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Uncomfortable in the post "Question for lesson 3"

2022-01-24 13:51

Some students do but in retrospect I wouldn't recommend it. They're quite complex, and it is usually better for students to stick to simpler, more manageable plants in order to keep their focus on the core concepts of the lesson.

Uncomfortable in the post "Perspective"

2022-01-24 00:03

It comes down to what a vanishing point is. The VP is the point to which all edges that run parallel to one another in 3D space converge to when drawn as lines on a flat page.

This also means that any lines meant to represent a set of parallel edges will together imply their vanishing point, given that they're all pointing towards it (even if it's way off the page, or simply not drawn). So, as long as you have two lines converging, you can add as many more to that set, by paying attention to how they angle towards one another and following the same pattern.

While the concept is quite simple, it's difficult to apply. That's why it's such a major focus of this course. While we start with basic 2 point perspective in the plotted perspective exercise, we immediately start stripping away these dependencies by eyeballing convergences to a defined VP in the rough perspective exercise, and ultimate trying to construct arbitrarily rotated boxes and checking their convergences afterwards throughout the 250 box challenge.

Then, much later into the course, we look at constricting geometric objects like complex vehicles in Lesson 7 by applying the same principles once our core grasp of 3D space is more fleshed out.

That said, you can look up the concept called a "Brewer Grid" - though again, it's one thing to understand it on a logical level, but requires more development of one's spatial reasoning skills to apply it effectively.

Uncomfortable in the post "Question for the 50% rule"

2022-01-23 17:33

If you haven't had a chance to go through this new video on the 50% rule which was released a week ago, I would highly recommend it.

As explained there, the 50% rule is about throwing yourself at the wall and accepting that your results will not be good, on account of the lack of familiarity you described. That's perfectly fine, and expected. Allow yourself to draw poorly, as the 50% rule exists purely to help students get over the fear of drawing things badly, which keeps them from experimenting, playing, and developing in ways that are, despite not being focused on technical skill and impressiveness, still extremely important to one's development.

Uncomfortable in the post "[250 Box Challenge] Can't understand why the farthest face will be oriented more towards the viewer than the closer face"

2022-01-23 17:28

The reasoning is essentially the same as why when dealing with cylinders, the farther ellipse has a wider degree than the end closer to the viewer. This is demonstrated in the video for Lesson 1's ellipses section, using little props to try and make the concept a little easier to understand.

Uncomfortable in the post "Do I need to use the shoulder to draw all my lines?"

2022-01-22 19:09

There are two kinds of lines - lines that flow smoothly (maintaining a consistent trajectory, which includes those straight lines), and lines that do not (and instead change their trajectories quickly and sharply throughout their length). While early in Lesson 1 we talk about our principles of markmaking, one of which being "marks should flow smoothly", there are no doubt situations where you'll be drawing really tightly controlled lines that have sharp corners all executed from the wrist. We use our shoulder for every mark that needs to maintain a more consistent trajectory, including straight ones.

Again - drawing short lines from your shoulder is hard, especially at first, but we do of course ask students to do things that initially feel uncomfortable or difficult.

Uncomfortable in the post "Audiblogs not working on drawabox"

2022-01-22 18:43

You observed that correctly! While we still support the Audiblogs guys and the work they're doing, our experiment with them has ended (and they should have cancelled any subscriptions associated with Drawabox so people would not get charged going forward).

As I explain here (in the section of Lesson 1 that introduced audiblogs, though it's understandable you wouldn't have seen it since you're at Lesson 4), we've taken the Audiblogs stuff down due to some issues that came up with their codebase, and the fact that we decided to implement the same features ourselves in the coming weeks. I've actually already implemented most of it, I just have some last things to add.

The most important part - we're going to be offering the audio functionality for free, at least as we keep an eye on just how much it costs - but based on our current estimates, we should be able to eat the cost going forwards (but we don't want to commit to that just yet).

Uncomfortable in the post "Do I need to use the shoulder to draw all my lines?"

2022-01-21 18:15

I answer this question in this section from the shoulder drawing page. The most important thing to remember is that which pivot we choose is not based on the length of the given line, but rather its nature. If we need a line that flows smoothly (be it long or short), we use our shoulder, as the larger radius allows more smoother, less specific motion. If we need something that is more stiffly controlled, the wrist can be more suitable, as the smaller radius allows for tighter turns and sharper corners.

It is, of course, entirely normal to feel uncomfortable with drawing shorter marks from your shoulder, but as discussed here the fact that something feels uncomfortable or is difficult is not actually a reason to avoid that particular approach. It just means that you, understandably, are not accustomed to it.

