As promised, August is over and critiques are open once again
https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtFundamentals/comments/3j662c/as_promised_august_is_over_and_critiques_are_open/
2015-09-01 02:59
Uncomfortable
So, my rough patch at work has settled down (for the time being), so critiques will get back to normal. I've already fired off a few critiques before midnight, because I'm such a diligent art-czar.
While I hope I won't be completely inundated with homework submissions, I know better than to expect anything short of a biblical flood. So, I hope you'll bare with me as I pick through whatever comes my way - I'll do my best to tackle them in chronological order.
If I do end up getting a lot all at once, it may take several days for you guys to receive critiques, so just hang tight. If it starts to get crazy (like a week with no word), feel free to send me a PM. I expect several will fall through the cracks, since Reddit's infrastructure isn't really suited to this sort of thing.
IdleRa
2015-09-01 14:29
Excellent! Despite the fact that I'm adding to it, I too hope the cumulative pile of submission won't crush you. I'm adding to it anyway.
dei2anged
2015-09-01 18:36
I had planned on chipping in to your patreon and then get critiqued in August. Things came up and it's taken me a little longer but I'm still going to chip in, as I absolutely love what your doing and want you to keep doing so
Yxven
2015-09-02 04:26
I'm not having any luck googling this, but it feels weird posting a new thread.
My line quality in the first exercise of the first homework improved a lot when I started resting my palm on the paper instead of keeping my hand airborne. Is that something I should continue to do?
Uncomfortable
2015-09-02 13:08
While it's perfectly possible to draw decent lines with your hand resting on the paper, it usually serves as a huge hinderance to beginners who do not yet fully understand how it feels to draw from the shoulder than drawing from the wrist. Since they aren't familiar enough with the tactile difference, they tend to revert back to drawing from their wrist.
There also is the concern that what you may perceive as being worse may simply be a matter of you lacking training with the right approach, and being better with the wrong approach. It's like when beginners tend to draw from their wrists, they do that because they know what to expect from it. The result is something they can control more tightly, even though other side effects of that approach make the overall quality of the drawing quite poor. When drawing from the shoulder for the first time, they tend to lose a lot of confidence because it feels strange and they lack the same control they're used to.
Now, as long as you are drawing from your shoulder, I'd say do what you feel is more comfortable. Ultimately whether or not the line quality is better will be determined if/when you submit lesson 1's homework for critique.
GhrabThaar
2015-09-03 06:17
This seems like a decent place to add a related question. I've been having serious problems with vertical lines only. I've been working on lesson 1 for a little over a week (from zero training whatsoever) and can do horizontal lines from the shoulder well enough. however, +/- 10 degrees from a vertical line makes my entire arm want to do an S shape, regardless of line length.
Practice makes it better, slowly, but is there a common mechanical problem that causes this that I could directly pay attention to, or am I just weird?
Uncomfortable
2015-09-04 03:09
Not sure why this question didn't show up in my inbox. Strange.
It's a common issue. I'm not sure of the specific issue you're encountering, but it's completely normal for some angles of approach to be more comfortable than others. As stated in lesson 1, you should feel completely welcome to rotate your page in order to find the most comfortable angle of approach. In the long run, you will likely want to practice more with angles that are less comfortable to you, but that is not an important thing to focus on right now. Don't let it distract you from the more significant things ahead of you.
FloatingOutThere
2015-09-19 09:26
Hey! The sticky for newbies is no longer commentable on so I thought it'd be ok if I asked a quick question not lesson related on this thread.
I've looked at the first lesson and the homework but the FabrelCastel pens I've bought do not have the size written on it but just a quick classification. So I wondered if you could take a look at this and tell me which is the best size to do your exersices.
Thanks a lot for all your work!
Uncomfortable
2015-09-19 14:31
For faber castell's pens, I generally use the F.
FloatingOutThere
2015-09-19 16:03
Thank you very much
YT_kevfactor
2015-09-28 19:38
thinking about going threw the lessons.
im just curious after drawing 8 pages of lines, should i do each lesson till i get it right or should i jsut do each leasson and rush through it all then maybe go back to the eariler ones after i finish everything?
Uncomfortable
2015-09-28 19:52
No to both of the things you said.
First off, DEFINITELY don't rush. I've sent a lot of people back to redo entire lessons for rushing. Secondly, the point here isn't to expect yourself to master each exercise by the time you've submitted it for review.
I'm looking for two things:
Discipline - signs that you have devoted the time that you needed to in order to do your absolute best at each exercise. It's very easy for me to tell the difference between sloppy, rushed work, and work from someone who simply hasn't yet developed the skills to do it perfectly. As long as you are putting your all into an exercise, you will gain from it. If you rush, you won't learn much.
I want to see that you understand what you should be aiming for. At this point, I'm interested in ironing out misunderstandings as to how each exercise is expected to be performed. When I mark the lesson as complete, you may not be able to do it perfectly, but you will know the direction you'll need to continue walking. All I'm doing is pointing you in the right direction.
All of these exercises - especially those from lessons 1 and 2 - are ones you're expected to continue doing over a long period of time. You won't master it in days, or weeks. Even those who do art professionally benefit from doing these kinds of exercises regularly. Mastery is a goal, but not really a location anyone will ever truly reach.
VtViper
2015-10-18 17:29
Where do we submit our homework?
Uncomfortable
2015-10-18 17:32
In the homework section of each lesson, there is a link to that lesson's homework thread on this subreddit. You submit your homework as a comment.