Uncomfortable in the post "During December, critiques will be limited to Patreon supporters (again). Free critiques will resume in January"

2015-11-26 13:40

Augh, that sucks. ): The holidays should be the time to relax and take it easy, and nothing is quite as different from that as having to find somewhere new to live. I hope you're able to find somewhere awesome and cheap soon!

Also, you can find the patreon campaign here.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 14: Composition"

2015-11-25 23:09

Good catch!

Uncomfortable in the post "During December, critiques will be limited to Patreon supporters (again). Free critiques will resume in January"

2015-11-25 22:03

I'm glad you feel that way! But to be fair, you are one of drawabox's biggest contributors as far as the patreon campaign goes. So a lot of people do owe their thanks to you in turn.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-25 20:54

Generally quite well done. I see a good sense of 3D form and construction. I do have to say though - if you personally feel that you rush things, then it is up to you to hold yourself back and correct this behaviour. All it takes is putting yourself in a position where you think through every single line you're drawing. If you do not allow yourself to draw without thinking about what you're about to put down, then rushing becomes an impossibility.

Anyway, great work completing the challenge. Be sure to check out the notes on line weights (that would be the next logical step to push your boxes to the next level), and feel free to continue on with lesson 2.

Uncomfortable in the post "During December, critiques will be limited to Patreon supporters (again). Free critiques will resume in January"

2015-11-25 19:24

I'm gonna need it!

Uncomfortable in the post "During December, critiques will be limited to Patreon supporters (again). Free critiques will resume in January"

2015-11-25 19:24

Thanks!

Uncomfortable in the post "During December, critiques will be limited to Patreon supporters (again). Free critiques will resume in January"

2015-11-25 16:32

Thanks, I appreciate that. I've had bad experiences with bugs in the past (specifically when learning the dynamic sketching stuff - I drew some life studies of dead bedbugs), so I reaaaally hope I don't end up with insect problems again.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 7: Drawing Vehicles (version 3)"

2015-11-25 01:06

These are actually really impressive. I think what stands out most is how you're consistently breaking down shapes, starting off big and working your way down into the finer details. You're pushing through the mess of it, and then cleaning up by separating your lights and darks. It's a very good approach and will serve you well.

I'd say at this point, your weakest area seem to be wheels, but you do have varying degrees of success with them. Still, keep up the practice and warm up by doing some simpler form intersections and plain cylinder/box drawings. Anyway, consider the lesson complete. Keep up the good work!

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 5: Drawing Animals (version 3)"

2015-11-25 01:03

Individual parts are important, but you should continue to practice them in the greatest context of an overall drawing. Just drilling one component will reinforce the idea that these things exist in isolation, when they do not. The shape of the muzzle, the way it curves is in direct response to the curvature of what it is attaching to. So, if you draw them on their own, you have nothing to infer that information from, so it really doesn't help a whole lot.

So, do full studies, not just mindless drills.

Now, as far as your drawing goes, they're a bit hit and miss as I'm sure you well know. Your first two pages are definitely interesting, and the bear is certainly going somewhere. In those pages however I noticed one consistent problem - your legs are too stiff. While it's important to always remember what what you are drawing exists in three dimensions, try to loosen up a bit. Working from organic shapes can help.

I'm going to mark this lesson as complete - you have a long way to go, but Rome was not built in a day. You need to keep pushing in this direction, and continue practicing with full studies of different kinds of animals.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 5: Drawing Animals (version 3)"

2015-11-25 00:35

You're getting there. I'll mark this lesson as complete, leaving you with a demo of how I'd approach the same drawing.

There's one major thing that I think you're still falling short on - those initial masses. As I mentioned before, these represent explicit masses of the body. As such, they are not just 2d approximations - they should be representing 3D forms. So, if necessary, draw a contour line, or even just a center line going down the middle of each form to get a better sense of how it exists in 3D space.

I do like how you added the arms and legs, though I think your general sense of 3D space needs development. When I add my arms and legs, I totally simplify them into more 2D-ish organic forms, but I'm always keeping in mind how they move in 3D space. After all, they still connect to the body like anything else.

As for your scribbling, one thing came to mind when I read "I end up scribbling a lot". It may seem overly simplistic, but really this is what you need to drive into your mind: if you scribble too much, stop scribbling. Hold yourself back before putting down any mark on the page. If you're scribbling even though you don't want to, that means the root of the problem is that your arm is doing things without the orders coming down from your brain.

As for detail, it's not really there yet, but it's moving in the right direction. This stuff takes time to settle in, and takes time to develop. So keep practicing on your own. You've got the road map to take you a ways further, it's just a matter of reminding yourself of these few concepts over and over.

For now, feel free to move onto the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-24 21:04

:D Told-you-so.

