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6:58 AM, Wednesday September 29th 2021
Hello!
Congratulations on making it through your first lesson of DrawABox! I personally think the first step in literally anything is the hardest, so good job on making it to this point!
To start off, let’s cover your linework. Overall, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. There are lines that look like they were drawn perfectly, and others that still show signs of wobbliness/arcing. Even as we work our way through to your organic perspective exercises, there continue to be lines with varying degrees of shakiness. If we look back to your ghosted planes, you’re so close to having it consistently down, with just minimal deviations occurring in your linework there.
If I were to offer suggestions for improvement, it would be to make sure you’re taking all the time you need to ghost you lines out with confidence. Even if it means going through the motion a dozen times before actually placing the line, do it. As you develop a muscle memory for this sort of motion, it’ll become far easier and quicker. Continuing on, I’d also consider utilizing the tools available to you to help combat some of the arcing taking place. Rotating your page, remembering to use your shoulder, and consciously reminding yourself to arc in the opposing direction are all ways of countering struggles like these if they persist. And as always, you can refer back to the course pages themselves if need be.
Next up are your ellipses. You’ve done well in ensuring that each ellipse is drawn over 2-3 times, and like before, your ghosted planes look pretty solid. Additionally, your funnels look well centered on their axis lines. But before we go on, there are some concerns I’d like to quickly bring attention to. Glancing over your ellipse tables and funnels, we again see indications that your line confidence may still be developing. When it comes to ellipses (and lines in general), be sure that you’re drawing them in a smooth, confident, and quick motion. This method limits the ability of your brain to “correct” the motion of your line. Lastly, and this is more of an opinion, but I feel your funnel exercises are a little light on content, and I would like to have seen a few extra examples added to the page.
Finally, let’s wrap up with your boxes. The biggest worry I have regarding your rough perspectives exercises is the frequency in which lines are slanted against the horizon line. This assignment operates in one point perspective, and adheres to a specific set of guidelines on how your points should be placed, and consequently, how your lines should be drawn. As for your rotated boxes and organic perspective pages, I really don’t see any major deviations from the instructions here. There are a couple spots where your rotated boxes aren’t quite rotating, like the box that is specifically two to the right from the center. These exercises are where Lesson 1 hits its zenith, and it’s not a lie to say the difficulty soars with it.
Any lasting advice I'd offer would be to always reread the assignment page before starting each session, as well as taking 10-15 minutes to warm-up with previously completed exercises. And make sure you’re allowing yourself the time needed to ghost out your lines.
Alright, I think that’s everything! I know this is a lot to read, but I hope it makes things easier going forward! Congratulations again on finishing your first lesson, and best of luck in the 250 box challenge and beyond!
Next Steps:
Utilize your warm-ups before each session. Return to previous exercises if you find yourself struggling.
Move on to the 250 box challenge.
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The Art of Brom
Here we're getting into the subjective - Gerald Brom is one of my favourite artists (and a pretty fantastic novelist!). That said, if I recommended art books just for the beautiful images contained therein, my list of recommendations would be miles long.
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