Hello,
The required homework is in the link above
I have also practiced drawing from the given lessons, as visible here https://photos.app.goo.gl/yxwudApgX41uHnQy9
Sincerely,
Tatyana
Hello Tatyana, I'll be the teaching assistant handling your lesson 5 critique.
Starting with your organic intersections, you're keeping most of your forms simple enough for them to feel solid and three dimensional, which is good.
Right now you're running into the mistake of drawing all your forms parallel on both your pages, and appear to be actively avoiding allowing any of your forms to overlap, which makes the piles feel very flat, and also somewhat unstable, like the forms might topple off at any moment. I'd like you to re-watch the video demonstration for this exercise, and really think about how each form you add will slump over the curvature of the existing sausage forms in 3D space, rather than just piling up 2D shapes on a flat piece of paper.
It looks like you're drawing form shadows on some of your forms. For this exercise we're drawing cast shadows only. Please watch this video which explains the difference between form shadows and cast shadows. You also appear to be a bit tentative with some of your shadows, (more so on the second page) so many of them hug the form that is casting them like thick line weight, rather than being projected onto the surfaces below.
Moving on to your animal constructions right off the bat there are a few points I noticed that stood out, as they were addressed in the critiques of your Lesson 4 and/or lesson 3 work. It is often necessary for students to take their own steps in ensuring that they do what they need to in order to ensure they're addressing the issues that have been called out. It's very easy to simply come back from a break and continue forwards with the next lesson without consideration for what issues may have been called out (or perhaps having them more loosely in mind, but without specifics), and each student needs to decide what it is they need to apply the information they're given as effectively as they can. For some that means reviewing the past feedback periodically, for others it means taking notes, and for yet more it's a combination of the two or something else entirely. I'd recommend you re-watch this video which explains how to get the most out of Drawabox, and what your responsibilities as a student are.
I'm going to keep the following points as brief as possible, with the expectation that you will reread the previous critiques for a full explanation.
From lesson 3:
ThatOneMushroomGuy explained the importance of using the methods shown in the demos within your own constructions. I looked at the album you shared of your demo draw alongs, where you're by and large doing a decent job of following the steps shown, but little of that is making its way into your own independent constructions.
ThatOneMushroomGuy also discussed the importance of giving each construction as much room as required in order to think through the spatial reasoning puzzles involved with these constructions, and to engage your whole arm while drawing. It is not a problem across the whole set, but there are a few constructions, such as your kittens, which would have benefited from being drawn larger.
From lesson 4:
We previously discussed how to take actions on your constructions in 3D, and introduced the following rule to help you to do so. "Once you've put a form down on the page, do not attempt to alter its silhouette. You were provided with numerous diagrams and demos showing how to build up your constructions with complete 3D forms instead, including some corrections drawn directly onto this weevil. We could take any of the constructions you have submitted today and point out places where you've extended off the silhouette off existing forms with one-off lines or flat partial shapes, flattening the construction. I've marked some examples with blue on this cow, as well as a couple of small spots in red where it looks like you accidentally cut back inside forms you had already drawn - remember to use the outer line of your ellipses as the silhouette of any ball forms you are constructing, to avoid leaving stray lines outside your construction.
We also went over the merits of the sausage method of leg construction, and I gave you some specific advice to help you to apply it more correctly as you move forward. This advice does not appear to have been applied here, you're often constructing your legs from ellipses, which are not sausage forms. There are also places where you're adding contour curves to the surface of individual leg forms (like how they were introduced in the organic forms exercise) instead of to clarify how the forms connect together at the joints (as was introduced in the form intersections exercise) as well as altering the silhouette of the leg forms with single lines instead of using additional forms as shown in the diagrams and demos I shared with you, as well as drawn directly onto the same weevil construction linked above.
Continuing on, there are a few things which are specific to lesson 5 which I would like you to work on with your next batch of animal constructions.
The way we lay out the major masses for animals is quite specific, and I'd like you to review this section of the lesson intro page which covers how many ellipses you need (one for the cranial ball, one for the ribcage, and one for the pelvis) and their basic proportions. You also need to review this section showing how to combine the ribcage and pelvis into a "torso sausage" as this is something you've neglected on the majority of your pages (even though you did so correctly on your demo draw alongs).
This section introduces the concept of building onto your basic constructions with additional masses, which you'll find being used in the majority of the demos. Please attempt to use this tool on your next round of animals.
The last thing I wanted to talk about is head construction. Lesson 5 has a lot of different strategies for constructing heads, between the various demos. Given how the course has developed, and how Uncomfortable is finding new, more effective ways for students to tackle certain problems. So not all the approaches shown are equal, but they do have their uses. As it stands, as explained at the top of the tiger demo page (here), the current approach that is the most generally useful, as well as the most meaningful in terms of these drawings all being exercises in spatial reasoning, is what you'll find here in this informal head demo.
