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9:29 PM, Thursday August 12th 2021

While I do think this is a step in the right direction, I am concerned that a number of issues I called out in the previous critique are not being addressed in as direct a manner as I would like. I think that while you're certainly making an effort to address the concerns I called out before, you're not following the points as strictly as you should be, and still end up taking a fair number of liberties with them.

The first of these is head construction. In my previous critique I referred you to the process and explanation demonstrated here.

In your full animal constructions, you don't really seem to apply the methodology shared there at all, often ending up with eye sockets that float more loosely in relation to the other facial components, or muzzles that do not have a clearly defined relationship/connection to the cranial ball in the manner demonstrated in that informal demo.

In some of the more specific head studies I feel like I can see an initial attempt, in some cases, to lay down a more intentional eye socket shape with straighter lines, but it often gets replaced with more organic shapes instead. For example, the eye on the left side of the dog's face appears to have lighter linework to start which seems to be straighter lines, but then you've gone back over it for some reason with what appears to be a darker, more elliptical shape.

I get the feeling that in your attempt to work hard at this, you're overshooting the very simple matter of just following the steps and processes that have been shared with you. The approach shown in the informal demo is pretty straightforward - every individual element that is added has its relationship with the existing structure defined (like the edge of the muzzle that curves along the surface of the cranial ball), and every element has its own particular shape configuration. While it is inevitably going to be adjusted a little here and there to fit the needs of a particular reference, you're going way beyond that and you need to rein yourself back.

Moving onto your use of additional masses, you've still got a lot of complexity in the design of each of those forms' silhouettes that does not conform to the points I shared in my critique. Remember that as shown in this diagram, you need to be intentional with where you place complexity (the inward curves and corners), and anywhere there is no contact being made with another form, you have to stick to the more simple outward curves.

While there are some cases where you're somewhat shaping these forms' silhouettes (though not intentionally enough), there are others like the form on the rear portion of the cat's back where you just drew an arbitrary blob. There - and in some other cases - you've still attempted to use half-hearted contour lines to make these forms feel more three dimensional, despite the points I raised about this before.

As a whole, I do not feel you're applying the points I raised directly enough, and so the manner in which you go through my feedback may not be allowing you to keep it in mind actively enough to apply it to your work. The feedback I give here is dense, and often require students to go through it multiple times to be properly and fully absorbed. As we are all prone to forgetting things, going through it before each drawing, and reviewing the diagrams frequently will help you better apply the feedback to your work in a more direct fashion, instead of in a more vague manner.

Once you've had a chance to go through my original critique again in its entirety, I'd like you to try completing the assigned revisions again.

Next Steps:

Please complete the revisions I assigned previously again.

When finished, reply to this critique with your revisions.
10:32 PM, Sunday February 13th 2022
edited at 10:36 PM, Feb 13th 2022

Hello Uncomfortable! I hope you and Scylla are doing good.

I've been jumping around for a while and I've just gotten back into DAB a couple weeks ago. So, here are my long awaited assignments :

https://imgur.com/a/uv2AlD7?fbclid=IwAR3CjSKOA-r9xBx_3GNDZFA54C5W_pJE4NMtuYCBOVrmjphRI6LEXbXL_Qk.

I hope this time I adressed well enough the points you have risen in your previous revisions. Note that I am not too proud of the owl drawing, but, well, here it stands on the page.

I struggle a lot drawing things that are coming straight toward the viewer. I guess it will come with more practice, like everything else.

Anyway, thank you again for looking at my work and for helping me learn this drawing thingy. Have a good week!

Éric

edited at 10:36 PM, Feb 13th 2022
11:40 PM, Monday February 14th 2022

Unfortunately I am seeing a lot of the same mistakes present. I fully understand that you are putting a lot of effort and energy into this, but there are points I've called out very specifically (for example, I pointed out that you need to be applying the methodology from this informal head construction demo as directly as possible) multiple times, but that are still not being adhered to. It's possible that you went through the feedback very thoroughly at first, but perhaps took a long break, and then came back and continued the work without reviewing the feedback again - but I can only speculate.

I've outlined a number of problems here directly onto your work. The issues fall into the following categories:

  • Not applying the head construction demo's approach

  • Modifying the silhouettes of forms instead of consistently drawing each new addition as its own complete, self-enclosed silhouette.

  • Not being specific/intentional enough in the design of the given additional masses - I'm also seeing a lot of heavy reliance on contour lines, which is another point I've called out multiple times.

Also, in order to show how we can flexibly apply the head construction method I referenced above, here's a demo where I found a particularly strange, banana-headed rhinoceros, and applied the same principles, in case you're unsure of how to apply them based on that one informal demo.

While I know you're working hard at this and trying to apply the points I've called out, we are definitely reaching the point where I must ask for a full redo rather than revisions, as we have very much stretched what I can do under that initial credit cost, and I think you need to give yourself a lot more time to absorb both the lesson material and the points I've shared with you across these multiple feedback sessions.

The issue ultimately is not one of skill - it's about how you're going about absorbing the specific feedback you're being given. I understand that asking for a full redo may seem like a lot, but I think that is very much what is required to help you fully understand and apply these concepts.

1:57 AM, Tuesday February 15th 2022

No problem, I understand. I will redo lesson 5 and submit with new credits. It doesn't really matter to me anyway. I just fear I let you down again by not understanding the concepts you're trying to teach.

Thank you again for the feedback and for outlining the problems directly on my work. I will try my best again next time.

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