Uncomfortable in the post "OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: 250 Cylinders (#2)"

2015-11-24 00:45

Try not to think of them as training wheels, because that will put you in the mindset that you are expected to be able to move on from them. Using boxes is just smart. It helps you align the cylinders to a specific angle and comes in very handy when you're actually using them for geometric constructions, like in lessons 6 and 7.

Uncomfortable in the post "An Ongoing Record of Homework Submissions"

2015-11-23 21:58

Anything is better than nothing, but I strongly believe that people tend to gain more from setting aside time to really put their mind to something. It doesn't matter how long, but if the environment is conducive to hard work - a clean desk or table, for instance - it will impact your mindset. Conversely, doing your work in a hectic environment has a good chance of leading you to get distracted very easily.

As far as motivation goes, this might be worth reading.

Uncomfortable in the post "OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: 250 Cylinders (#2)"

2015-11-23 21:14

Nice work. That thing you noticed about the dying pen is actually something I take advantage of pretty frequently. It may be cheating, but who cares - it's useful. It lets you put down those strokes with confidence without worrying about putting down too much ink.

I do think that the cylinders you drew without the boxes were weaker than your others. Not by a whole lot, but I did notice that you fairly consistently drew the far ellipse with the same or similar degree as the near ellipse - the far one should be wider.

One thing I do want to add is that the box method is mostly intended to come up with a minor axis (between the center points of the near and far planes). Once you've got that, you obey the minor axis for aligning your ellipses. You can still use the box as a suggestion, but they won't always agree fully (which can cause people to mess up a little if they try and abide by both the box and the minor axis). Minor axis is the most significant guide in this situation.

Anyway, I'll mark this challenge as complete.

Uncomfortable in the post "An Ongoing Record of Homework Submissions"

2015-11-23 21:10

It all depends on the person. It is however important that you take breaks regularly and spread it out over several days. There's a lot there, and if you spend too long on it in a single sitting, you'll get sloppy and lazy. So, if a shorter span works for you, then that's what you should do for now.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-23 20:50

I really like that you're drawing through each one and analyzing its construction in 3D space. Early on you seem to have a tendency to jump into some really dramatic perspective, which leads to a bit of awkward distortion at times, but you snap out of that pretty quickly.

Keep up the great work - I'll mark this challenge as complete.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 6: Drawing Everyday Objects (version 3)"

2015-11-23 20:46

It's coming along. There are two recommendations that I can give you at this point.

• Subdivide more - start with the overall box for everything (cylinders included - might want to take a look at the video in the 250 cylinder challenge), then subdivide from there. Looking at your stool, you started off with a box and then estimated everything else. It's very difficult to estimate things like that, so you're much better off subdividing your planes and constructing smaller, more precise forms inside. Since this involves a lot of linework, it's a good idea to draw bigger as well.

• Ghost your lines. One mark per line. Same old story, but people do tend to forget. This stuff relies a lot on construction lines, so you've got to be mindful of how much ink you're putting down and how much of it is actually contributing.

I'm going to mark this lesson as complete, but I do highly recommend that you keep practicing it further until you start to feel comfortable with the idea of subdividing and building up constructions from smaller simple geometric forms before moving onto the next lesson.

As for your question, I don't really know anything about studying colour theory traditionally. I'm still primarily a digital artist so I might not be the best person to ask. I do have two recommendations for places to learn though:

• CtrlPaint, specifically section 11

• Color and Light by James Gurney. Buy it, read it, cuddle with it at night. It is largely lauded as the bible of colour theory.

Uncomfortable in the post "An Ongoing Record of Homework Submissions"

2015-11-23 18:12

It crossed my mind early on, but I've since decided that it's not a good idea. Through the drawabox patreon campaign, I do receive compensation for the work that I do. Recruiting other moderators would complicate things immensely.

I think I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing - taking breaks every now and then as I did back in August (where critiques were limited to patreon supporters). Eventually though I will stop and move onto something else, leaving the lessons up but halting critiques completely. That's an inevitability, since it does take up a significant portion of my time, but I don't have any concrete plans of pulling out just yet.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-22 20:45

I could rotate my paper to always draw in the direction I'm comfortable with but I'd rather not to.

I understand your motivation for this - you want to learn how to draw lines confidently in every direction and don't want to 'give in'. It makes sense, but at the same time it's just silly. You have a set of challenges in front of you, and you have to conquer them. Adding this new challenge is compounding things, and is going to hinder your ability to tackle the first challenges you were already facing. Ultimately it is only pride and ego that is making things harder for you.

Anyway, your boxes are coming along well. Individual lines can be improved, but you've explained why some are weaker than others, so that's your own concern. The sense of space is pretty decent, so once you're able to nail your lines (however you choose to do that) your boxes will start to come out more solidly.