Uncomfortable in the post "Submitting for critic do we post here or draw a box site?"

2022-01-20 22:01

You can choose to post on the website, on reddit, or both. You also have the option to crosspost to reddit when posting via the website, if you have your reddit account connected.

Uncomfortable in the post "Is watching step by step art tutorials on YouTube a good way to learn how to draw? (apart from Drawabox)"

2022-01-19 02:09

That question is probably better suited to /r/learnart or /r/learntodraw. In order to give students submitting homework or questions relating to the course as much attention as possible, we do have to keep the subreddit limited only to those.

Uncomfortable in the post "Love the new 50% rule video, had a question"

2022-01-18 22:52

I do actually address this as the second FAQ question, here. Short answer is yeah, you're welcome to use whatever tools you're interested in using, be it traditional paints, digital software, or anything else.

Uncomfortable in the post "Can we apply construction to animation drawing?"

2022-01-18 22:50

Sure, but the thing to remember is that as it is taught in Drawabox, construction is an exercise rather than the way you're expected to draw. It helps us develop our spatial reasoning skills, but there are inherently some disadvantages to it - specifically in that it can make your drawings quite stiff if you're too orthodox about it, which is understandably not great for animation.

What matters more is the spatial reasoning skills the exercise develops, as they continue to be present and active regardless of how we approach our drawings.

Uncomfortable in the post "Yesterday, we dropped a new video about the concepts around the 50% rule. This is without exception, the most important video of the entire course."

2022-01-18 02:54

I'm thrilled to hear that!

Uncomfortable in the post "Im looking for inspiration, what is this technique called?"

2022-01-17 16:56

Try posting this over on /r/learnart. This subreddit is reserved for those working through the lessons on drawabox.com as explained here.

That said, if I had to guess, I'd say that might have been produced using screen printing.

Uncomfortable in the post "Yesterday, we dropped a new video about the concepts around the 50% rule. This is without exception, the most important video of the entire course."

2022-01-17 16:49

It's definitely a common misconception I was eager to clarify.

Uncomfortable in the post "Yesterday, we dropped a new video about the concepts around the 50% rule. This is without exception, the most important video of the entire course."

2022-01-17 16:49

I'm glad I was able to make it easier to understand, and hopefully apply!

Uncomfortable in the post "Yesterday, we dropped a new video about the concepts around the 50% rule. This is without exception, the most important video of the entire course."

2022-01-17 16:48

They've definitely been coming up a ton - there are definitely specific areas that I'm excited to revise, just to stem the tide of questions, and this was a big one!

Uncomfortable in the post "Yesterday, we dropped a new video about the concepts around the 50% rule. This is without exception, the most important video of the entire course."

2022-01-17 16:48

Thank you for the kind words! I think that's the hardest thing about teaching - going back and putting yourself in the head of your past self, before you knew all the things you know now.

Uncomfortable in the post "Hi, Is it allowed to do the lessons with a ballpoint pen? Also for homework submission and critiques? I am worried about the homework i already made with ballpoint pen. Have a nice day! :)"

2022-01-17 16:46

If you're only planning on submitting work for free community feedback, then there are no firm rules on what tools you're allowed to use - only recommendations. If however you're planning on submitting work for official (paid) critique, then you are allowed to complete Lesson 1 and the box challenge in ballpoint, but we expect you to acquire fineliners for Lessons 2 to 5.

Uncomfortable in the post "Is there a trick to keeping my elipses from looking like eggs?"

2022-01-17 16:44

If your ellipses are uneven, then generally that's a sign that you're either not executing the mark confidently enough (and instead hesitating as you draw the mark), or that you're drawing more from your wrist or elbow. Here are three things you can do to help:

Uncomfortable in the post "What is the preferred degrees of an ellipse, 20 or 30?"

2022-01-17 16:42

There is no "preferred" ellipse - we have to get used to drawing ellipses of a variety of degrees, because the ellipse that is required for a given situation is determined by the situation itself.

Uncomfortable in the post "What are your thoughts on digital art?"

2022-01-16 17:10

Try posting this over on /r/learnart. This subreddit is reserved for those working through the lessons on drawabox.com as explained here.

That said, I think digital art is fantastic (being a digital illustrator and concept artist myself), but I do think that digital tools can pose a bit of a hurdle when it comes to learning the core fundamentals. For that reason, our course recommends that students work through the exercises in ink. You can read more about our reasoning in this article.

Uncomfortable in the post "Amateur artist here, what do you think of this painting ?"

2022-01-16 17:08

Try posting this over on /r/learnart or /r/painting. This subreddit is reserved for those working through the lessons on drawabox.com as explained here.

