Check Out NMA    Learn More About our Partnership
Close and Enjoy Drawabox Ad-free
View Full Submission View Parent Comment
0 users agree
11:15 AM, Saturday August 28th 2021

I think you are somewhat more competent at this drawabox thing than me although I am currently struggling with this same exercise.

I don't think the rules allow you to use a ruler. I would argue that if you have internalised lesson 1 then drawing these lines freehand should be reasonably straightforward. The overall purpose is to be able to understand and create a cylinder in 3d space without requiring drawing aids. This is necessary to internalising how cylinders work and help you to be able to vision them. Using a ruler would likely reduce your care and absorption in doing this.

I am not struggling with drawing the straight lines, in fact it is probably the only bit of this exercise I am OK with. The first type of cylinder wasn't too bad but using the flat planes method is destroying my brain. I will overcome.

3:34 PM, Saturday August 28th 2021

Thanks for the feedback! Your point about internalisation is well taken. I do want to be able to create cylinders without having to rely on any crutches, so I guess the only choice is to push on without the ruler.

There are a lot of straight lines involved in constructing each cylinder, so I find that the accumulation of small inaccuracies inevitably leads to larger misalignments. I was worried that working around these misalignments would only teach me to draw awkward-looking cylinders, but I suppose the line extensions are there to correct any bad habits.

The recommendation below is an advertisement. Most of the links here are part of Amazon's affiliate program (unless otherwise stated), which helps support this website. It's also more than that - it's a hand-picked recommendation of something I've used myself. If you're interested, here is a full list.
Staedtler Pigment Liners

Staedtler Pigment Liners

These are what I use when doing these exercises. They usually run somewhere in the middle of the price/quality range, and are often sold in sets of different line weights - remember that for the Drawabox lessons, we only really use the 0.5s, so try and find sets that sell only one size.

Alternatively, if at all possible, going to an art supply store and buying the pens in person is often better because they'll generally sell them individually and allow you to test them out before you buy (to weed out any duds).

This website uses cookies. You can read more about what we do with them, read our privacy policy.