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Lesson 1: Lines, Ellipses and Boxes

12:21 PM, Tuesday February 1st 2022

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Brief context on my experience for those who desire to critique me. Im a self-taught amateur artist. I'd hardly drawn a stick figure until six months ago. I studied graphite and dry media for the majority of that time but in the past month and a half, I started using a pen, inevitably leading me to this course. There reason im saying this is not to brag because I think im good(hardly that) but I think it may serve to assist in perspective when critiquing my work(if not, oh well).

No need to read on here but I will give my brief thoughts about each assignment

  • 50%rule(this counts as an assignment to me) - This was my main motivation for trying to draw a box, the idea behind was so fascinating to me, and I think im starting to understand its importance. I'm not perfect at adhering to it yet(it's more like 65% practice/35% play) but im working up.

  • Super Imposed Lines - I'd worked on something similar to this for a bit before starting this course but I drew lines slow and controlled so drawing them more confidently and quickly was a difficult change to make

  • Ghosted Lines - A bit easier for me as I am no stranger to the ghosting method but I was suprised in the areas I did struggle with, for me mostly it was in gauging the distance, I think.

  • Tables of Ellipses - This one I hope doesn't get me crucified for not following exactly the homework template. I had already made one for myself a month ago, and I felt it was a sensible substitute.

  • Ellipses in Planes - I've already practiced ellipses for quite some time but I still definitely struggle with maintaining accuracy to the plane, this is a big weak point for me I know

  • Funnels - This one was fun as it felt like a precursor to organic forms if I view the ellipses as contour lines

  • Plotted Perspective - I did a lot of plotting perspective when I first started learning so this was quite easy for me, although I did goof a couple of times on the hatching.

  • Rough Perspective- Wow I suck a this I thought I did pretty well until I drew the correction lines, a lot to learn from this one

  • Rotated Boxes- Did even worse here but could have been worse. I think I just let all of the lines confuse me when drawing the corners.

  • Organic Perspective I'm new to constructive drawing(obviously). I haven't drawn boxes much since I started learning, and it shows here.

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2 users agree
2:16 PM, Tuesday February 1st 2022

Hi,

well done on your first lesson. Just a couple of notes that you might find useful.

Lines

Your lines are generally drawn with confidence. However they do tend to wobble which is most obvious in the ghosted planes section and your boxes.Also don't reapeat lines, no mater if it's correct (happens a couple times in your ghosted planes).

Your superimposed lines are good, but be mindful of fraying on the starting point - take your time when placing the pen. Also some of the lines have a slight arc - make sure you draw using your shoulder as a pivot.

Ellipses

It seems like your ellipses have been drawn through more that 2 or 3 times. Make sure that you stick to 3 or less (preferably 2). Tables of ellipses seem a bit messy and rushed. As mentioned you draw through them more thatn 3 times and there is quite considerable overlap between neighbouring ellipses (you should aim for just touching). Also some of your planes seem to be missing an ellipse.

In the funnels section you don't have to draw an ellipse if you run out of space on the minor axis. Otherwise it's good.

Boxes

In the rotated boxes section your boxes, as you move away from the center lines, don't rotate anymore and are not in the right proportion. Make sure to keep the gap between neighbouring boxes small - use the already drawn box as a guide for the box you want to draw.

Next Steps:

Good job! Just make sure that you don't rush and draw confidently - accuracy will come later. You can start on the 250 box challenge. Good luck!

This community member feels the lesson should be marked as complete, and 2 others agree. The student has earned their completion badge for this lesson and should feel confident in moving onto the next lesson.
2:34 PM, Tuesday February 1st 2022

Dang, forgot about the 2-3 rotation restriction. I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time. Thanks!

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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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