11-25-2014, 01:34 AM
The forms are slowly starting to read better. These things take time, don't expect to "see" improvement from one study to the next. I've always found that improvement comes in sudden jolts, often after you've changed subject matter for a while.
So what I'd suggest doing is maybe spend 30-60 each mins drawing skulls from different angles and lighting setups a day for a week. Do that as a warmup for maybe 2-3 hours a day. Then try doing 1 or 2 from memory without looking at reference. A strong sense of shadow shapes will develop when you have to do it from memory, since those shapes are basically the simplified version of the actual forms. After you've done that for a week, change subject matter. You can spend a whole year drawing the same thing over and over again, and maybe that's the way to go for you. But I've always found that I learn more when I change topics often. You'll pick up little techniques and ideas that you can bring over to your skull studies, and hopefully see some change.
Most importantly is to be patient and persistent. Draw/paint everyday, even if some days you can only manage 20 mins. Keep the ball rolling but change it up from time to time, so your brain can absorb the information. When you eat, do constantly stuff your face with the same meal 24 hours a day, or do you break it up, vary what you eat and allow yourself to digest?
So what I'd suggest doing is maybe spend 30-60 each mins drawing skulls from different angles and lighting setups a day for a week. Do that as a warmup for maybe 2-3 hours a day. Then try doing 1 or 2 from memory without looking at reference. A strong sense of shadow shapes will develop when you have to do it from memory, since those shapes are basically the simplified version of the actual forms. After you've done that for a week, change subject matter. You can spend a whole year drawing the same thing over and over again, and maybe that's the way to go for you. But I've always found that I learn more when I change topics often. You'll pick up little techniques and ideas that you can bring over to your skull studies, and hopefully see some change.
Most importantly is to be patient and persistent. Draw/paint everyday, even if some days you can only manage 20 mins. Keep the ball rolling but change it up from time to time, so your brain can absorb the information. When you eat, do constantly stuff your face with the same meal 24 hours a day, or do you break it up, vary what you eat and allow yourself to digest?