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Lesson 1 Critique Guide
This is a guide for those of you looking to help other students by providing feedback for their work. Drawabox is, as a course, designed such that the kinds of mistakes students are likely to make tend to fall in the same general categories, which allows us to structure our critique process as a checklist, as shown below.
Before providing feedback to another student however, keep the principles following in mind:
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The purpose of critique is to help identify anything the student may be misunderstanding. Skills grow with practice, but approach and priorities will influence how effective that practice is.
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Never make accusations. Always speak hypothetically based on the evidence in front of you. You will never know for sure whether what you're saying is in fact true, but you can suggest what the causes are, and what common reasons for things might be. Accusations are personal, and if a critique becomes personal, it's about you and not about the student getting what they need.
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Reference the course material as much as possible when making statements. Remember that when you're critiquing Drawabox work, you're functioning as an extension of the course. You're human, you may misremember specifics, and so referencing the material is a more reliable way of avoiding that pitfall and misleading students.
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Remember that the purpose of the assigned homework is to confirm whether the student understands what they should be aiming for, and how to approach the work. Simply not yet being at a certain level of skill is not in itself a mistake or a problem. Practice comes from warmups, so always encourage students to incorporate their exercises into their warmup routine as explained in Lesson 0 (drawing their attention to the specific section: https://drawabox.com/lesson/0/3/warmups can be helpful).
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Not everything needs to be in your own words - feel free to quote anything relevant from this guide when writing your own critiques.
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Not everything needs to be freshly written - if you come across certain issues frequently and find yourself writing the same kind of explanation a lot, feel free to save it and copy-paste as needed. It still provides the same value to the student, while taking less time from you.
Across from each heading, you will see a symbol - this will provide you with additional context/explanation for that particular point. We strongly recommend that in your first couple times giving feedback, that you expand each one and read through it. After that, you can expand them as needed.
To help with keeping track of which points you've checked for, you can also tick off each one as you go.
Lines
This section of the lesson focuses on the concept of prioritizing confidence/flow over accuracy, and the separation of the mark making process into distinct stages that allow us to focus on one problem at a time, instead of trying to do everything all at once and falling flat on our faces.
Superimposed Lines
The main thing we want to look for here is that the student is executing their marks confidently. We haven't gotten to the ghosting method yet, so all we want to see signs of is that they're taking the time to place their pen where the mark should start, and focusing on maintaining a confident, consistent trajectory for their stroke.
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This would suggest that they're not executing their marks confidently, and instead allowing their fear of inaccuracy to take precedence. Encourage them to, from the moment they start executing the stroke, focus only on the end point and draw confidently enough not to allow their brain to steer the stroke.
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If there is, this suggests that the student is rushing into the execution of the stroke without placing their pen in the correct location first. Fraying on the far side is fine, and is most likely going to occur if the student is executing their marks confidently and maintaining a consistent trajectory throughout the stroke.
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Ghosted Lines
This exercise is all about breaking the process up into steps so problems can be tackled one at a time, and ultimately focusing on a confident execution without hesitation. We hesitate because we're afraid of making a mistake, so we might ghost a ton but still end up with a wobbly line because when we moved on to the execution phase, we were still concerned with maintaining accuracy. At this point, any opportunity to avoid a mistake has passed - all we can do from the moment the pen touches the page is push through with the stroke we've practiced. Any mistake that will result cannot be avoided at this stage, as all the planning and preparation is over.
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If it does, it suggests that the student is hesitating and still focusing on their desire for accuracy. This is NOT a skill issue - it's a matter of process, and the active decisions they're making (or the passive choice not to exert control over their actions). It comes from fear, the fear of making mistakes. Encourage the student to commit to the stroke and reiterate the point about how the moment the pen touches the page, any opportunity to avoid a mistake has passed.
This can also suggest that the student might be executing the mark from their wrist, although this is harder to prove based on this exercise alone. I would generally suggest it as a possibility, and as something for them to look out for when doing the exercise.
