MDravos' Sketchbook

[MDravos]

Hi there, 

I'm starting from "0" with Loomis' Fun with a Pencil. 
I draw only when I have free time, so don't expect a high frequency.

[MDravos]

I've finished all my tasks for today, it's already late here and I should've been in bed already. 
I had to stay a little longer, and do some doodles...

[darktiste]

Good idea to make the line smaller it easier to detected wobble on thin line or when you have problem connecting line.

Your circle are still bit fragile. It good to warm up before starting to draw but i understand if you don't have time.

Seem like you got 5 or 15 minute of drawing per day. So don't be surprise if the progress is slow and if impatience build up as exercise build up in the time necessary to be done.

What the drawing program or App you use?

I recommend to keep redoing the second drawing with the ball and the ball axis for a couple of day but you make the axis go all the way as if the ball is transparent. This a training in feel the form of a ball. The goal is not to end with the ball at the right but those that make a full ellipse around the form the reasoning behind that is that without the full movement your have to visualize the full ellipse that can prove difficult and that generally make the axis weakly wrap around the sphere. For now it more important that you get a better sphere than you get a better ellipse. So draw both ball and those ''transparent'' ball.

[MDravos]

Hmmm, I got your point
I'm using Krita, with a Wacom tablet, but to be honest, I was more of a traditional artist back then.
It was much easier to get geometric solids on pencil and paper than to do them here.

I think I'll watch some Krita videos, I've never used it before too.

Edit: I changed the tablet disposition on my table to get the circles from my shoulder instead of wrist and fingers, got a bit easier, but the lines are still wobbly.

[MDravos]

I've resumed with these...

[darktiste]

Gotta give you a point for being consistent about posting because otherwise you deprive yourself of any feedback and that not a good place to accelerate your learning.

You also showing a small increase in the quantity of drawing per post which is a nice thing sometime. I will always favor quality over quantity but there is also a point of perfectionism that can hurt so just be vigilante. Learning to understand what the point of what your doing can be more important than giving 110% every time because sometime you are more after a confirmation that you have assimilated the concept than you are after a finish product. Hitting a good ratio of finish project is important to understand how to problem solve in a longer project and being able to conduct your own study is an other skill.

A problem with book it very easy to follow or copy what inside but it a much different skill to internalize the concept and to be able to extrapolate new exercise that reinforce your growing fundamental. What book are great at is that they often offer a linear approach that make it more easy to digest the content they present but they are poor at pointing out your current visual limit and way to close the gap when you don't understand certain concept they have poorly elaborated on or just not touch on.

Fortunately for you it never been easier to ask for help may it be from a forum or having a Ai elaborate on certain concept.Personally i would rather rely on someone experience because they offer strategy and they can leave space to humanize your struggle which sometime is necessary to vent out frustration because that exchange create a opportunity to develop were vocabulary and it give use the opportunity to self reflect which i really believe is at the core of find out were weakness and strenght which inform us in were development.

[MDravos]

@darktiste

Thank you for the encouragement, I was thinking about it. 
I've used to enjoy drawing a lot, but before giving up I made an attempt of creating a project where I had to do a lot of drawings in another artist's style, and it made all the joy of drawing go away. I'm still not feeling it, You may notice I haven't tried to do anything besides these studies, not just because I'm kinda embarassed by the lack of quality, but because I'm still trying to get past this bad feeling.

Well, baby steps...

[darktiste]

Ok so you have pointy ellipse syndrome a common problem among returning artist and beginner. So instead of trying to make the ellipse come to a point you want to use a circular motion and become aware of the range of motion of the wrist and shoulder but you also want to experiment with different grip personally i find that a more dull pencil glide easier but it might not be the type of line your going after so you also have to become aware of the pressure you put on your pencil otherwise you might snap the end of the pencil if you use a graphite pencil.

I recommend to drop the ball exercise it a little more advance instead try to draw a cross and place a ellipse that is symmetrical like shown in the 3 picture . Also look for curvature of the curve it arc somewhat more rapidly on the side will it kinda speed up to the mid point and slow down as it approach the side of the ellipse. As your symmetry improve Try to draw different size and you can also change the orientation of the ellipse later on.

[MDravos]

I'm having a really hard time with Krita and the graphic tablet. 
I found a line stabilizer that helped with the wobbly lines you've mentioned before, maybe I should resume the studies on traditional medium while I take a small course on Krita as doing both at the same time is proving counterproductive.

[darktiste]

I mean i don't know how much you intend to draw with traditional medium. But like take for example the drill of drawing line repetitively the point is not to take a ruler that doesn't help you improve your accuracy and control.


A wobbly line is a beautiful thing it a normal stage of learning to draw freehanded thing get better as you practice. But the point is that just because you have a ruler or a tool doesn't mean you take it out for every opportunity you have. Honestly thing start to look stiff when everything is to straight and there is no straight line in nature sure if you want to draw mech or vehicle i would not discourage you from using those tool because they do require a level of perfection that you would not achieve without many years of experience.

As for learning krita and using a graphic tablet with the limited time you seem to have on your hand i would say it better for you to be able to draw with a pencil . I am just respecting the artistic tradition that as been pass down to us by the great and encouraging you to also go down that path just because i think it a great thing to ''disconnect'' a little bit whenever possible and i feel traditional art is somewhat even more magical in this day and age ... it something special to catch an artist at work but maybe you are not into performing for an audience in that case often it just the result that matter but for that you have to first be able to enjoy the process... but again tool are not suppose to take out the enjoyment of drawing and if it hurt you to see a wobbly line than who i am to tell you what to do the only person that gonna develop habit is you for the better or for the worst.