Taylor's Sketchbook of Patterns and Progress.

[Einver]

hey dude, your dedication is great ! one thing i'd say that hited me is not a matter of skills, but more in a matter of concentration/ understanding of what you do ! you must try to be fully concentrated, and think about what you see before putting any stroke, and especially for this one http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/attachme...?aid=17802 which lacks of volume and edges control ! i suggest you to read alla prima, from richard schmid, as well as creative illustration from loomis, the best 2 books i ever read and reread ! concerning your creative stuff , i find your compositions kinda lacks of direction, i don't understand where you're trying to lead us, check out some composition rules that can help you, also do tons of thumbnails, it's gonna help ! And i always finish my posts by telling that you must draw a lot dude ! until your hands bleed ! it's so much important, but most peoples spend their time painting instead of drawing, which would actually make painting easier too ..... anyway, keep it uuuuup dude !!

Thanks for the critique-- pretty overwhelming, but that's probably because I'm lacking deeply in many fundamental areas and am combating depression as I type this.

Concentration is key, I agree...But it's best used in conjunction with building a mental library and pure rote practice. These factors must intermix if one is to create illustrious and vivid works. A beginner with all the concentration in the world still lacks the neural connections that someone who's been drawing for years can deploy. "Skill" is Myelin-- a natural substance that wraps itself around neurons to increase the speed that that the body and the brain can communicate. This alacrity is key to everything we do, including creative endeavors.

I've read alla prima, but I had a hard time absorbing it. I'll give it another read.

As for the Loomis book, I'll give that a shot too.

Concerning composition: I only recently have been able to delve deeper into compositional keys thanks to Gurney's Book "Imaginative Realism." I don't know where else I'll be able to find compositional fundamentals or keys and read/practice them. I'll do more thumbs though.

As far as drawing goes, I draw daily...I've given myself tendinitis and mild carpal tunnel a couple times haha.

**EDIT** reading creative ilustration by loomis and I'm learning paramount information that no other source has been able to bestow upon me thus far. I just want to give an additional thanks, Kik, because this book is gold.