I also encourage you to play around with line weight - there are some notes in the challenge post that cover this. Either way, consider this challenge complete.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-22 20:10

Vast improvements in your line weights, general constructions and definitely your confidence. One thing that I do want to encourage you to do is to practice drawing through your boxes (drawing the lines that are hidden in the box construction). You do have a tendency to draw some of your far planes as larger than your near planes, and drawing through your boxes will help you define each plane with a complete 4 lines. This will help you compare the sizes more accurately.

Actually, I just noticed that you did this on page 6, and your boxes came out considerably stronger for it.

It is also for this reason that I strongly recommend going back and drawing corrections over your boxes in a different coloured pen. Looking at them with a fresh eye will allow you to identify mistakes, which in turn makes you consciously compensate for those mistakes then ext time you try these exercises.

Lastly, keep an eye on your hatching lines - don't be sloppy with them, be sure to draw consistent parallel lines that stretch all the way across the surface from edge to edge.

Keep up the good work! I'll mark this challenge as complete.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-22 15:56

You can choose to draw digitally whenever you like - there's no criteria that determines that you are ready. What I do not recommend is that you use digital media for lessons 1-7 (the ones where ink is specifically required). That doesn't mean that you can't do other things digitally.

Furthermore, if you really wish to, once you've completed a lesson in ink, you can try it out digitally as well (though don't submit those to me for critique).

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-21 17:38

Nicely done. Your boxes have improved significantly over the set, and in relation to your previous lesson. The ones where you play with line weight also give a strong sense of cohesion, which is great. You are absolutely moving in the right direction, so keep it up! I'll mark this challenge as complete.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-21 17:18

The quality of your lines and the confidence of your constructions definitely improves considerably over the set. Your corrections also show me that you are steadily improving your general sense of 3D space. Furthermore, it's clear that you're demonstrating far more patience near the end than you did at the beginning. You're definitely moving in the right direction, so keep up the good work.

As for your question, /u/Peteman22 has it right. Most major software packages let you rotate the canvas. That said, when learning to draw we face a lot of major challenges, and if we try to face all of those challenges simultaneously, we have a much higher chance of failing outright.

Because of that, we try to simplify and delay certain problems. A good example of that is rotating the page. Right now, we focus on nailing a line drawn in a single direction. Obviously no one's going to practice a singular angle, but they'll focus on a particular group of similar angles, rather than trying to tackle all angles at once. The focus here is the process of drawing the line, not so much the ability to do it in every possible situation.

As you grow more confident and capable with this subset of angles, you will naturally expand the angles at which you decide, "nah I don't need to rotate my page for this." Gradually it will expand further.

There will always be angles that will be more difficult than others - but as you practice, all of your lines will improve equally. This is because there are far more factors than just the angle. A lot of it has to do with how well you ghost your lines, your pacing, etc. That is what we want to focus on for the time being.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge (#3)"

2015-11-20 21:06

Well done. You're demonstrating a solid comprehension of 3D space with a lot of your little experiments (like the snake you mentioned), and some great linework with confident weights that really bring a sense of cohesion to each form. Keep up the good work.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 5: Drawing Animals (version 3)"

2015-11-20 20:46

Things to keep in mind:

• Don't cut off body parts, especially not the feet.

• Consider where your ground is as you're drawing. Hell, draw it in. Also keep in mind that the ground is not a line, but rather a 2D plane in 3D space. It can help to draw a cross on the ground, extending into two dimensions.

• Spend a LOT of time studying and observing your reference image. This is something most people don't do enough. The second you look away from your reference image, the vast majority of the information you collected will be simplified by your brain (ultimately rendered useless) or just outright forgotten. But you don't actually realize this, so you end up working from memory (which can't be trusted). So, the only solution is to force yourself to look back every few seconds.

• Keep an eye on your proportions, especially early on when you're laying in the basic structure.

I want to see one more drawing from you. Take pictures in stages; your three major masses, then the rest of your construction/lay-in, then finally the full detail. I would also like you to include a link to the reference you use.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 7: Drawing Vehicles (version 3)"

2015-11-18 22:34

Thanks, I appreciate that.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 4: Drawing Insects and Arachnids (version 3)"

2015-11-18 20:42

Your forms are pretty good, and they definitely improve over the set as well. I'm pretty much in agreement with you - solid forms, but you probably could push yourself to experiment further with texture. That said, texture is far less significant. You could leave a solid form-construction blank and it'd still look good. So, you didn't make a mistake in not pushing yourself further here.

