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Getting Back after a Substantial Break

7:10 PM, Monday July 26th 2021

Hello there,

I had a pretty substantial break recently (around 6 months). I really love what Drawabox has given me personally and since I'm finally having some free time, and as the title suggests, I am getting back. I am considering redoing the lessons, since I found that I have forgotten quite a bit. Once being pretty comfortable with boxes, I found myself today struggling to draw certain types (different perspective). Maybe doing a few warmups might refresh my memory? I am halfway through lesson 3 and since I am also planning on joining the Patreon team, I am seriously considering re-doing the previous 2 lessons, maybe even the box challenge to get the official critique there. Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Have a good one!

Cuvid

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1 users agree
10:23 PM, Monday July 26th 2021

I think you have to start from the start if you decide to go Patreon. The feedback you get is cumulative and often refers to previous issues. Self assessment or community assessment isn't as rigorous IMO. So Patreon is very much worth doing.

If you don't go that route then I would spend a few days refreshing your memory by doing some examples of previous exercises before restarting lesson 3.

Feel free to look at my official critiques if you want an idea of what you get for your money.

https://drawabox.com/community/sketchbook/scoobyclub

7:36 AM, Tuesday July 27th 2021

I think I am going to redo the lessons and join the Patreon team to get the official critique. I must say, that from looking at your official critiques, I am intrigued by how in-depth it actually was. As Moryph pointed out though, I would much rather do 50 boxes, which I am already planning on doing, than 250. Any idea if that would suffice?

Thanks again for your reply, helped out a lot!

10:15 AM, Tuesday July 27th 2021

I think I read that 50 boxes might be sufficient too. I am sure Uncomfortable will be able to answer this question authoritatively if you sign up.

11:08 AM, Tuesday July 27th 2021

I'll make sure to ask him on my lesson 1 submission. Thanks!

0 users agree
12:37 AM, Tuesday July 27th 2021

I agree with Scoobyclub's answer that official critique (from Patreon) is well worth it, and that if you decide not to go the official route, a few days of refreshing memory should be enough to bring you back to where you left off. Being rusty is normal after a long break, but it's not nearly the same as not having practiced before; you will pick things up much quicker.

I did want to add on some thoughts if you do end up deciding to join Patreon. My understanding is that because the material is cumulative, you will need to start from the beginning. However, this does not mean you have to redo lesson 1; since there's nothing before it, and a few days is really all you need to refresh your knowledge, I think it's perfectly fine to submit what you previously had for lesson 1, this time for official critique.

As for the 250 box challenge, I've heard that if you've done it already before, you are not required to redo all of them, only requiring 50 additional boxes after receiving lesson 1 feedback, though you should definitely confirm this with official sources.

Finally, I do believe you will have to do lesson 2 again. It's well worth it though, lesson 2's material is used quite extensively in later lessons, and in many ways redoing the lesson is like an extended warmup session.

7:40 AM, Tuesday July 27th 2021

Hey Moryph,

Thanks for your reply. I think I am going to redo all the lesson 1 as well, since it would basically be an extended warm-up session for me and I may be doing some mistakes, which I might not be even aware of. Definitely redoing the lesson 2, though I quite enjoy my textures I did originally.

Thanks again for your reply. Cheers!

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