Uncomfortable in the post "I want to share my exercise on boxes in perspective because its simplicity looks cool "

2022-01-15 01:40

That is cool! Very neat - though unfortunately, not suitable for this subreddit, as it's reserved for those working through the lessons on drawabox.com, as explained here. All posts must be either homework submissions or questions about the lessons.

While I'd love to include other great fundamentals related content like yours, I have to minimize clutter in order to keep the attention on peoples' homework, so they have a better chance of getting feedback.

Instead, you can try posting this over on /r/learnart, /r/learntodraw, or even /r/art.

Uncomfortable in the post "Lesson - 1 Homework Completed."

2022-01-10 22:46

Your rotated boxes do indeed look whack - but only because they're not actually present in your imgur album. Looks like you left out the last two exercises.

I'm going to remove this post, but feel free to try posting it again once you've included the missing pages.

Uncomfortable in the post "(almost) halfway through the 250 box challenge .."

2022-01-10 15:54

Hah, that made me chuckle - although it is indeed technically not appropriate for the subreddit. By ensuring that the only posts approved are either questions relating to the course, or complete homework submissions (as explained here), we can give students as high of a chance as we can of getting feedback on their work.

Of course, you can always get eyes on your work in between complete submissions on our discord chat server (and I'm sure they'd enjoy the doodle too).

Uncomfortable in the post "My first few DAB exercises"

2022-01-07 19:35

This subreddit doesn't allow single exercises or partial work, as explained here. You can get feedback on individual exercises on the discord chat server though, and the folks there would be happy to help you out. For the subreddit, we're pushing students to post complete lesson work.

Uncomfortable in the post "How can I find homework submissions that already have been critiqued?"

2022-01-06 15:12

The order of the list puts submissions that have not received feedback higher up, in order to try and maximize their chances of getting feedback. You can however use the filter options to find, for example, box challenge submissions that have been sent in for official critique.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge Page"

2022-01-04 20:44

That's correct. On the subreddit, we had to institute a rule requiring all submissions to consist of all the assigned homework for a given lesson or challenge, as allowing partial submissions results in far too much clutter and diminishes the chance one has of getting feedback from the community (since they have to wade through much more).

So for getting advice mid-lesson, the Discord server is more suitable.

Uncomfortable in the post "I feel I am really struggling with elipses."

2022-01-04 20:20

This subreddit doesn't allow single exercises or partial work, as explained here. You can get feedback on individual exercises on the discord chat server though, and the folks there would be happy to help you out. For the subreddit, we're pushing students to post complete lesson work.

For what it's worth, you're not especially far off. They're a little rough, but still within the range of what I've seen from students. There are two things for you to keep in mind:

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge Page"

2022-01-04 20:19

This subreddit doesn't allow single exercises or partial work, as explained here. You can get feedback on individual exercises on the discord chat server though, and the folks there would be happy to help you out. For the subreddit, we're pushing students to post complete lesson work.

I do have two things to call out though:

Uncomfortable in the post "Thank you Uncomfortable."

2022-01-04 14:14

Thank you very much for your kind words! It certainly has brightened my morning.

Uncomfortable in the post "I'm new here"

2022-01-03 22:25

Give this sticky thread a read. It'll explain what this subreddit's about, and what exactly the students here are doing (in all the homework they're posting).

Uncomfortable in the post "How are Drawabox lessons marked as complete?"

2022-01-03 16:47

Currently, the unofficial "critique exchange" program Elodin's running on our [discord server]() is set up such that anyone looking for feedback on later lessons (box challenge and onwards) can "earn" feedback by first critiquing 5 homework submissions from lessons you've had marked as complete. This means that Lesson 1 submissions do tend to get critiqued on the website.

When critiquing your work, the person doing so has the choice to either consider your lesson work complete, or to ask for revisions (and in response to those revisions, they can then consider your lesson work complete, or ask for further revisions). To actually receive the "completion" status for a submission, a critique that ultimately considers your submission complete must receive 2 agrees from others.

This of course is largely superficial - it gets you an achievement badge, and not much else.

Uncomfortable in the post "Drawabox for both-handed people"

2022-01-02 17:11

While I can't say I know too much about what might factor into these concerns for ambidextrous people, by virtue of you already being somewhat comfortable drawing with your shoulder with your right hand, then I'd probably lean towards sticking with that. Not being in full control of those lines is pretty normal - accuracy will improve with practice, but executing smooth and confident lines is our priority right now.

Uncomfortable in the post "I'm going insane with the ellipses in the 100 treasure chests challenge"

2022-01-01 18:13

The lesson states here that you are allowed to work digitally for this challenge. Stick to the instructions. As they do not discuss the use of colour, it should not be used in your work for the challenge.