Now that we know that your forms are coming out nicely, once you have a solid lay-in/construction set down, you should start to push yourself to study and identify the rhythms and patterns present in your reference images. This is a brief demo I did on the subject which you may have already seen. If you look closely, you can see all kinds of arrangements of detail that result in a wide variety of apparent textures.

Anyway, you did good - keep up the good work and feel free to move onto the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 5: Drawing Animals (version 3)"

2015-11-18 20:35

Firstly, I feel that your lay-ins in general are very loose. The three major masses that I outline represent three distinct masses of the body - the cranium, the ribcage and the pelvis. Simply dropping them in as approximate circles is not going to help a whole lot. You need to draw the specific ellipses with angles and widths/degrees that match the corresponding part of the body.

In general, I feel that you're really eager to get to the detail phase of things, and as such are not spending enough time on these lay-ins, thinking through the actual solid construction. By construction, I specifically mean the way the 3D forms combine.

I'd like you to take a look at this demo I did recently and do a couple pages focusing entirely on the construction and lay-in. Do not go into detail, and be sure to reach each step of the demo multiple times.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 7: Drawing Vehicles (version 3)"

2015-11-18 03:23

So it appears to be. Good catch, though I'm certain there are considerably more small mistakes of that nature in these drawings.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 5: Drawing Animals (version 3)"

2015-11-17 21:12

Your first few birds are looking pretty solid, but as we go through the set, some issues do become more and more apparent.

• First off, those initial masses you lay in are intended to represent specific parts of the body. The cranium, the ribcage and the pelvis. They're not just rough estimations or loose approximations.

• Some of your limbs tend to come out very stiff - try drawing them with deliberate curves, from shoulder to wrist, then splitting them up at the joints. That is, instead of making each subsection a separate block right off the bat.

• You have a desperate need to cover your drawing with detail. Hold yourself back - adding more ink will not solve your problems. Observing your reference and studying the rhythm and hierarchy of patterns will. Also remember - less is generally better than more.

• You're drawing small - don't cram your drawings into such small spaces, it's part of what's causing the stiff linework. Turn your sketchbook horizontally and use the full page, and if that's not big enough, use loose printer paper.

Lastly, here's a demo I did for someone last week. Try to follow the specific steps I've laid out, and draw with intention and decision driving every single line. Do not sketch or approximate. Observe, study, think, decide, then draw.

I'd like to see four more pages of animal drawings, but focus more on the construction. Hell, you don't even have to apply detail if you don't want to.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 6: Drawing Everyday Objects (version 3)"

2015-11-17 20:15

It's coming along well. The issue isn't so much with your constructions, but rather your sense of the rudimentary forms from which you build your constructions. So, I think it would be a very good idea for you to practice your boxes some more. You have a tendency to not quite nail down your near plane/far plane size relationships, and this ultimately undermines the solidity of your objects. Practicing simple form intersections will also help.

I'm going to mark this lesson as complete (since you understand how to construct the objects, it's just a matter of technique and practice at this point), but I definitely recommend that you revisit those basics before tackling the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 3: Drawing Plants (version 3)"

2015-11-15 19:23

I think you've done pretty well. There's certainly room to grow, but we're just getting started. I think your approach to simplifying and seeing the underlying shapes and forms is coming along nicely. There are a few things I'd like to point out that you can keep in mind as you move forward, but I'll definitely be marking this lesson as complete.

• Cross-hatching, when used in place of proper texture is usually a short-hand for "I have no idea what goes here but I don't want to leave it blank". It's pretty rare that you'd actually see a real texture in nature that looks like that. So, instead it shows the viewer that you simply didn't look closely enough at what rhythms and patterns actually existed in your original reference that gave it that particular look. Keep in mind that you don't HAVE to fill in every space. But when you do put down ink, make sure it is the result of study, observation, planning and forethought. Here's a demo about identifying textural details and patterns that may help.

• I'm a bit puzzled by the stem of your carduus crispus. At this point, you're experimenting with what works and what doesn't, so it's perfectly normal to have some things go well, and others less so. But let's look at what it is about this stem that may not have been the best choice. What stands out most to me is the fact that the erratic spikes don't seem to take too much consideration for the underlying cylinder. The rhythm is fairly random, and randomness really isn't something we find that much of in nature. Things may seem random, but our subconscious can tell that they're actually quite organized. Look at your detail view of that stem - now that is quite exceptional, both in construction (the cylindrical base) and in detail and texture. The spikes feel like they follow some kind of organizational structure, even though we can't quite figure out what it is. They come off of their own little clumps of mass, and they all obey the underlying form. Back to the larger drawing, that erratic spikey shape really just comes off as flat and cartoonish.

