Check Out NMA    Learn More About our Partnership
Close and Enjoy Drawabox Ad-free

Feeling a bit lost

5:31 AM, Sunday January 28th 2024

Hey everybody! I'm going to dump my thoughts here and see if anyone here has a word of advice. I'm currently over halfway done with the 250-cylinder challenge, and I'm losing my motivation. This is nothing new or unique to me by any means, and I've always gotten through any rough patches I've had naturally. This is no different, but getting advice from others and just putting my thoughts out there will be beneficial. I've been getting into drawing people (characters, gestures, and figure drawing), and I've come across a couple issues when diving into more personal, non-lesson-based art. I'm afraid of learning something "wrong" and not learning in the most efficient way. I always wonder if there is a better way to approach learning something than what I'm using now or if I'm internalizing techniques that will harm my progress. Writing that feels silly, and I don't think those worries have any weight to them, but it's something I tend to think about. I admittedly did not use the 50% rule effectively until around 8 months ago, and I'm still not perfect at it. If anyone new to DAB or drawing in general is reading this, take advantage of the 50% rule. I'm sure I'd be more comfortable with my drawing skills if I did earlier.

Report
2 users agree
10:17 AM, Sunday January 28th 2024

there is a small section in the 50% rule video that addresses the fear of learning things incorrectly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ocmPR_EprE&t=833s (at 13:53)

as for learning in the most efficient way, im not sure if there's a solution, there are probably always faster and more efficient ways to approach learning but all learning counts and is definitely better than doing nothing at all to move forward.

hope this helps, even if just a little bit

im not very far through DaB yet but i agree with the statement you made near the end so far, 50% rule is important

12:32 AM, Monday January 29th 2024

Thank you for linking that video; it was a nice refresher. Once I get a good balance going for the 50% rule, I'm sure things will smooth out. I recently downloaded an app that I can use to log my time into so I know roughly how much time I've been learning and playing, so that should help. I remember feeling this way during the 250 box challenge, so it's a matter of time until I get into the groove again. Good luck with your DAB journey!

5:52 PM, Monday January 29th 2024

thanks!

1 users agree
1:07 AM, Monday January 29th 2024

Perfect is the enemy of good. While developing bad habits is a danger I think developing something is better than developing nothing. Bad habits aren't an unshakeable curse. Often they can be good lessons in what you don't like and what things you actually need to focus on. You'll also be able to sooner spot people who are going down your same path and tell them your experiences to possibly help them.

Learning a skill is a process of making your internalized choices more deliberate, examining and changing them with an eye to some new you've just studied, and then re-internalizing them hopefuly improved in some way. It is that, over and over again. It doesn't matter if what you are examining was a bad habit or just something you never even knew to consider before. It is all the same. Nobody but the freshest of babies go into anything as a blank slate.

A good community or mentor you show your work to a lot will hopefully help keep you heading the right direction.

4:00 AM, Monday January 29th 2024

Thanks for weighing in. I'm getting to the point now where I'm comfortable showing my drawings to others, and I plan on joining the DAB discord and maybe posting more on the Learnart subreddit to improve. As for a mentor, that is something I've thought about as well, but I'm not sure how to even look for someone to mentor me. Any tips?

7:16 AM, Sunday February 11th 2024

I think you have the right idea in joining the discord. The cylinder challenge is a bear, especially when you hit the cylinders in boxes. When joining an online community, the more help/encouragement you offer, the better experience you will have. Also ask for help of course, but remember that you have something to offer as well.

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.
Ellipse Master Template

Ellipse Master Template

This recommendation is really just for those of you who've reached lesson 6 and onwards.

I haven't found the actual brand you buy to matter much, so you may want to shop around. This one is a "master" template, which will give you a broad range of ellipse degrees and sizes (this one ranges between 0.25 inches and 1.5 inches), and is a good place to start. You may end up finding that this range limits the kinds of ellipses you draw, forcing you to work within those bounds, but it may still be worth it as full sets of ellipse guides can run you quite a bit more, simply due to the sizes and degrees that need to be covered.

No matter which brand of ellipse guide you decide to pick up, make sure they have little markings for the minor axes.

This website uses cookies. You can read more about what we do with them, read our privacy policy.