There are a few key points to this approach:
The specific shape of the eye sockets - the specific pentagonal shape allows for a nice wedge in which the muzzle can fit in between the sockets, as well as a flat edge across which we can lay the forehead area.
This approach focuses heavily on everything fitting together - no arbitrary gaps or floating elements. This allows us to ensure all of the different pieces feel grounded against one another, like a three dimensional puzzle.
We have to be mindful of how the marks we make are cuts along the curving surface of the cranial ball - working in individual strokes like this (rather than, say, drawing the eye socket with an ellipse) helps a lot in reinforcing this idea of engaging with a 3D structure.
Try your best to employ this method when doing constructional drawing exercises using animals in the future, as closely as you can. Sometimes it seems like it's not a good fit for certain heads, but as shown in in this rhino head demo it can be adapted for a wide array of animals.
Now, I have been unusually brief here, as I expect to be giving you a more in depth critique once you've taken some time to review your previous feedback, as well the lesson content, and applied that to your work. If anything said to you here, or in a previous critique, is unclear or confusing you are allowed to ask for clarification. I will be assigning some revisions below. Additionally, I'd like you to adhere to the following restrictions when approaching these revisions:
Don't work on more than one construction in a day. You can and should absolutely spread a single construction across multiple sittings or days if that's what you need to do the work to the best of your current ability (taking as much time as you need to construct each form, draw each shape, and execute each mark using the ghosting method), but if you happen to just put the finishing touches on one construction, don't start the next one until the following day. This is to encourage you to push yourself to the limits of how much you're able to put into a single construction, and avoid rushing ahead into the next.
Write down beside each construction the dates of the sessions you spent on it, along with a rough estimate of how much time you spent in that session.
Please complete 2 pages of organic intersections and 8 pages of animal constructions.
Next Steps:
2 pages of organic intersections.
8 pages of animal constructions.
Thank you for your one review of my cow drawing from lesson 5. I always do look forward to each review on drawabox, because I usually get huge improvement from them after some practice. I actually did far more than the 15 drawings I submitted. Sadly, those were just the best ones. At a certain point, I recognize I'm making the same mistakes that all stem from not being entirely sure where the joints even are on half of these pictures. Many of the past replies were beyond enlightening in solving problems I didn't even know I had over the last few years. After reading the last reply, I'm not still not sure how to find where to draw the limbs, short of in depth studying and redrawing of comparative vertebrate anatomy in various poses, perspectives, light, genders, ages.
I'm aware of the past feedback both here and at other art classes and I have been thinking of it while drawing a few times per week for the past few months. The issue was more with what I was trying to draw. Bamboo has relatively simple construction. Insects are a little more complicated, but I could usually see the shiny spines and limbs clearly in the most of the pictures I chose. I usually lean into values and color, but I understand that's not the focus here.
I am definitely having trouble with my own independent animal construction. Animals have far too much fur and it is way to hard to find where the limbs connect to the body when most of the reference pictures I found focus on one body part and the rest is hazy. Choosing exclusively profile or frontal perspectives felt like the safe option because I can see all of the parts, but it really does make the result feel a bit flat. I noticed that demos make it look easy with the occasional well placed blob to mimic skin covering muscle and bone and fat and organs.
Most of the demos, whether wolf or donkey, had what you described as extending off the silhouette. Some of the past lessons even encouraged altering silhouette construction as adding details, like on a leaf ridge or a beetle leg. Why is it ok there and not here? What's the difference? If I don't add any of those, or just add the same ones across species, the animals kind of start to look the same too. Some of the past demos mentioned the idea of using these simple sausage forms for muscle. I do recall the benefits of sausage method of leg construction in weevils... Alas, vertebrates have far more muscles covered in a lot more thick skin and fur, most of them change form when flexed. I'm not even sure what to connect to where.
I am actually having similar issues when drawing human figure or portraits. My imagination and past demos and experiences only go so far when half of the object is forever obstructed from view and what even is visible is covered in a coat of skin or fur or clothing. The demos made the idea of what is a ribcage and what is a pelvis and hip so clear... I'm definitely having a hard time visualizing how the exact locations fit together in some of these references.
I spent just under 2 hours on this new sketch https://photos.app.goo.gl/t27vjnidnjHL2jvY7, the same as I spent on the watercolor flowers and double the time I spent on the statue. The oil portrait took 3 hours. I also spent another 13 hours over six days looking over previous material and practicing the lesson drawings. I did incorporate more sausage forms and used the ghosting method where I felt appropriate. My in-person teachers also encourage breaking down the object into simple forms, such as drawing an ellipse for the recess of the eye socket. I drew the pentagonal shape also. This is the reference I used for the last cow drawing https://www.flickr.com/photos/-danophotography/32611502573/
Could you please clarify how can I improve the construction?
