getting rid of the wobble first, then worry about missing the mark.
Then I think you should do another page of rough perspective. One, because of the wobbly lines. Use what you learned on the ghosted lines and apply it to this. Two, because your colored lines weren't drawn back to the horizon correctly. Go back to that lesson, https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/16/step5 and review how to trace those depth lines with the ruler. What you have in your current assignment isn't really helping you because your colored lines don't completely match up with the edges you drew. If you've moved on to the 250 box challenge already, then you've already kind of been doing this, since you have to check your convergences.
Good luck and have fun!
When it comes to technical drawing, there's no one better than Scott Robertson. I regularly use this book as a reference when eyeballing my perspective just won't cut it anymore. Need to figure out exactly how to rotate an object in 3D space? How to project a shape in perspective? Look no further.
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