Lesson 1: Lines, Ellipses and Boxes
10:12 PM, Monday March 22nd 2021
I started off doing these on a notebook so most of the drawings are haphazardly cut out of it, hope it doesn't bother too much.
Hey, good job on completing the lesson!
Lines:
Try to go for a more confident approach with lines and try to prioritise that over accuracy. I can see some wobbling in your lines. Try to really concentrate on performing every stroke with a clear and quick motion from your shoulder without letting your brain take the upper hand to correct it. Getting the shoulder motion down is really difficult but you will get there! Try to lock your wrist and elbow movement, this works for me a lot of the time.
Some lines you did had fraying on both ends but I can see that you improved on that. Try to really think about every stroke you make beforehand and place the pen down exactly where you want it.
I see that you repeated lines that were not completely accurate when constructing boxes and you tried to redo them. Next time just leave the first line as if it were correct and move on. This is easier said than done and needs practice and self control but try to enforce that mindset.
Ellipses:
When you draw an ellipse try to draw through it for only 2 or 3 times even if you are not happy with it. You will get better with time. You should also prioritise confidence over accuracy, just as with lines. Try to really feel the circular motion in your shoulder when drawing the ellipse and don't try to forcefully control it. Again, the motion should be quick and clear just like with lines. I think you did a good job on containing the ellipses within their bounds. At the funnels exercise, try to plan the line that cuts the ellipses in half a little bit more. A few of them don't cut the ellipses in half.
Boxes:
I want to go over the importance of confidence again. A lot of the boxes lack confidence because you tried to go for a more accurate approach. A confident line will always look better than a wobbly but accurate one.
In the rough perspective exercise you did a good job on keeping the the width lines parallel to the horizon and the height lines perpendicular to it. Your plotted perspective looks good. Good job on the rotated boxes and keeping them tightly together.
Next Steps:
I think that you understood the lessons but just need to work on it more. Try to repeat the exercises as quick warm ups. I think you are ready to move forward and should tackle the 250 box challenge. After that move forward to lesson 2. Hope this was helpful and good luck :)
Hey, thanks for taking the time to review my submission, it really means a lot. I really do tend to have a habit of rushing through these things hah. Thanks for the helpful pointers, i'll keep them in mind as I'll redo these exercises for my warm-ups. Thanks once more!
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.
The reason this book is close to my heart is because of its introduction, where Brom goes explains in detail just how he went from being an army brat to one of the most highly respected dark fantasy artists in the world today. I believe that one's work is flavoured by their life's experiences, and discovering the roots from which other artists hail can help give one perspective on their own beginnings, and perhaps their eventual destination as well.
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