05-05-2015, 03:40 AM
Something that I found interesting and helpful is to keep your old work. Usually I want to toss it, but recently I found an old sketch I made of a model, and a more recent one (sketches made from the same photo), and I was surprised how much better the new one was (as I've been learning new techniques for drawing). I think it's also helpful if, after you achieve a new breakthrough or realization, to do an audit of your work, and see where your flaws were. Even if you only mentally take note them, you can see how you could have made it better.
As for instruction, reading books isn't as effective as watching a video of an artist teaching. And, it has to be someone who is top-notch in teaching (like Glen Villpu). If a teacher is talking too slow or has a nasal voice, then I don't even want to hear what they have to say because it's too frustrating. When I do try to learn from books, if there are diagrams or drawings in them, I will try a little quiz on myself. I'll try to draw that diagram from memory on my ipad, and then go back to the book to see if I remembered it correctly. This is a fun little exercise and super effective for committing to long-term memory.
As for instruction, reading books isn't as effective as watching a video of an artist teaching. And, it has to be someone who is top-notch in teaching (like Glen Villpu). If a teacher is talking too slow or has a nasal voice, then I don't even want to hear what they have to say because it's too frustrating. When I do try to learn from books, if there are diagrams or drawings in them, I will try a little quiz on myself. I'll try to draw that diagram from memory on my ipad, and then go back to the book to see if I remembered it correctly. This is a fun little exercise and super effective for committing to long-term memory.