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5:30 PM, Monday December 14th 2020

When I mentioned lifting your pen to stop a line as opposed to stopping the motion of your arm to end your line, I meant for it to be an option that you can try and see if you find that works better for you. The same applies to the speed you execute your lines with.

Often times students find it easier to "push through with confidence" by making their marks quickly. Later on however, you may find that varying the speed you draw your marks at might produce a better result.

So long as you abide by the ghosting method and take your time, executing your lines confidently and from the shoulder, the speed at which you draw is your choice and you should feel free to explore that and find a speed that works for you, shaky hands and all.

10:48 AM, Tuesday December 15th 2020

Ok thanks I'll keep experimenting then.

3:21 PM, Monday December 21st 2020

https://imgur.com/a/TZ6oHlC

Okay they're done. Bigger boxes, corner facing, more confident strokes without "corrections" (mostly), ghosting even the hatching and correct convergance checking. I think I did everything.

Ghosting the hatching was surprisingly helpful. I thought it would disrupt my rythm and take a ridiculous amount of time, but it was only awkward at first and I think my hatching was better for it in the end.

I realised that sometimes I accidentally touch the paper while ghosting and that can make it look like I tried to fix lines, (eg. fig A, box 12) so some of what looks like failing to follow instructions is actually just poor execution. For better or worse.

The recommendation below is an advertisement. Most of the links here are part of Amazon's affiliate program (unless otherwise stated), which helps support this website. It's also more than that - it's a hand-picked recommendation of something I've used myself. If you're interested, here is a full list.
Staedtler Pigment Liners

Staedtler Pigment Liners

These are what I use when doing these exercises. They usually run somewhere in the middle of the price/quality range, and are often sold in sets of different line weights - remember that for the Drawabox lessons, we only really use the 0.5s, so try and find sets that sell only one size.

Alternatively, if at all possible, going to an art supply store and buying the pens in person is often better because they'll generally sell them individually and allow you to test them out before you buy (to weed out any duds).

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