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5:59 PM, Friday July 22nd 2022

So all in all your work is definitely looking much better. The last one definitely went pretty haywire in terms of the proportions, but I think that was primarily because something went wrong in your approach. I can see a lot of little discrepancies (lines being a little off, little gaps, etc.) that if done frequently enough could throw off one's proportions quite a bit. That said, it's hard to say whether it was just these little inaccuracies (which are also inevitable since we're not perfect robots) were the main issue or if you misjudged some of your lines at some point. Can't really tell without seeing the earlier steps before more of the linework was put down.

That said, as shown here your measurements are definitely quite drastically off on the length dimension, which caused the construction to come out very stretched.

Regardless, you handled the first two really well, and they definitely show a marked improvement over the previous cars, so I am by and large pleased with your growth.

As to your question, in my own demonstrations when I need a very specific proportion (using those ellipses to start, as in the constructing to scale approach), what you describe is what I demonstrate. That is, I establish one unit cube, then I transfer that measurement back in space, rather than starting big and subdividing. This allows me to control the proportions of the final enclosing box, whereas starting with a big box and subdividing it (working from outside-in) has us picking the proportions instinctually from the beginning. Both approaches have their strengths and their applications, and as far as the exercises themselves go, the latter gives us a greater opportunity to approach subdividing, but in this lesson the approach shown in the constructing to scale video fits better.

That said, all I can really say is that if you're trying to apply the odd-numbered subdivisions and they keep coming out even, then you're definitely following the steps incorrectly. I obviously can't speak to that without actually seeing an attempt, but one thing you might do is to try the simplest odd-numbered subdivision (thirds) and see how that turns out. If it comes out incorrectly, send me your attempt (no construction inside of it, just the subdivision). If it comes out correctly, try the next one up (fifths) until you run into one that doesn't come out right. It is ultimately a matter of figuring out which step you're missing.

As to your last question, there are no "right" or "wrong" ways to approach drawings. After all, what we're doing in this course is not a formulaic approach you're going to apply to all of your drawings. Every single construction is an exercise, designed to develop your spatial reasoning skills, and to arm you with tools that you ultimately will decide how and when to use.

It comes down to understanding the nature of each tool, and what each one does and does not give you. For example, starting with a larger box then cutting it to size is not wrong - it just leaves you with additional chunks outside of your drawing. It also results in less accuracy - which again, is not wrong, just a factor of the approach. Starting with a larger box means eyeballing its proportions. Then, cutting into it further to make alterations still relies on eyeballing. Whereas the constructing-to-scale approach gives us more accuracy to match specific proportions.

That said, whether or not an approach is easy or hard is irrelevant. Just like what was discussed in Lesson 1 in regards to drawing from the shoulder, the fact that drawing from the shoulder is hard doesn't mean it's wrong. It also doesn't mean it's always the right tool for the job. But what it does mean is that you're less likely to do it, given that it's difficult, even if it is the right tool for a specific situation. And so, you need to work at it in order to get comfortable with it so you're not picking at the path of least resistance each time.

And with that, I'm going to go ahead and mark this lesson, and the course as a whole, as complete - so congratulations! One last thing though. Based on your questions, I think it would be a good idea for you to give the videos from Lesson 0 (which you may not have seen given that their current iterations were released in this calendar year) to more fully understand how what you've learned here is meant to apply to your drawings as a whole, and how Drawabox is just a series of exercises designed to develop a specific set of skills, rather than to teach you how to draw in general.

This critique marks this lesson as complete.
5:07 AM, Monday July 25th 2022
edited at 5:09 AM, Jul 25th 2022

Thank you so much for your explanation, the drawabox courses teached me a lot. it has been a wonderful experience. I'll be heading to 100 chest challenge next.

edited at 5:09 AM, Jul 25th 2022
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