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9:14 PM, Tuesday August 1st 2023

Thanks for the replay, have to say I found it quite motivating, but I still don't fully understand everything. I didn't explain myself very well when I described the process of copying from google, so I'll try to do it better now. The video I referred to is 20+ minutes long, but the specific part I was thinking about is around this time stump https://youtu.be/LWgXSxxEjgs?t=633. This is where Uncomfy shows how he copies several references of single images and only after that he does a drawing from imagination, combining them. This is what I was doing with the microphones and damp planks and other elements. He calls the process of copying the reference 'study' and talks about how he focuses on different elements when doing these. I assume that this is how he thinks everyone draws from reference and I did not think or analyze at all what I was drawing when going through that process myself. It was super fun and freeing, which is what I believe 50/50 is about, but nope, can't have fun that way, because it's a 'study' and this time is dedicated to not studying(?) I guess.

As you wrote 'My interpretation is if you google a microphone and pick an image and then render "that" microphone, then there is a problem.' I interpreted the instructions the same way and I simply do not understand WHY that is. Because I might accidentally think about getting better at drawing at that point and then it's not 'drawing for the sake of drawing', or something stupid like that? I don't get it and it's ok if you can't explain that either, but if you think you can, I'd love to hear it.

As far as ideas what to draw go, I've seen the prompts and didn't exactly think they're necessary for me yet, but if they'll help me to take multiple references and combine them together without doing these 'studies' first, then yeah, I will give them a shot.

Also, I'm a little surprised at what you said about your drawing getting worse as you were getting better with fundamentals. Do you mean that they seemed worse to you because the expectation increased, or that they actually got worse because you lost some abilities as well? Because if its the latter, that's fascinating and I'd love to hear more about it.

3:16 AM, Wednesday August 2nd 2023

I think the ultimate goal of the 50% rule is to keep or create a sense of play and joy while drawing. No matter how good you get technically, if you lack enjoyment it is just drudgery. Most people will quit learning long before they reach that technical level of skill. When I do one of the prompts, this one [https://imgur.com/a/MWjWa0w] for example, I am absolutely trying to make the best drawing I can. I looked at pictures of dirigibles, of pirate ships, I took pictures of myself in poses. I didn't copy any of those pictures, just used them as mental imagery to draw on my own. This was not a study. It was just drawing a picture. I think even when an artist is doing a personal project for fun, they may be consciously applying what they have learned.

If it is any consolation, many people have written in about their struggles with the 50% rule. I think I struggled with it too. I think having fun and not stressing too much is the key. Maybe you could try a personal project that is a bit more involved. I asked a writer friend of mine to send me something that I could try to draw as a comic book. I have no idea what I am doing but it is fun and certainly burning those 50% minutes.

When I mentioned about learning fundamentals and getting worse, I was specifically referring to rendering a picture or object versus using fundamentals to draw the same thing. If I draw a car and I am just rendering it, I can do a pretty good job copying that car. But I am only drawing "that car" in that particular position or lighting. I don't learn anything about any other car. When you use fundamentals to draw, you are drawing any car. What you learn can be applied to all cars you may draw in the future. The problem, at least for me, is that fundamentals take a while to learn so when I first tried to apply them to something like a car, the drawing was worse than when I just tried to render it. I am equally bad at drawing all cars everywhere however. This sounds bad but as my fundamentals improve, I will improve in drawing all cars everywhere also.

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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).

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