So I attempted to draw a juniper tree as part of my Lesson 3 homework and it turned out...really bad. So bad that I felt the need to look at a demo on a subject like a juniper tree, pine tree, or a deciduous tree. And I didn't see any in the demos. Are we intended to avoid this subject matter because the shapes present are too complex at this point? Or is the intention to try really difficult subject matter like this and fail?
Keep in mind that the lessons focus on different topics not to specifically address how to draw everything under that specific umbrella, but rather as different lenses through which to look at the same core problems of developing our spatial reasoning skills through constructional drawing exercises.
I have generally found that trees do tend to be more complicated and don't necessarily contribute in any unique fashion to that core goal that other plants don't already. While I don't have anything against students trying their hand at a tree or two, it's not an area I feel there's any benefit in exploring further in the lesson material itself.
So- no harm either way in trying them, but it is totally normal that they'd be quite a bit more challenging.
Thanks for the response. Yeah I've sidelined any tree endeavors because I struggle enough with the material as is and just doing constructional drawing and basic Mark making. I don't need to also dial the ambiguity and complexity to 11.
That's definitely a very good call, and will benefit you as you progress through the lessons as a whole. It's easy to get caught up in the mindset that "if I'm not challenging myself as much as possible, I won't grow" - but it's really just not true. There is a point at which extra complexity only serves to distract us from the core focus of the task, and ultimately to have less mental resources to throw at the actual thing we're meant to be learning.
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.
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