Anyway, overall you've done quite well, so feel free to move onto the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 3: Drawing Plants (version 3)"

2015-11-14 19:02

The first thing that jumps out at me is that you seem to be drawing kind of small, cramming a lot of them onto the same page. On the flipside of that, you do seem to have pretty good pressure control, since your lines don't tend to come out all too cramped and stiff despite the size. Still, I'd definitely encourage you to draw larger on the page.

When you draw objects or parts of objects that have clear 3D form to them, it is important for you to actually see them as 3D forms. This means, even if your drawing is cut off, cap off the end of that form, as you would cap off the end of a cylinder (with an ellipse). Don't just leave a gap, as that immediately gives the impression of a flatter form.

Another thing I want to stress is that you should try and use much less hatching - this is for two reasons. First of all, hatching functions as mini contour lines, so when they end up just being straight lines, it gives the impression that the form it's drawn on is flat with no volume. Secondly, it's very rare that you'd fine a texture in nature that is made up of hatching lines. Generally it serves as a short-hand for "I don't know what goes here but I really want to fill it in anyway". Know that you can leave areas outside of the focal point devoid of detail, focusing entirely on their form construction and the illusion of volume. Then in the focal point itself, you really need to buckle down and LOOK at your reference image, studying the patterns and rhythms of details that give it a particular surface texture.

When you deal with leaf-forms, you've done fairly well. I think they do suffer just a bit from the drawings themselves being too small, but I think the understanding of how to get a flat form to flow through 3D space is developing.

I'm going to mark this lesson as complete, largely because I think the next lesson (insects) does a far better job with the construction of solid 3D intersecting forms, with lots of natural contour lines and plenty of opportunities to study varied interesting surface textures.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 5: Drawing Animals (version 3)"

2015-11-14 18:52

Definitely a lot better. Your first few pages with the bears and wolves are significantly stronger than they were before. There's still a lot of room to grow, but you're on the right track. As you continue to practice this, the concepts will become more and more apparent and will solidify in your mind.

As for the head construction/things floating in space, you're improving in that regard too. I think what helps is to remember that everything fits together like a puzzle. So, if you think about the skull, you've got an eye socket that is defined by the brow ridge and the cheek bone - so even the eye will fit into a specific space. Once you understand this completely, you won't have to draw how those puzzle-pieces connect together, but for now it's a good idea to do so to help further your own understanding of what's going on in your drawing.

I'm going to mark this lesson as complete - keep practicing (after all these lessons only provide a starting point), but you may move onto the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 6: Drawing Everyday Objects (version 3)"

2015-11-14 18:44

It's a good start. I'd say that what you would benefit from working on is stepping back and getting a solid grasp on your basic forms. Boxes and cylinders specifically, with a greater emphasis on the boxes. After all, these objects are just combinations of these simple forms, so getting a hang of drawing boxes confidently with a full understanding of how they sit in 3D space is really important.

A lot of these drawings are coming along nicely, but the underlying boxes are a little less than solid - so, with a weakened foundational construction, everything built on top of it will also turn out a little weak.

Conceptually you understand what you're doing though, so I'm going to mark this lesson as complete. I do encourage you to go back and tackle the 250 box and cylinder challenges however.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 4: Drawing Insects and Arachnids (version 3)"

2015-11-12 21:02

Nice forms and nice texture work. I don't have actual critique for your drawings because they're all quite well done. I do however have points to raise about the things you yourself mentioned.

• It doesn't feel terribly sketchy to me, I'm seeing a lot of clear and purposeful linework and decisions - if you feel that it is sketchy however and that you're having trouble thickening lines after the fact, practice the super imposed lines exercise more.

• If you feel your drawings are small, and that it is forcing you to do something, draw bigger. If your pad is too small for this, try to find a larger sheet of paper. Like I said - your drawings are done well - but if you're doing things that you feel you need to excuse during submission, you can always choose to do things differently in the first place.

• The photo quality is fine, but having images rotated to be right side up would be nice. I know uploading to imgur on your phone has a tendency of resulting in oddly rotated images, but there must be a way to fix it before submitting.

Anyway, great work - the quality of the drawings is really well done, and I can see a lot of solid understanding of the constructions of these objects as well as the patterns and rhythms of their surface textures. Keep it up and feel free to move onto the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: 250 Cylinders (#2)"

2015-11-12 20:49

They definitely improve over the set. I'd say the first page kiiinda looks like you didn't read any of the notes or watch the video. Then you start incorporating those concepts, so things improve considerably. I'd still say that your lines are looking pretty sketchy - keep drawing through your ellipses, but your other lines should not be hairy at all. One mark per line, and be sure to ghost through everything.

Keep that in mind, but aside from that, nicely done.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 3: Drawing Plants (version 3)"

2015-11-12 20:47

Comparing your work to that of others expecting it to be similar is just silly. While there is a lot of benefit in looking at their work in the context of the critiques I've given them, just comparing your work to theirs makes no sense at all. You don't know what has led them to that point. All you can do is guess.

