askdnf92p0nd in the post "Lesson 1: Lines, Ellipses and Boxes"
2018-01-05 16:59
Hi Uncomfortable, here is my lesson 1 homework: https://imgur.com/a/wv4ux
These took place over the course of a couple months. The images are in the order that I did them. It was a lot of fun to see my mechanical skill improve, along with a little bit of understanding of perspective by the end. I'll write some notes up here of self-critique and comments, so that you have somewhere to go off of.
For one, my mechanical skills still need practice. While I've improved from the very beginning of ghosting lines, even the very last few exercises were still plagued by some issues in how accurately and straightly I can connect points. My ellipses similarly could use some work, but that of course will improve with more practice, where this lesson didn't have all too much. Side note, on page 11 (second page of planes with ellipses), the extra markings that aren't actually planes aren't mine. I would certainly appreciate any tips as far as mechanical skills go, but I currently think that things will iron themselves out with practice in that regard.
As for the other exercises, I had a few issues. One of them was not understanding what makes a square in space. For the ellipses in planes exercise, I tried to make the planes specifically squares, and I often failed. I don't really understand the perspective rule or side length ratios required to make a square in one point perspective, much less two point. For things like this, would it be worth having a reference? Specifically, having a square piece of paper and seeing how it changes to the eye in front of me?
The one and two point perspective exercises were boring but useful. They really helped me understand how vanishing points shape the way we perceive objects. I'd like to think that reflects in my three point perspective exercises. I had some trouble getting the rates of movement in space right in my rotated box exercise, and I couldn't quite get the boxes to line up with the one at the end points. However, using the adjacent box edges as a "cheat code" managing the rates of rotation was fairly doable. I learned a lot about how rotation and perspective works from this exercise.
Organic perspective was probably the most fun exercise of the lot. I at first was pretty haphazard, but I watched your video talking about how a box is well defined by three vanishing points, hence three lines. I used the "three lines" approach for the end part of the exercise and I think it turned out fairly well. I also appreciate the way that angles change in space a little bit more. One thing I learned was that none of the three angles between the lines can be right or acute, or else there isn't a sensible vanishing point.
While I did mention a desire for mechanical skills, I think the bigger failing point is in my brain. If there's something wrong in my thought process, I would immensely appreciate any feedback you had. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your life to help all of us learning how to draw!
(Aside: I started lesson 2, but it looks like everyone else here is moving on to 250 box, so I'll probably get going on that)
askdnf92p0nd in the post "Lesson 1: Lines, Ellipses and Boxes"
2018-01-09 21:30
Hi Uncomfortable,
Thanks for the feedback! Just a quick question, you said:
Any specific advice on improvements? I suppose this lines up with an early difficulty with the 250 box exercise that I'm experiencing, since I don't really know how to troubleshoot boxes with three point perspective freely floating in space except by extending lines and checking vanishing points.
Again, thanks for the help!