50% Rule and CTRL + Z

9:47 AM, Saturday January 18th 2025

Does anyone have an opinion on relying on the ol' undo feature that digital artists enjoy, specifically with the 50% rule?

I'm much more comfortable working digitally, but since starting Drawabox I've been doing some pen and ink drawings. What I noticed right away was a huge part of what made me uncomfortable was being forced to commit to every mark. In the spirit of the rule to just draw for the sake of drawing, I'd push through which felt much more in line with being unconcerned with the final result.

I also do some of my 50% rule drawings digitally. But with the conveniences that brings I feel a lot more comfortable knowing there's the safety net of being able to just hit CTRL+Z. I feel no resistance to explore in a random direction, since I can hit undo if I think it 'ruins' the piece. I like that freedom, but can't help but feel I'm cheating a bit. If not that I do also notice myself becoming more attached to how 'good' the end result looks, since I feel like I have the control in my hands 'get it right'.

So then, what do you think of the undo tool? Should it be banned for 50% rule drawings? Or is it a valid tool?

1 users agree
3:36 PM, Saturday January 18th 2025

As with all of the many questions students have about whether something is okay for the 50% rule, the answer comes down to intent. If you're doing it because you're afraid of letting a mark stand for itself (more tangibly, are you sitting there undoing over and over again and simply not allowing yourself to move forward with the drawing), then yeah I'd probably avoid using it.

But if you're just using it as would be considered normal - undoing the odd mistake here and there, and still moving forward on your piece, then that is nothing to be concerned about. That wouldn't suggest fear being the motivating factor, as it wouldn't really be leading to paralysis.

2:22 PM, Sunday January 19th 2025

Thanks Comfy, that clears things up.

Yeah it definitely feels like paralysis thing, will try easing off it. Gonna be a tough habit to kick, but this whole course has been a lot of unlearning habits and replacing them with better ones.

Thanks again! I appreciate all the work that went into this course.

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