As for your work, I've seen plenty of homework submissions fairly similar to it. That isn't to say you're doing it right - you're missing a few key concepts (which is good, because that means there's concrete things we can correct) - but many people who've been working through these lessons have been just like you.

So, what are you doing wrong? There's a few things:

Most importantly, you're not doing a whole lot of simplifying. I mean, I can see based on your notes and a few other things that in your mind you're trying to break things down into simpler forms, but that really isn't enough. That's the goal, and you're expecting yourself to perform at that level already.

Your approach to drawing leaves is a good example of this - your first step is correct - you draw a center line that determines the flow of that leaf through space. Your next step, however, is jumping too far ahead - you try and draw the surrounding leaf, with all of its waviness and its little tattered edges and whatever other minor details may exist.

What you should be doing is this. Center line first, then a simple, specific approximation of the shape of the leaf itself ignoring any of those extra details. Is the leaf wavy? Don't care. Is it fraying or torn or jagged at its edges? Unimportant.

Once you have this scaffolding, you can start adding details onto it. The scaffolding helps you retain the proper flow of a flat form (think of the arrows in lesson 2) through 3D space. If you're worrying about how the edges get wavy or jagged or whatever at the same time as you're trying to get it to flow through 3D space, you've got movement in so many dimensions that it becomes overwhelming and confusing. Take it one step at a time.

Remember that everything you're drawing should start off as some sort of simple 3D primitive. Leaves are a bit more complicated but simple forms like half-spheres should be constructed as such. Don't go skipping steps, and draw through the forms whenever you need to. Like this.

Lastly, draw BIGGER. These things are tiny! You have no freedom to move, and I seriously doubt that you're drawing from your shoulder.

All of this aside, I'd say the biggest thing to keep in mind is that right now, you're looking at a 2D image, and you're trying to carry it over. What you should be doing is looking at a 2D image, understanding how it represents tangible, 3D objects with weight and solidity. Then, once you understand it, you can draw it up once again.

Take another stab at this lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 5: Drawing Animals (version 3)"

2015-11-11 18:51

Not gonna lie, seeing a gallery where every single image is rotated the wrong way does not make me happy.

Anyway, I definitely agree with your point about the size of your drawings - the vast majority of these are way too small, resulting in clunky linework and a general restriction in your ability to think through your forms.

Furthermore, you are very focused on detail, leaving your constructions/lay-ins to fall by the wayside. Unfortunately, while a solid construction with good forms works fine without much in the way of detail, the opposite is not true.

I ended up doing way more of a critique than I intended to, but it should summarize pretty much every piece of advice I have to give: here you go.

The only thing I want to elaborate on is the idea of not working from memory. Anything beyond the first few seconds after looking away from your reference image constitutes working from memory. Your brain tries to guess at things, and it just about always guesses them wrong. Get used to studying your reference more carefully and specifically focusing on the underying constructions. Look past the fur texture and all of the detail to the consistent form structure that lies underneath.

Take another stab at this lesson's homework. Also, while you're free to try adding detail here and there, I want the bulk of these drawings to be construction/lay-in only. Try and channel what you did with your insects, their volumes and forms were pretty well done.

Uncomfortable in the post "My thoughts on inspiration and motivation, and how to deal with their absence"

2015-11-10 22:55

Unfortunately I don't. Seems a bit specific - as far as subreddits go, they tend to be broad and vague, or very short lived. When thinking about composition, my mind generally goes to graphic design (so /r/graphic_design) but I've never really frequented it so I can't say if they just scratch the surface of design or if they really delve into the juicy bits at its core.

Uncomfortable in the post "My thoughts on inspiration and motivation, and how to deal with their absence"

2015-11-09 16:30

"Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work" - that is a fantastic line. Just slaps you right in the face. Thanks for sharing!

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 4: Drawing Insects and Arachnids (version 3)"

2015-11-08 18:40

I think the most important thing to remember here is that the only thing you should be afraid of is the thought that all of these insects might be crawling on your skin as you draw. Not that you might mess up an ellipse here or there. If you make a mistake, the world won't end. If you half-ass something or draw it timidly because you were afraid, however, then you won't see a whole lot of growth from it. That's considerably worse and more long-lasting than a single fudged drawing.

Now, looking at your work, you seem to be doing pretty well. I'll admit that sometimes you're a little on the looser side, so I will encourage you to pause and think a little more before you put a shape down, but generally your constructions are still looking pretty good.

