Crimson Daggers — Art forum

Hey everyone,

This will be my first post as a "Crimson Dagger" so I apologize if this isn't exactly the most correct place to post these concerns.

How do I increase study effectiveness?
I know that it is paramount to always be studying and sort of comprehending the elements of the images you're studying from. So how do I properly take as much as possible from the image? Do I simply look at it, paint it, and pray that everything subconsciously sinks in? Or do I constantly ask myself, "Well, why does that look like that?" and try to put what I learned into an imaginative piece right after the study?
Now that I type this out, the answer seems pretty fucking obvious.. ha ha
But, I mean.. I wake up, paint, and go to bed. I'm a 19 year-old whose social life has completely vanished, ha ha. So my concern is that I am not utilizing the time I have wisely.

How do you guys go about applying the things you learn from your studies?

Is this forum still active?

Quick answer to "how to get more from studies" :
Apply it.
Don't study for studying, do it when you need to learn something,
For example if you're painting a knight in shining armor, spending some time first looking and trying to reproduce real armor, and then back to your own painting apply what you remember.
You'll forget more if you don't solidify by applying right after a study.
Doing that process over and over will make it easy

Asking yourself why things look the way they do is a good habit.

But having a social life at 19 is more important than learning how to study. :D

Thank you, man! I'll get in the habit of that! :)

I have done a lot of research on that if i can say that.
http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-4107.html
http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-3-page-7.html
http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-3-page-8.html

Dude... Dark. You've just saved my life, hahah. Thank you so much.