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This is a common issue that can have many different causes. At the end of the day, our brain does have to make certain corrections for the fact that all of the pivots of our arm (wrist, elbow, shoulder) result in an arc rather than a straight motion. So the issue can be that the student is drawing from their wrist or elbow when they should be drawing from the shoulder, but it can also simply be that the brain is not making that correction.
If the student is running into this problem, remind them to consider which pivot they're drawing from, but also suggest that if they are engaging their whole arm from the shoulder, they may want to try intentionally arcing their stroke a little in the opposite direction to counteract the natural curve. This should gradually rewire their brain's expectation of what motion they need to achieve a straight line, and while it'll have to be conscious initially, it'll eventually become natural.
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A student may feel anxious or concerned that they're only at, for example, Level 1, but this is normal. The homework is only there to confirm that they understand what they're working towards, so if you feel the student might be worried about where they're at with the exercise, it's always good to remind them of this.
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Ghosted Planes
This exercise serves as an extension of the previous one, while reminding the student that drawings consist of *many* lines, and that each mark still requires the same amount of time and attention whether it's one of a handful, or one of a thousand.
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This suggests that the student may be rushing due to the quantity of work, rather than giving themselves as much time as they require to do the work to the best of their current ability. Remind them gently that how much time you have, or how much time you'd like to take, is not a factor here. Work on a single exercise or page can be spread out across multiple sittings if necessary (and it will be more and more necessary as we push further into the course and perform far more complicated drawings), so the only thing dictating how much time one should be spending is how much time the specific tasks they need to perform demands.
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Ellipses
This section focuses on the basic mechanics of drawing ellipses, and touches upon certain basic concepts relating to how they represent circles in 3D space.
Tables of Ellipses
This exercise gets students accustomed to the motion and mechanics of drawing ellipses, of doing so with ellipses of different degrees and sizes, and of getting them to fit into predesignated spaces.
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If the student is either not drawing through their ellipses at all, or drawing through them too much, be sure to call this out. Ideally drawing around the ellipse 2 full turns before lifting the pen is what we want to see, although doing so 3x is okay as well.
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If the student frequently ends up with gaps between the ellipse and the available borders of the space, this might suggest that they're specifically trying to get it to touch those borders. This can result in a less effective exercise, as it doesn't work off an established goal, and so there's less of a concrete right/wrong.
Remember - we're looking for signs that they're not aiming to do that, which would suggest a misunderstanding of the material. If they're trying to fit them snugly but simply aren't able to get the marks to fall where they want, that's okay.
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If not, that can suggest a number of different possibilities, so again - suggest them as things for the student to consider. They may not be employing the ghosting method correctly (I always say 'correctly' or 'completely' because it implies that they may be trying to apply it, but not doing so as thoroughly as they could). A confident execution leads to an evenly shaped ellipse, whereas hesitation leads to wobbling and uneven shapes just as it does for our lines.
Alternatively, they may be executing the ellipses more from their wrist, which will definitely result in uneven shapes due to the limited radius of that pivot. Suggest that they consider whether they're engaging their whole arm from the shoulder.
Ellipses in Planes
This exercise is quite similar to the previous one, in that it's all about getting ellipses to fit into predesignated spaces - although here the spaces defined by our planes are often quite a bit more awkward, making them more challenging.
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Refer to the point about this from the Tables of Ellipses exercise.
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This is much the same as the 'fitting snugly' point in the Tables of Ellipses exercise, although due to the awkwardness of some of the planes' shapes, students who may have been fine with it there, may struggle with it here. If you see this pattern in the work, call it out as a reminder, as it's likely an instruction that they forgot about in the midst of the additional difficulty of this exercise.
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Again - like the evenly shaped/smoothly executed point in the Tables of Ellipses exercise, but students are much more prone to forgetting about their principles of markmaking and the use of the ghosting method due to the additional challenge of this exercise. Encourage them to prioritize the even shape/confident execution above all else, even if it gives them more trouble in terms of ensuring the ellipse touches all 4 edges.
