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This demo is a little older, having been published in August 2016. As such, while I have decided that there is still something of value here, any techniques or approaches outlined in demonstrations not flagged with this message should be considered to take precedence over what is covered here. This is a natural part of Drawabox being an evolving, growing resource.
This time let's tackle a pretty common insect that has a clear head/thorax/abdomen configuration.
This recording has no accompanying audio commentary.
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Here's the reference image I'm using for this demo. As always, try and find something with a good, high resolution. When things get blurry, it can become quite difficult to discern important information.
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Start off by fleshing out your major forms - head, thorax, abdomen.
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With your major forms laid out, you next want to add in some legs. In the reference image, we can't see where the legs attach to the body, so with some additional research and a bit of critical thinking, you'll find that they connect underneath the thorax like every other insect and arachnid we've dealt with today. Remember that insects have three pairs of legs, and pay special attention to how they spread out from the body. The front pair always faces forwards, but the other pairs tend to point more towards the back.
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Here I've added some contour curves to help reinforce my more ball-like forms, and I've started breaking down the more complex elements of the head.
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When drawing wings, don't just tack them on thoughtlessly. Consider how they attach to the body. The more accurately and thoughtfully you deal with these problems of connectivity, the more believable and solid your drawing will appear at the end.
Think of every object in existence as series of problems, whose design was tailored (be it through craftsmanship, evolution or whatever else) to solve these problems. In this case, how do we attach these wings to this little bastard so he can fly around and buzz in everyone's faces while they're trying to work.
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Now that the construction is done, all that's left is to sort through the mess, bring the important shapes and lines to the forefront and push the others back. As always, use line weight to clarify which forms and shapes are in front, and which ones are behind.
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Same as all of the other demos - add a quick cast shadow that roughly matches the object and throw in some appropriate ground details. In this case, I was actually thinking about little bits of human hair and skin, but it looks a lot more like grass and dirt. That's definitely something to keep in mind - if that reads as grass, it tells the viewer that this fly is massive and that they should run away immediately. Or that they should try to saddle it and use it as a steed... Either way, not what I was after.
Drawabox isn't the be-all, end-all of drawing fundamental education. Our approach prioritizes certain concepts over others, and while we believe it do so for good reasons, ultimately it doesn't appeal to everyone. If Drawabox simply doesn't work for you, give Proko's Drawing Basics course a try - at the very least, you'll probably find it to be a hell of a lot more fun.
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.
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:
The minimum pledge for this lesson is $10.00/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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