Drawabox.com | Part One: The Basics | Lesson 1: Lines, Ellipses and Boxes | Lines: Homework | Don't forget!
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Going through both the videos and the text is important - it allows us to attack this complicated material from many angles, learning from it more effectively and efficiently. But reading isn't for everyone - try listening instead.
Drawabox has been working with the guys over at Audiblogs to make our lessons more accessible. With much more natural intonation and inflection than normal text-to-speech, it makes absorbing the material vastly easier. You can test it out on Lesson 0, and the Lesson 1 Lines section for free. You can also learn more about our collaboration with them here.

Lesson 1: Lines, Ellipses and Boxes

Lines: Homework

Don't forget!

Do not grind. Complete the recommended amount of each exercise to the best of your ability and move on. You'll have ample time to keep practicing and improving your skills when doing these exercises as warmups later.

Do not rush. Give yourself the time you need to plan your lines out, to prepare appropriately, and to demonstrate your current best. Every mark is independently important. Use the ghosting method!

Read all of the instructions carefully, multiple times if necessary. While I've tried to organize this content in as digestible a manner as I can, there is a lot of information here and there is no way you'd absorb all of it at once.

Take breaks! One day you're going to be a beast who can draw for hours without breaking a sweat, but right now, you need to be patient with yourself and take it all one step at a time.

Homework and exercises

The homework assignment for this section is as follows:

Each exercise in the list above links off to more detailed instructions on how they're done.

NOTE: These three exercises constitute just one section of this lesson. You should hold onto your homework until you're done all three sections (lines, ellipses, boxes), and only submit for feedback once they're all done. You may feel hesitant or uncertain about whether or not you're doing things correctly - that's normal, but it's best you push past the urge to second-guess yourself. Focus on reading the instructions carefully, complete the work, and submit once all of it is complete. This will give others a solid body of work on which to base their feedback, giving you a more useful analysis of what you're doing well and what you may not understand.

All the assigned work for this section should be done in ink, using fineliners/felt tip pens as described here. In a pinch, I will accept work done in ballpoint, but only if the situation is dire. This is an exception only for this lesson as students get started.

Of course, if you're not planning on making use of the official critique program, then this is a recommendation rather than a hard requirement.

<<< Lines: Markmaking
Ellipses >>>

This page has student-made readings/recordings

  • Victor Pauter
    Victor Pauter
  • crispycweed
    crispycweed

They can be helpful for those of you who cannot follow along with the text, or who need live examples for the exercises to follow along with.

Just keep in mind that as the lessons themselves are continually being updated and adjusted, the audio recordings may not be completely up to date.

ComicAd Network is an advertising platform built for comics and other creative projects to affordably get the word out about what they're making. We use them for our webcomic, and while they don't pay much, we wanted to put one of their ad slots here to help support other creatives.
The recommendation below is an advertisement. Most of the links here are part of Amazon's affiliate program (unless otherwise stated), which helps support this website. It's also more than that - it's a hand-picked recommendation of something I've used myself. If you're interested, here is a full list.
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).

Getting Your Work Critiqued

Critiques on reddit.com Critiques on our discord chat server

Having your work reviewed by others is critical, as those who are just starting out aren't in a position to properly judge their own work, and won't be for quite some time. Don't be afraid to show your struggles - it's by analyzing your mistakes that we can help you grow. Perfect homework is not what we're looking for; we just need it to be complete.

There are currently two places you can get your work critiqued by the community - Reddit and our Discord Chat Server.

Both of these are completely free.

Private Patreon Critiques

Critiques on reddit.com

If you are interested in receiving extra help, I critique the work of those who support Drawabox on Patreon.

All of these private critiques are done through reddit, in specific threads where students post their work as a comment, including a link to their work (often hosted on Imgur, though most image hosts are okay).

My requirements are more strict than the free community critiques:

  • You must complete the lessons in order, in their entirety, starting from lesson 1
  • All work for the lesson must be completed - that means all exercises in the lesson, not just those in a given section
  • You may only move onto the next lesson once the previous has been marked complete
  • The work must be done in the tools recommended in the lesson

The minimum pledge for this lesson is $5.00/month. The orange button above will take you to the reddit thread for this lesson, you can post a link to your work there and I'll be notified. Once I catch the submission, I'll add it to this backlog spreadsheet.

Pledges are collected at the beginning of the following month, but you may start submitting your work immediately. If you're a new patron, I'll be reaching out to your shortly to collect your reddit username.

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