01-20-2017, 07:53 PM
Heya welcome to the forums , and to starting your new sketchbook! I like that you are thinking about small daily goals as well as longer term ones. One observation I have had from experience and I sense in your post, is that you have a long road ahead and lots to do and listing them all is overwhelming. Almost too overwhelming. I felt overwhelmed just reading it.
I would suggest starting very simple but focused. Plan maybe a week or two at a time in advance and see if that works for you. Keep your deadlines and accountability simple. For example, say you will draw 2 hours a day regardless of when/where by what time. If you can handle that fine, then perhaps you can start refining it more. Posting on sketchbooks is a good idea; does it need to be daily?, probably not, but if that's your little reward or goal post then fine.
Making it simpler, gives you flexibility but still has a clear achievable goal. I would also say start to be more granular with your goals once you're comfortable you've developed a consistent drawing habit. "Improving perspective" is not really a good goal. It's too broad. Start to research and break it down into actual defined actions such as doing 3 1pt perspective drawings that day . Same goes for all other areas. Figures...anatomy, maybe it's leg week, or heads, or proportions etc. You might not like to work this rigidly, I know I didn't, and that's fine, just tailor it to what works for you, but be focused and clear what your study aims are.
You want to do so many different things long term, which is fairly normal, but they are so widely ranging that I feel it is going to be a stretch to try and hit them all well. I don't want to be a downer, but it may be better to as you go start to narrow down a bit at first on what you want to get into when you start professionally. One can always branch out after that, but if you try and shotgun everything at once, it's a recipe for disaster.
Personal projects are different, those can be started any time and I recommend doing them no matter your skill level. Just keep them small and pick only one at time.
From your first sketches I would say you definitely need to focus on those fundamental skills, basic drawing in perspective, form, anatomy, values etc. It shouldn't all become about study because I think that is dangerous too, but I think a decent focus will bring those skills up.
Check out drawabox.com for some really great free exercises.
Dorien Iten's gumroad packages,
Loomis / Villpu / Steve Huston / proko's YT channel/ Others swear by Hogarth and Michael Hampton for anatomy and figures. Bridgeman for when you get more advanced
Search for the study schedule thread here on the forums. People posted their (often too crazy) study schedules and experiences, which might be interesting or useful to you.
It's a shame your university was so rubbish at giving you the skills necessary, but you can definitely do it on your own if you do one thing and one thing only, and that is always love the process of doing art whatever you might be working on.
I was entirely self taught while working full time in non art related job, and I am now full time freelancing, and others have similar stories. It can be done, just takes dedication and passion.
Good luck!
I would suggest starting very simple but focused. Plan maybe a week or two at a time in advance and see if that works for you. Keep your deadlines and accountability simple. For example, say you will draw 2 hours a day regardless of when/where by what time. If you can handle that fine, then perhaps you can start refining it more. Posting on sketchbooks is a good idea; does it need to be daily?, probably not, but if that's your little reward or goal post then fine.
Making it simpler, gives you flexibility but still has a clear achievable goal. I would also say start to be more granular with your goals once you're comfortable you've developed a consistent drawing habit. "Improving perspective" is not really a good goal. It's too broad. Start to research and break it down into actual defined actions such as doing 3 1pt perspective drawings that day . Same goes for all other areas. Figures...anatomy, maybe it's leg week, or heads, or proportions etc. You might not like to work this rigidly, I know I didn't, and that's fine, just tailor it to what works for you, but be focused and clear what your study aims are.
You want to do so many different things long term, which is fairly normal, but they are so widely ranging that I feel it is going to be a stretch to try and hit them all well. I don't want to be a downer, but it may be better to as you go start to narrow down a bit at first on what you want to get into when you start professionally. One can always branch out after that, but if you try and shotgun everything at once, it's a recipe for disaster.
Personal projects are different, those can be started any time and I recommend doing them no matter your skill level. Just keep them small and pick only one at time.
From your first sketches I would say you definitely need to focus on those fundamental skills, basic drawing in perspective, form, anatomy, values etc. It shouldn't all become about study because I think that is dangerous too, but I think a decent focus will bring those skills up.
Check out drawabox.com for some really great free exercises.
Dorien Iten's gumroad packages,
Loomis / Villpu / Steve Huston / proko's YT channel/ Others swear by Hogarth and Michael Hampton for anatomy and figures. Bridgeman for when you get more advanced
Search for the study schedule thread here on the forums. People posted their (often too crazy) study schedules and experiences, which might be interesting or useful to you.
It's a shame your university was so rubbish at giving you the skills necessary, but you can definitely do it on your own if you do one thing and one thing only, and that is always love the process of doing art whatever you might be working on.
I was entirely self taught while working full time in non art related job, and I am now full time freelancing, and others have similar stories. It can be done, just takes dedication and passion.
Good luck!