Your detail/rendering does need work in some areas, however. Overall it's still coming out nicely but there is certainly room to improve. One of the biggest thing that jumped out at me is that you have a tendency to rely a lot on.. not exactly scribbling, but perhaps structured-scribbling. Controlled randomness. When you know that you want to put down a cross-hatchy texture, you tend to scribble that texture in.

Try to avoid randomness altogether. Think about how your details are going to be organized. At the moment things tend to get somewhat muddy because I think you may be eager to put down more and more ink, thinking that more is the solution to fixing problems you may see developing. Instead, hold yourself back and try to identify the hierarchy of details, rhythms and patterns. I did a bit of a demo a while back on identifying different kinds of textures in reference images that you should check out.

Anyway, I'll mark this lesson as complete, so feel free to move onto the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 4: Drawing Insects and Arachnids (version 3)"

2015-11-08 18:17

Coming along nicely! Your forms are looking good, and your detail passes are showing a lot of good observation and study. If I had to recommend one thing, it'd be not to fill in the drop shadows. They tend to muddy up your shapes, so it's often best to leave them as simple outlined shapes. that way more of the focus and contrast ends up resting on the object itself, without any visual competition. I'll mark this lesson as complete, keep up the good work!

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 4: Drawing Insects and Arachnids (version 3)"

2015-11-07 20:10

I think it's coming along nicely. My favourite two drawings are the honey bee and black widow on the bottom of page 2. You've definitely got a lot of room to grow (especially when it comes to identifying details in your reference images) but you're on the right track.

There's a few things I'd like to iron out though:

• I've actually mentioned this in a lot of critiques I've written today - hatching lines are pretty much short hand for "I have no idea what goes here but I don't want to leave this bit blank". It's not often you'll find textures in nature that actually consist of straight-up hatching lines. We use them when we deal with boxes, but boxes aren't actual objects you find in the world, they're just forms with no actual surface texture to them. Instead of using hatching, hold yourself back and really observe your reference image. Each texture has its own rhythms and patterns that you can identify. Check out this demo on identifying different kinds of textures in a reference image. So, when you start using hatching, you should probably stop and think about why you're using hatching lines.

• Don't scribble. This kinda goes hand in hand with the hatching, but you have a huge tendency to scribble your textural lines. Think about every bit of ink you put down on the page. Don't rely on randomness, because that has a very obvious signature that everyone will be able to notice.

• When you start drawing, always begin with your lay-in and completely push out any thoughts of detail from your mind. Many of your later pages suffer because you don't think as much about the forms. You get overwhelmed by the thought of adding detail that the forms themselves get flattened out.

Anyway, you've got plenty of room to improve but I think you're moving in a decent direction. Just remember that form is a million times more important than detail. Even if you didn't put any detail down, you'd still end up with a successful drawing if your forms were right. Furthermore, detail is not a "more == better" situation. Be strategic with how you apply it, and think through it very carefully.

Go ahead and move onto the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 4: Drawing Insects and Arachnids (version 3)"

2015-11-07 19:04

Nice work. Your forms are pretty solid. There are a few things that I would like to recommend to you however, as you move forward.

I noticed that, especially near the beginning, you rough things in, then you draw darker lines on top. Generally this is okay, but I'd like to slightly tweak your mentality in how you approach this a little bit. Don't think of it in terms of rough sketch --> clean drawing. Think of it in terms of shapes and forms. You start off with simple shapes and forms, and then where those forms need to be refined and carved, you draw new lines on top.

Looking at the spider on the top left of page 1 in your imgur album, the legs seem to have been roughed in, and then the exact same shapes had new lines drawn on top - darker ones. Instead of that, I would encourage holding yourself back and thinking through the lay-in more. Draw deliberate, clear lines - not rough sketches. Capture the simple shapes and forms, and if they don't need to be refined further to add complexity, leave them as they are with no new lines drawn on top (except when adding line weight near the end, in which case you're adding to the existing lines, not replacing them).

Also - every single ellipse you draw for my lessons: draw through it.

Lastly, your rendering is something I'd like you to think about more. There are a few issues here. First off, hatching lines are pretty much short hand for "I have no idea what to draw here but I don't want to leave it blank". There's rarely any natural textures you'll see that actually consist of hatching lines. Check out this demo on identifying complex rhythms and patterns in surface textures from reference images. When you do use hatching though, remember that if the lines don't flow along the surface of the 3D object they're on, they will flatten out your forms. This isn't always a bad thing - I often allow far-off objects to be flattened out just for the sake of simplifying my shapes, but if you look at the bottom right of page 8 in your imgur album, your use of hatching totally ignores the actual roundedness of those forms and flattens them out completely.

Anyway, your forms are solid so I'm going to mark this lesson as complete - definitely keep what I mentioned in mind as you continue to move forward.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 3: Drawing Plants (version 3)"

2015-11-07 17:21

You've done fairly well. There are two things that I'd like you to keep in mind as you move forward, however.

