3:37 PM, Thursday September 3rd 2020
Having a visual library means understanding the object, so using the Drawabox construction method is better than the the other approach. Not only because you are forced to think about the form of the object, but because the drawabox method doesn't focus on reproducing the exact same subject but instead tries to makes it feel like that kind of subject. In Uncomfortable's words: "We're not trying to draw this exact potato plant. We're drawing a potato plant". Or something like that hahah.
That being said, applying the construction method to fill your visual library isn't that great of an option either. It's more of an exercise to train your spacial awareness skills. Here are some reasons why you shouldn't use this method as a method to fill your visual library:
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It takes too much. There are too many objects in this world for you to expect to draw a sufficient fraction of them using the construction method. The method takes too long for pretty much every object (and imagine complex objects).
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The focus is elsewhere. The focus of this exercise, the stuff you're brain will be most occupied with, will always be the three dimensionality. Not the object.
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You don't cover everything about the object. Yes, you understand more about the object than with the copying method. But it doesn't answer questions like: "Why is the object like this?", "How are the parts connected?", "What is the function of each part?", "How does it work?"... . In short, we understand better objects by studying how function instead of their volume. Take, for example, a belt. You will learn to draw it much faster if you understand how the fastening works rather than studying the form. Because it will make sense to you!
The best thing about understanding why an object, animal, plant is that way rather than how it exists in space is that in this way the knowledge translates to other countless objects. I mentioned a belt before. If you understand how a belt works, you can apply that knowledge to other countless objects that use the same fastening system, like watches or some hats. Yes, you can TECHNICALLY apply the same logic here with the construction method, but the problem is that the similarities between difference objects won't be that obvious if you only see the form.
So, all this explanation is great, but how could you apply this? I'd recommend to try this exercise I devised a few weeks ago that it's helping me so much to build a visual library. Try it a few days before deciding to discard it, I promise it was a game changer to me! I applied lots of concepts I read on a few "how to learn" type books.
The exercise: takes around 30 minutes, I do it once per day. The strong point about this exercise is that it forces you to think actively about the objects before studying them. It may seem complex at first but it's very rewarding. Steps:
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Think about around 5 things. Literally anything will do. For example: triceratops, Lakers cap, guitar, clothespin and a braid.
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Draw all of them from imagination for around 25 minutes, as accurately as you remember them. If you're not sure of how some part is, it's much better to make a guess and draw it than leave it blank. Pay special attention to try to understand how they work. You can do multiple drawings of the same objects and even write some notes.
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The remaining 5 minutes (you can take more time here if you need to), you can choose one of the following two options. Either study in detail only one of the five objects (example: search how a triceratops is), or ask three very specific questions about any of the 5 objects (1. how are the pegs of a guitar positioned? 2. How is the visor of a Lakers cap sawed? 3. How long is a triceratops tail?)
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Based on what you learned, write down the three things you learned you think are the most valuable. These three things must be very specific. If you chose to ask the three questions, the three lessons will obviously be their three answers.
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Next day (and only this day), before starting again, try to recall from memory those three keypoint you selected. If you don't remember, read them again.
If you actually try this, I would love to hear if it ends up working for you. If you want more information about the exercise or the reasoning behind some of the steps, feel free to ask.