250 Box Challenge
9:00 PM, Thursday March 12th 2020
This was a real struggle for me. I had to really push myself to finish this.
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3:38 PM, Sunday March 15th 2020
Hey there, Hulk!! So, congrats on making it through the whole challenge! That's nothing to sneeze at and I'll start out by saying I see a good deal of improvement over the course of the set. However, I have a few reservations concerning the challenge as a whole.
From the start, your mark-making is a great deal sloppier than what we expect to see. Your lines don't hit their end points, the hatch-marks are rushed, and you've neglected to add in superimposed lines for line weight, which overall makes the illusion of 3D form fairly weak. Additionally, it tells me that you rushed through this challenge. :(
It's important to ask yourself why you chose to do this - there is no time limit on completing the challenge and while I will admit it is a pain in the ass, that is the point of it. It's meant to test patience and consistency. Likewise, we're not looking for a Completed Challenge, we're looking for improvement and mindful learning. By rushing through it, you've deprived yourself primarily, which we genuinely hate to see, so it's important that we warn you against it.
Of course, that isn't to say you haven't learned anything from it! I can clearly see that your convergences get quite good. You have fewer stray or diverging lines towards the end which is telling me that your sense of 3D is improving quickly. Likewise, your line work improves as well, simply by virtue of mileage. So, you're moving in the right direction, but it is slower than it would've been if you'd taken your time.
So, for your convergences please take a look at these notes - we link them at the end of every challenge as a matter of course, but I'd like you to apply them to a resubmission of 25 additional boxes. They go over the angle of each line as they approach the box and how keeping an eye on this relationship could improve your convergences. Also, considering each line in relation to the lines with which it shares a vanishing point rather than the lines with which it shares a plane or a corner could do the same.
Next Steps:
Please resubmit 25 additional boxes, taking your time. Keep in mind that the point of the challenge is teaching patience and consistency in the face of a grind. Rushing through won't help, and might even hurt in the long run! By applying a more patient mode of thinking, you can really get the most out of your mileage. Good luck!
1:46 AM, Tuesday March 17th 2020
Here they are:
7:17 PM, Tuesday March 17th 2020
Hey there! Alright, so these are showing a bit of improvement, but it's still pretty clear to me that you're rushing a bit. That said, I'm going to mark this as complete and let you move on.
I do need to warn you though - you'll want to focus on slowing down. The idea behind this challenge is to instill a sense of patience and understanding in the process of planning and preparing. If you don't get that sense of slower progress and patience down, you may have a very difficult time as you move forward and the last thing we want is to get you frustrated in the face of constant resubmissions.
All of that said, nice work getting through the challenge! Please continue to work on your ghosting technique during warm-ups and giving yourself time to think through each line. Good luck!
Next Steps:
Head on up to Lesson 2! Good luck!
8:48 PM, Tuesday March 17th 2020
thanks! I don't think i would get frustrated by doing it over and over, I think I am more frustrated with the fact I'm using a pen. I mess up a line and I can't fix it. that is what annoys me. I have to deal with that. when I practice in pencil my lines and perspective is much better. I will be more focused going forward.
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Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens
Like the Staedtlers, these also come in a set of multiple weights - the ones we use are F. One useful thing in these sets however (if you can't find the pens individually) is that some of the sets come with a brush pen (the B size). These can be helpful in filling out big black areas.
Still, I'd recommend buying these in person if you can, at a proper art supply store. They'll generally let you buy them individually, and also test them out beforehand to weed out any duds.