• Think, then draw. Try not to be loose, even with your lay-ins. Think about the simple shapes and forms, and try not to be approximate. If in the end you end up having to make adjustments because you weren't 100% accurate, that's totally fine - but you should still be aiming to be deliberate. Don't just right into drawing, instead think it through step by step. Like this.

• When adding detail and texture, remember that hatching lines are basically shorthand for "I don't really know what goes here but I don't want to leave it blank." It's rare that you'll find a texture that is best represented by a bunch of hatching lines - instead, spend more time studying your reference and try to identify the patterns and rhythms of marks and shapes that give the given surface its particular tactile illusion. Check out this demo on identifying different kinds of textures within a reference image.

Anyway, I'll mark this lesson as complete so feel free to move onto the next one.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 3: Drawing Plants (version 3)"

2015-11-04 21:04

Definitely better. Ease up on the use of hatching though, and pay more attention to what's going on in your reference images. Hatching lines is pretty much the international symbol for "i donno, but i kinda want to fill it in". If I haven't pointed you to it already, check out this demo on identifying different kinds of textures in photo references.

Anyways, I think you're ready to move onto the next lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 3: Drawing Plants (version 3)"

2015-11-04 21:01

Holy fucking christ. I just dug up your lesson 2 homework. Where the hell did this come from? You've improvement is massive! I get that it's been 10-11 months, but still - you have to have taken a class or something.

Anyway, luckily I still do have some tips. One thing that I'm catching is that you've got a lot of general looseness to your drawings. You tend to tighten them up as you go further into detail, but your lay-ins tend to be somewhat sketchy. Sketchiness is usually a sign of thinking on the page, which is something we all do to an extent, but often times there is a lot of benefit from training yourself to stop, think and visualize first. This is the demo I generally use to explain this point. Hold yourself back a little, and utilize the ghosting method from lesson 1. Since you did lessons 1/2 ages ago, you should definitely read through those lessons again - I've added a lot of extra stuff that is worth noting.

The other thing I wanted to mention falls on the same point - you do have some nice textures going on, but just as often you fall back to some pretty plain hatching lines that can at times get a little sloppy and rushed. Just keep that in mind - avoid sloppiness in any and all areas of your drawing. Also take a look at this demo on identifying different kinds of non-hatching textures in your reference photos. It's pretty rare that you'd find hatching lines in nature.

That's nitpicking of course - you did great. Your drawings are fantastic. I just always make a point of steering people in the track of dynamic sketching, which is all about planning things out and thinking through every mark you draw.

Feel free to move onto the next lesson!

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 5: Drawing Animals (version 3)"

2015-11-03 20:59

It's an improvement. There are still things to work on but ultimately Rome wasn't built in a day. So, I'm going to mark this lesson as complete and you can continue practicing these on your own while you continue to move through the lessons.

A few things to remember:

• DEFINE THE SHOULDER JOINT/MASS. This is important! I've mentioned it before, and honestly everyone has this problem. To extend this, don't be timid with your linework. Don't be afraid of having to hide your construction lines. You've seen my over-drawings, all of my lines are confident and bold. Do the same.

• You may be better off using simpler shapes when dealing with legs/feet. There's a lot going on down there, and piling on a lot of contour lines will add to clutter and mess with your head. One thing I noticed is that I have a tendency to deal with these cramped areas like 2D shapes, and then I just add a bit of dimension at the end by pushing some of the line weights for my overlaps. Might be something you want to play with.

• Don't scribble shadows, even if your pen is dying. You'll often find that lighting is surprisingly unnecessary. I have a tendency to only draw in shadows to separate out shapes so they can read more clearly.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson 3: Drawing Plants (version 3)"

2015-11-03 20:36

People tend to be more critical of themselves than they should be. You're doing just fine. I especially like the stuff going on on the bottom of page 7 - your lines have a nice range of weights, and they flow nicely. The forms themselves sit convincingly in 3D space, and your constructions feel cohesive.

I get the impression that your initial lay-ins are a little loose, and that you tighten them up later in the process. I don't want you to stress turning away from what's natural because that may be to an extent what works best for you right now, but it wouldn't hurt to remind yourself to think through each stroke a little bit before you put it down. Consider its purpose in the drawing, where it should start, where it should end, how it should curve, and ghost through it a bit.

Anyway, you're doing great. Feel free to move onto the next lesson. And remember, your decision to submit your homework should not depend on whether or not you think it's perfect. Perfect work is useless when it comes to finding ways to improve. Complete the requested homework, and submit it regardless of how you feel. All that matters is that you put your full effort and ability into it.