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Funnels
Along with presenting the same concepts as the other ellipse exercises, just in a more challenging context, this exercise presents a heavy focus on the idea of aligning our ellipses to a given minor axis line.
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Refer to the point about this from the Tables of Ellipses exercise.
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If not, refer to the 'fitting snugly' point from the Table of Ellipses exercise. In addition to this, make sure the ellipses are also resting snugly against each other, and not spaced out arbitrarily.
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This is not easy, and frankly students still struggle with it much further into the course, so expect there to be difficulties here. What you want to look out for is whether or not the student is showing signs that they're aware of this being part of the exercise, or if they're oblivious to it and just drawing their ellipses in random orientations. Always look for patterns - a lack of a pattern (randomness) suggests a lack of intent, whereas a pattern of consistent mistakes suggests an awareness of what they should be aiming for.
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Boxes
Here we introduce the concepts of basic linear perspective - vanishing points, convergences, etc. - and provide exercises that allow students to practice those concepts. Initially we cling very tightly to the tools linear perspective affords us, but gradually as we progress through the exercises we strip more and more of them away, allowing the student to get accustomed to the concepts that lay beneath the tools, so they can work towards understanding them more intuitively instead of simply memorizing a series of steps and techniques.
Plotted Perspective
This exercise is all about applying basic 2 point perspective, using vanishing points, and plotting back to them.
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This is pretty rare, but sometimes a student will end up trying to freehand this exercise. If they do, it suggests one of two things - that they didn't follow the instructions, or that they are knowingly deviating from them. Try to avoid making unnecessary accusations (focus on the fact that the instructions were missed, rather than speculating on why), and just reiterate that one should always give themselves as much time as they require to go through the instructions thoroughly, and strive to follow them as closely as possible, as the course is designed in a specific manner.
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Check if they are making an attempt to keep their verticals perpendicular. If they appear to be trying to but still struggle with it, the main thing to recommend is that they give themselves more time when lining up their ruler.
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Ensure that the student's work correctly demonstrates a general understanding of how vanishing points are used.
Rough Perspective
Where the plotted perspective has us working with full and direct access to our perspective tools, the rough perspective takes our permission to plot all the way back to vanishing points away, and switches to 1 point perspective, to help push us in the direction of understanding the underlying mechanics of perspective rather than rote memorization of techniques and rules.
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The work should be done in 1 point perspective (so not 2 point) and the vanishing point should not be too far to either side of the frame. Technically it goes right in the center, but anywhere around the center is fine.
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By rectangular, we mean that they should be composed of horizontals that are parallel to the horizon line, and verticals that are perpendicular to it. There should not be any arbitrary guesswork or random angles here.
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They should either extending the depth lines they drew, or passing their line extensions through the front/back corner of each edge, so that the line extension hits the horizon line at the actual vanishing point for the drawn line. This then allows the student to compare where it hits the horizon to their actual target vanishing point.
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Normally you'll be able to see the start/end points of the lines. You may not be able to see them all over, but some should poke through. If you suspect the student is not employing the ghosting method, again - don't accuse. Simply state that you think they may not be applying the ghosting method as thoroughly as they could be, and that they may want to review its steps to ensure that they do going forward.
The same goes for any wobbling/wavering - it can suggest improper use of the ghosting method, or that they're not engaging their whole arm from the shoulder, so gently remind them of that if you see it.
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Rotated Boxes
Continuing the trend, this exercise breaks further away from relying directly on vanishing points by having us focus on the sources of information that are present in the drawing itself - specific elements that directly neighbour whatever edges we are trying to add.
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This is referring to laying out the vertical and horizontal axes, as well as adding the squares at the end of each axis. This helps remind the student to cover a full 180 degree rotation. If it's not there, then that strongly suggests the student has not followed the instructions to the letter - which is an issue that should be mentioned even if the exercise came out fine.
