I just finished box #170 in the 250 box challenge. Seeing other people's submitted homework, it seems that everyone is doing better than me at ghosted lines! Here are some examples that look particularly bad:
I constantly overshoot and make the boxes look kind of fuzzy and wild. Should I go back to do more ghosted lines before finishing off the remaining 80 boxes? Any advice would be appreciated!
Honest answer is yes.
Really concentrate on building control from the shoulder when drawing. It may not be sport but the muscles there need training and building to do this well. Also practice over a range of line lengths. The ones here are quite short and yet they still overshoot significantly.
You will get it but it needs focussed practice for a while, preferably daily. It is the most foundational of skills here.
Thank you for the honest answer! I have been practicing ghost lines while continuing with the 250 boxes as i don't want to lose momentum on that. But you are right, it is the most fundemental skills here and i should practice it as much as i can!
Appreciate that, I am having my own struggles on textures.
You are right that, as the founder says, grinding forever to perfection is not a good thing either. It will make you want to give up and it's always better to push on than do that.
Well it doesnt impact what this drill is supposed to teach so you can move on.
For ending ghosted line exacly you can try drawing lines so that you draw them towards yourself (so hand does not block endpoint of line)
Thanks for the advice! I tried drawing towards myself as you suggested, but it doesn't seem to be working for me :( I guess this practice is also a search of our own best approach!
If you aren't already doing warmups before you start, you'll need to start doing it. It helps you get into the right rythm and mindset to produce your best lines.
You should also take the time to sit down and experiment to find the the right combination of speed and pressure that works best for you.
I had similar issues with my lines having slight curves and missing the mark, and generally being inaccurate. I'd been ghosting and drawing my lines at really high speeds and at that point it was hard to get my hand to stop at the right time, and while the lines looked confident, i had very little control.
It was a surprise to me then, that when I tried drawing at slower speeds, my hand was significantly more steadier than when i'd started.
As you progress through draw a box, if you're doing it right, you'll build up mileage and muscle memory, which is why, again, I recommend you really sit down and experiment to find out how you draw lines best.
I realize this is exactly my problem too! I was drawing the lines too fast. It created this (false?) sense of confidence.
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).
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