Hello Tatyana,
In the future, definitely lean towards brevity where possible. Sticking to just the questions you'd like to have answered (or at least listing them separately or marking them with bold text) is going to help a great deal in allowing us to address them efficiently, as opposed to having to pick through it all. This may not seem like a big deal, but due to the number of students we're required to get to, and the very low minimum price students are required to pay to receive these critiques, we do need to be as efficient as possible.
I actually did far more than the 15 drawings I submitted. `
This is addressed in the lesson 0 video I linked in my initial critique. Here is a link time-stamped to the relevant section. Completing more pages than what was assigned is something we call grinding, and it is not a good use of your time. By doing more pages than is assigned prior to receiving feedback, you may have been repeating mistakes without realizing, or focusing on fixing things that aren't even important for the exercise in question.
At a certain point, I recognize I'm making the same mistakes that all stem from not being entirely sure where the joints even are on half of these pictures.`
I'm not sure where this is coming from, I didn't bring up the placement of the joints as an issue.
I'm not still not sure how to find where to draw the limbs, short of in depth studying and redrawing of comparative vertebrate anatomy in various poses, perspectives, light, genders, ages.
That would absolutely be overkill, and completely unnecessary for this lesson. The comparative anatomy you need to know is shown in this section and from there we focus on what we see in our references to inform the forms we build up. Now, this is going to be easier to identify in some creatures than others, with things like antelopes having shorter fur, it is easier to make out each section of limb than say, a fluffy bunny where the limbs get more obscured under the fur and flesh. At the end of the day, you have a lot of freedom over what references you choose to draw from.
The reason why it is okay to add to the silhouette of leaves with a single line is because leaves are already flat, so altering their silhouettes in this manner doesn't flatten them out. When we're building up onto solid forms, we need to use another strategy, as discussed in this section of lesson 3
As I have mentioned before, Uncomfortable is currently in the process of overhauling the lesson material (the box challenge recently received a major update) and some of the demos in the later lessons are a little outdated (although they still have a lot to offer). The advice I'm providing in these critiques is a sneak peek at what students can expect to see once the overhaul reaches lessons 4 and 5, giving the most up to date advice, designed to help students get the most out of these lessons. Long story short, follow whatever is suggested to you in the feedback you receive from TAs first and foremost. If it contradicts what's shown in a demo, then it's possible that demonstration is simply a little outdated in that regard.
I'll take a look at your cow construction, but in future you will need to complete all the assigned pages before submitting for feedback. While that puts more work on you (in terms of giving you more room to end up making the same mistakes more than might feel necessary), it is necessary to put that on the student due to the extremely low price at which our feedback is offered. If you need assistance on individual construction pages, you can certainly make use of our discord chat server, where there are plenty of people available to help.
You've got the major masses of the cranial ball, ribcage and pelvis in there, and connected the ribcage and pelvis together into a torso sausage good work. Remember that the ribcage occupies roughly half the torso length, and the pelvis about a quarter. The torso sausage should also include a slight sag through the middle, you're making it quite rigid. Well done for including the shoulder and thigh masses, and attempting to use sausage forms to construct the legs. Don't forget to include a contour line at each joint to show how the forms intersect.
You're still not attempting to use additional masses as I previously requested.
The ghosting method is not something you use "where you feel it is appropriate" it is a technique you should be using for every line you freehand in this course, and that is non-negotiable. Do not use ellipses to construct eye sockets for your homework here. Outside this course you can follow instruction from other teachers, but for your homework here it is important that you follow the instructions provided as closely as you can, rather than picking and choosing what you feel works for you.
Please forgive me if I have missed any other questions you had, feel free to ask them again in a concise manner and I'll do my best to clear things up for you.
Re:" I'll take a look at your cow construction, but in future you will need to complete all the assigned pages before submitting for feedback. While that puts more work on you (in terms of giving you more room to end up making the same mistakes more than might feel necessary), it is necessary to put that on the student due to the extremely low price at which our feedback is offered. If you need assistance on individual construction pages, you can certainly make use of our discord chat server, where there are plenty of people available to help."
I'm ok with Drawabox charging me for a full review if a full review is actually given. I'd rather not reinforce bad habits and waste my time. Until lately, I have been enjoying Drawabox for half a decade. Full disclosure, I am reconsidering continuing with Drawabox. I am hoping to see original, constructive criticisms.
I don't mind a productive grind. Every lesson so far has been "grindy", usually redoing about half of a rather bulky homework, 250 + boxes challenge most of all. Yet, I am struggling with this lesson more than previous. I'd rather not have the freedom to choose references to draw from. Most of the references I found do not show the entire body. The torso sag in a rabbit, manatee, and deer appear to differ. Is there a library of references we could both reference?
The requested redos may be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/f9F4nyH7ssHPVo938
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We've also tested their longevity. We've found that if we're reasonably gentle with them, we can get through all of Lesson 1, and halfway through the box challenge. We actually had ScyllaStew test them while recording realtime videos of her working through the lesson work, which you can check out here, along with a variety of reviews of other brands.
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