Uncomfortable in the post "250 Box Challenge critique v welcomed"

2022-01-01 00:32

This subreddit doesn't allow single exercises or partial work, as explained here. You can get feedback on individual exercises on the discord chat server though, and the folks there would be happy to help you out. For the subreddit, we're pushing students to post complete lesson work.

That said, I have one piece of advice: don't draw your sets of lines so parallel on the page. They need to be converging, whether quickly or slowly.

Uncomfortable in the post "New Dynamic Sketching class"

2021-12-31 18:24

I do indeed recommend that students look at courses like Dynamic Sketching after Drawabox - and I actually mention it in a new version of the "What is Drawabox" video that I'm currently editing. Should be out tomorrow.

Good to know that more schools are including it in their offerings.

Uncomfortable in the post "(QUESTION) Change of different tiers"

2021-12-31 13:29

Yes, that is certainly an option available to patrons, and one that is regularly used. What happens is at the time of the increase, Patreon will charge them the difference between the old and new tiers, and the Drawabox system dispenses the difference in credits as well. In the case of your example, one would.be charges the difference of CA$6 and would receive one credit on the spot. Then going forward from the first of the next every subsequent month, they'd be charged the full CA$12 and receive 2 credits, until they change or cancel their subscription.

Uncomfortable in the post "Sketchbook question"

2021-12-30 21:58

Hahaha, oh yeah, printer paper is incredibly cheap.

Uncomfortable in the post "Can I use shadows for the plants with no details?"

2021-12-30 21:00

You can certainly draw the shadows cast by your constructed forms in those drawings. What we're leaving out of those drawings is any implication or consideration for the textural forms themselves - those are also conveyed using cast shadows, but what matters is the nature of the form casting the shadow, not the shadow itself.

Uncomfortable in the post "Sketchbook question"

2021-12-30 20:57

The point about draining ink was not in reference to sketchbooks, but to rougher paper (although most beginners have a tendency to grab sketchbooks with rougher paper intended for dry media like graphite and charcoal, so that issue still comes up).

Here's the part relating to sketchbooks:

I highly recommend using regular printer paper. It's a great size (A4, 8.5"x11") and will allow plenty of room to think through spatial problems (as you get smaller and more cramped, this can become a problem), it's not going to fold back over while you're drawing like a sketchbook might, and it's not going to leave you feeling afraid of ruining a sketchbook.

Uncomfortable in the post "Timing"

2021-12-30 17:07

I'm not sure if this question is specifically related to the lessons on Drawabox.com (for which this subreddit is reserved). If it's not, you may want to ask over on /r/learnart or /r/learntodraw instead.

In the context of Drawabox, we intentionally do not give students specific expectations of how long they should spend, as everyone's circumstances are different - between balancing jobs, families, and other commitments, not everyone has the same amount of time to commit. So, we simply ask that students commit as much time as they require to do each assigned exercise to the best of their current ability - not to strive for perfection at any cost, but to ensure that when they do submit their work for feedback, that they are submitting a body of work that gives the person critiquing them a good idea of where they are, what they understand, and what they don't.

Ultimately, only you are in a position to judge how much time is appropriate - although it is worth mentioning that endurance as well as patience are also things that develops over time, with beginners finding it difficult to commit very much towards the start, and gradually finding it easier as they keep at it.

As to the health issues, these will also be left to you to take into consideration, as generally speaking art instructors are not medical professionals who are equipped to weigh in on them. What I can say, however, is to give yourself the patience you deserve. You're embarking on a new journey, just starting out. Do not expect yourself to perform the way another who's been at it for years might, and give your health concerns the consideration they require.

Lastly, time-per-day is less important than the regularity with which you practice. It's better to practice 30 minutes every couple days, than 4 hours one day and then not again for weeks. Burnout is a real concern, and it happens more frequently when we try to push ourselves too hard, too soon, which will happen often if we compare ourselves to others without understanding their own situations as they compare to ours.

Long story short: it's better to not be hard on yourself, or to hold yourself to unreasonable standards. Focus on regularity rather than long bursts here and there, always remember that your journey is not a sprint, not even a marathon - but a long, cross-country trek.

Uncomfortable in the post "Is there any drawing method outside using Construction line?"

2021-12-30 16:58

This question, being more general in context, is probably better suited to /r/learnart or /r/learntodraw, as this subreddit is reserved for those working through the lessons on Drawabox.com, as explained here.