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If the gaps between the boxes are allowed to be loose/inconsistent, that suggests that they may need to review the instructions again. The instructions of this exercise stress using neighbouring elements to simplify some of our estimation by keeping very close to them and taking advantage of the fact that in such cases, we can get away with drawing the lines as being parallel on the page (eliminating the need for estimation there).
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A fairly common issue students run into is that while they think they're rotating the box, they may really be aligning the edges to the same vanishing points as before. When rotating our boxes, at least one of the boxes' sets of parallel edges will have its vanishing point move - frequently it'll be two. So if all the vanishing points remain the same between boxes that should be oriented differently, the student may be misunderstanding the concepts of this exercise.
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For this exercise, we want the student to draw 'through' their boxes, meaning that they also draw the edges on the opposite side of each box as though they have x-ray vision. This helps immensely in understanding how the box not only exists as a series of lines on a flat page, but also how it exists in 3D space relative to the other forms around it.
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Every now and then we'll come across a student who has missed some boxes - often the absolute corners, as these are especially challenging and confusing to draw. If a student has neglected to complete the whole set, they should be encouraged to complete it before moving on, and they should also be reminded that any fears over 'ruining' a page of exercises defeats the purpose of them being exercises in the first place.
Organic Perspective
As the final phase of the 'strip away everything until they have nothing left' strategy to learning intuitive perspective, this exercise leaves us with nothing but purely estimated perspective. No neighbouring edges, no vanishing points to plot back to, just the edges that make up your box.
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If you don't see any traces of the use of the ghosting method, and/or see wobbling or hesitation in their execution of their marks, gently remind them to review the proper use of the ghosting method and to ensure they're engaging their whole arm from the shoulder.
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If you frequently see cases of divergence, let the student know they may need to give themselves more time to think through the planning phase of their lines (during which they place their various points), and encourage them to do so when moving onto the 250 box challenge.
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When overly dramatic foreshortening - that is, extremely rapid convergence - is used in an exercise like this that has a ton of separate forms present, it can make the sense of scale inconsistent. Remind the student to keep their foreshortening more shallow - meaning, more gradual convergences. That doesn't mean they should be drawn parallel on the page with no convergence at all. There should still be convergence, as these boxes are randomly rotated and not aligned in any way that would result in infinite vanishing points, just fairly gradual convergence.
Next Steps
Assuming the student's submitted work suggests that they have a good enough grasp of the material to continue working on it on their own in their warmups, you may mark the lesson as complete and tell them to move onto the 250 box challenge, while adding all of these Lesson 1 exercises into the pool for their regular warmup routine.
Assigning Revisions
When deciding whether or not you should assign revisions, come back to the point of the critiques. It is not to ensure the student has reached any specific level of skill or quality in their work, but rather that they demonstrate an understanding of what they're aiming for. If there are major misunderstandings of the instructions or concepts from the lesson and you would like the student to show that they understand what you've explained, then assign some revisions. The quantity would be based on what you think would be necessary to show that they understand. Just ensure that you are willing and able to then provide feedback for those revisions. In assigning them, as when providing feedback at all, there is a certain amount of responsibility you are taking upon yourself not to leave the student hanging.
If the entire lesson clearly shows that the student did not invest the time and effort that is required of them to go through the instructions thoroughly, then it may be best to suggest that they take another stab at the whole thing. Cases like this fall into two categories - one would be where there's little to be gained from providing a critique (if the work is totally rushed and shows little concern for the instructions), and one where a critique would be beneficial to give them guidance on where they dropped the ball, but a full redo is still assigned. Neither is terribly common, but the former is exceptionally so.
If you're a TA using this guide to provide official critique, cases requiring a full redo should be brought to Uncomfortable's attention, and he assist in making that call.
Assuming the student's submitted work suggests that they have a good enough grasp of the material to continue working on it on their own in their warmups, you may mark the lesson as complete and tell them to move onto the 250 box challenge, while adding all of these Lesson 1 exercises into the pool for their regular warmup routine.