You learn to do it by doing the lessons...Ok, I know how unhelpful that sounds, I'll try to elaborate. So drawing with my shoulder is something I struggled with, but by doing the superimposed lines, ghosting, and table of ellipses exercises, a lot, I built up an understanding of it. Explaining how to use certain muscles is difficult, because you don't really have to think to do it. When you walk, you don't think to yourself "Ok, now I'll lift this leg while balancing on this other leg and placing it in the direction I want to go to shift my weight forward", you just move your legs and walk.
What others have said here is important, elbow off the table, that alone will go a long way, but it'll still feel like you're using your elbow too much, you won't feel that control over your movement like you expect to be able to from doing the lessons right away. Do short lines, shorter than you think you need to. You're not just practicing to do lines in general at first, you're practicing drawing the same line the same way over and over. The SAME line, not a similar one, the same, identical line to the first. Rest your hand at the starting position, and draw only the direction your line is going, returning to rest at the starting position. This will give you the directionality needed for line confidence. You're going one way, drawing one line. Then, ghosting lines, you're doing the same motion, but over the paper until you put your pen down to actually place the line. I haven't quite gotten far in ellipses but I know that the last time I practiced, it was doing a table that helped it fully click.
I don't know if this is a universal thing, but when I got it right, my deltoid muscle and shoulder blade muscles started to clinch. I wasn't clinching myself, you can't force it (I have tried), but I started using my shoulder to control my arm's movement and my lines got REALLY smooth and flowing.
Remember, start really small. Elbow above the table, hand resting at the starting point. Draw away from the starting point in a single motion. What really helped on the superimposed lines was this video. I used the vertical line as sort of training wheels to help me get used to the motion itself without having to think about where I'd place my pen. Really short lines, so you can be sure you're lining them up properly and practicing that consistent motion. They'll fray, it's fine, you'll work those muscles and it'll happen less.
herefor1reason in the post "how on earth do I draw with the shoulder?"
2022-03-17 23:42
You learn to do it by doing the lessons...Ok, I know how unhelpful that sounds, I'll try to elaborate. So drawing with my shoulder is something I struggled with, but by doing the superimposed lines, ghosting, and table of ellipses exercises, a lot, I built up an understanding of it. Explaining how to use certain muscles is difficult, because you don't really have to think to do it. When you walk, you don't think to yourself "Ok, now I'll lift this leg while balancing on this other leg and placing it in the direction I want to go to shift my weight forward", you just move your legs and walk.
What others have said here is important, elbow off the table, that alone will go a long way, but it'll still feel like you're using your elbow too much, you won't feel that control over your movement like you expect to be able to from doing the lessons right away. Do short lines, shorter than you think you need to. You're not just practicing to do lines in general at first, you're practicing drawing the same line the same way over and over. The SAME line, not a similar one, the same, identical line to the first. Rest your hand at the starting position, and draw only the direction your line is going, returning to rest at the starting position. This will give you the directionality needed for line confidence. You're going one way, drawing one line. Then, ghosting lines, you're doing the same motion, but over the paper until you put your pen down to actually place the line. I haven't quite gotten far in ellipses but I know that the last time I practiced, it was doing a table that helped it fully click.
I don't know if this is a universal thing, but when I got it right, my deltoid muscle and shoulder blade muscles started to clinch. I wasn't clinching myself, you can't force it (I have tried), but I started using my shoulder to control my arm's movement and my lines got REALLY smooth and flowing.
Remember, start really small. Elbow above the table, hand resting at the starting point. Draw away from the starting point in a single motion. What really helped on the superimposed lines was this video. I used the vertical line as sort of training wheels to help me get used to the motion itself without having to think about where I'd place my pen. Really short lines, so you can be sure you're lining them up properly and practicing that consistent motion. They'll fray, it's fine, you'll work those muscles and it'll happen less.