2:19 AM, Saturday June 25th 2022
Hi Vyse,
Sorry, I've not checked my notifications for a while . . . been busy :)
I totally get your frustration. The difficulty and pain is real! I too really dreaded this exercise. The biggest thing that has helped me move forward with this exercise (though, I'm not finished yet; as I said, I've been busy) is to do practically no preparatory drawing before attempting to apply the texture to the sausage. Following this advice likely means you're not going to be happy with the results of your efforts; that's okay. As with the rest of the exercises the goal isn't to produce good work; the goal is to perform the exercise as closely as instructed as possible. I know it's painful to accept that your textures will probably look ugly (because you know that you can do so much better if you just put in enough time and effort); though the texture exercise is incredibly more difficult to do "correctly" than drawing a box and seems so different and more complex, as Splatted pointed out earlier, like with all the other exercises, I don't think we're supposed to try to prepare ourselves too much for this exercise.
Think back to the 2nd "box" of the Texture Analysis exercises (the 1st box was a direct texture study; the 2nd box was for a few notes; and the 3rd box was for a texture gradient from black to white); in that box you had just enough room to take a few notes from your observations and doodle one or two features you noticed; that's it! When doing the Dissections exercise I have found it helpful to skip the initial study from the Texture Analysis exercise and limit myself to the same kind of note-taking before attempting to apply the texture to the form. Again I say, Do your best, but the results will probably turn out far below your standards for what you know you can do if you just put in the time. Please try doing the exercise without too much prep (i.e. just a few notes and doodles; like 15 to 20 minutes of observation before you begin applying the texture) and let me know if it helps; even if you don't like the results, at least you will gain a bit of satisfaction that you're making progress on the exercise.
A note about the status of the Drawabox course: I do know it is frustrating sometimes that the course isn't perfect yet, but do try to remember that Comfy has a lot to do and has to try his best to prioritize his time; he is working on revamping the content. After all, he has provided the drawing community with so much value . . . basically for free (unless you're paying for feedback; even then it's pretty inexpensive). Please be patient and do your best.
I want to comment on what you said here:
Then you get to texture and you are suddenly supposed to understand observational drawing, light and shadow, microstructure, form casting shadows on other forms on curved surfaces and a completely new technique to render something (cast shadows only).
What you said here really resonates with me because this is how I used to feel; though, I will mention that the lesson materials did clearly say that you're probably not going to understand textures yet and that that's okay.
Comfy said:
While we've had some exposure to texture now with the texture analysis exercise, we're not really expected to have any kind of mastery or even comfort with it.
At the end he says:
. . . it might look like a steaming pile of crap, and that's totally fine as well. Just complete the required number of pages to the best of your ability. This is just the beginning.
Try to do a little bit each day: maybe just one or two textures. Don't forget to spend time drawing for fun to keep the flame alive!
This stuff is hard, yes. Tackle it head on. Be humbled by how much you have yet to learn. Press on! And remember, you haven't failed until you give up! I hope to meet you at the finish line!!!