That said, Drawabox is a course that is highly focused on construction, but I can explain a little more about the way in which we use it to help answer your question. Construction is, above all else, an exercise. It is the process of breaking complex objects down into simpler forms, so those forms can be manipulated as needed, before building them back up on the page. In doing this exercise - which is a lot like having students solve a 3D spatial puzzle where they start with simple forms and gradually build up complexity by introducing new forms, and considering the way in which those additions relate to the existing structure in 3D space - the student is forced to develop the part of their brain that understands the things they draw as though they exist in a 3D world, which the page itself merely looks out upon like a window.

It's this capacity for spatial reasoning which will allow you to draw more freely, without relying on construction as strictly. Of course, construction is still very useful as a tool to solve complex spatial problems (when we can't quite figure out how to tackle a specific bit of foreshortening, for example), but it isn't strictly a technique that has to be used in your own illustrations.

Those you've linked have no doubt spent years developing their spatial reasoning skills (perhaps with construction, perhaps by other means), and are now more capable of just winging it as they see fit. This preliminary work also makes them far better suited to drawing from their imagination, or using reference more loosely (being able to make alterations to it so they don't need to find the perfect reference every time).

You can also think of it like the drills soccer players do, while not playing matches. Of course, they could develop highly precise control of the ball by only playing games, but doing so isn't terribly efficient - practicing drills outside of games helps develop their skills more effectively, and the same goes for drawing. You can just strive to draw what you see day in, day out, for years, and your abilities will certainly improve. It'll just take a while.

The other side of this is true as well - there are a lot of students who are so firmly focused on using construction in all cases (rather than primarily as an exercise) that they'll find themselves getting too stiff and locked up when trying to draw their own work.

I hope that clarifies things for you, but if it doesn't, be sure to ask over on /r/learnart or /r/learntodraw for alternative explanations.

Uncomfortable in the post "Can I use a compass for the ellipse to estimate the open lid in the 100 treasure chests challenge?"

2021-12-30 16:31

This would unfortunately only work for chests that are rotated so their side is facing the viewer head-on (or close to it), as that's where those ellipses would actually have a full degree of 90 (meaning a full circle). Outside of that orientation, it would no longer be accurate, and you'd be better off freehanding.

Uncomfortable in the post "Can I do the 100 treasure chests challenge and the 25 texture challenge at the same time?"

2021-12-30 13:11

Yep, that would be entirely acceptable. The main thing I don't want is for students to try to complete the texture challenge all at once, as the time in between the attempts is valuable for processing what you're learning about capturing textural forms. When we grind through the challenge, we focus too much on just getting it done.

Uncomfortable in the post "Art style question"

2021-12-30 13:09

Try asking this question over on /r/learnart or on /r/learntodraw. This subreddit is reserved specifically for those working through the lessons on drawabox.com, as explained here.

Uncomfortable in the post "Question about how to proceed"

2021-12-29 14:12

I think your best bet is to redo Lesson 1. If you're not planning on submitting your work for the official, paid critique, then doing 50 boxes and getting free community feedback on them via the discord should be okay. Normally for those submitting for the paid critique in your situation, we'd have them submit 50 new boxes in addition to the 250 so we can see current, up-to-date work reflecting the feedback they received for Lesson 1 (without having them redo the whole set), but since you mentioned that you don't have the original work, that would not be possible. Thus, if you are planning on using the paid critique, you'd have to do the full 250 over as well after getting your Lesson 1 work marked as complete, but if you're not 50 will be sufficient.

Uncomfortable in the post "Question : Barston method and books to learn how to gesture drawing and technical drawing."

2021-12-27 18:59

Try asking this question over on /r/learnart or on /r/learntodraw. This subreddit is reserved specifically for those working through the lessons on drawabox.com, as explained here.

Uncomfortable in the post "Failed rotated boxes. Moving on "

2021-12-27 15:57

This subreddit doesn't allow single exercises or partial work, as explained here. You can get feedback on individual exercises on the discord chat server though, and the folks there would be happy to help you out. For the subreddit, we're pushing students to post complete lesson work.

That said, your wishes have been noted, and I'll set my milk out on the counter for now, and put it in the freezer later.

There are three quick things I can recommend for this exercise:

This exercise is very difficult, and we do not expect students to actually be able to complete it successfully at this stage, but it is integral that students read through and follow the instructions as closely as they can, ensuring that they not skip any steps. Normally I would recommend that, as you stated, you just continue on from here, but in your case since you did miss some instructions, you may want to take one more swing at it before continuing on.

Uncomfortable in the post "Doing the course digitally?"

2021-12-27 15:51

You can read the reasoning behind the ink recommendation more in-depth in this article. It explains why the recommendation goes beyond just the ability to undo.