#206 - This Prevented Me From Drawing!
The 30-running average was a fun game: it challenged me to go over that time every day.
But there was a problem with that.
At the beginning of the day, I’d first consider whether I’d have enough time to draw to reach that average. I didn’t want to lower that average too much by drawing too little that day.
As days not drawn were not included in the statistics, this caused me not to draw on some days to avoid bringing the average down.
Sometimes, it’s a good idea to take a step back and analyze how you feel about a particular aspect of your process, considering whether you want to make a change.
I was afraid to ruin the average, and that caused me not to draw on busy days when it was likely I’d not be able to put in as much time as on other days.
I was optimizing for hours drawn per day, and as a result, I was drawing fewer hours in total. I should instead focus on the total time drawn and use even any five to ten-minute pocket I have in a day to draw.
This is a long-winded way of saying that I removed the 30-day running average, as it was counterproductive.
If there are parts in your process that are holding you back from drawing, then take a step back and analyze how you feel about things, and then make changes to your process. You may not be inspired to draw the things you are drawing at the moment. Or maybe you think you have to post the results online, and that’s causing you not to start worrying about how your art will be received. Or perhaps you are afraid to “ruin” the sketchbook? Or you worry about people looking over your shoulder while you draw, and maybe you’re afraid they will look just at the moment when a drawing is failing.
These and other reasons can prevent you from drawing. Detect these reasons and these feelings, and find ways to circumvent them.
Warning: NSFW images ahead!
Various Extruded Shape Forms
I added 3D models to relevant warm-ups in the flashcards system. I realized that it's useful to practice drawing 3D forms from observation first before trying to draw them from imagination. For that, I had to create extra pages that combine several different models. This is an example page that groups all extruded shape form models, so when you click on the dice icon, you can get different types of extruded shape forms to practice drawing from observation.
The above model comes with this warm-up . As you can see on that page, you can play with the relevant 3D models directly.
Four New Warm-Ups
I added four new warm-ups to the flashcards system.
Thi is the Rotated Boxes On The Floor warm-up. It comes with a 3D model that a reader requested:
Here is the new Bending, Twisting, Squeezing, And Stretching Primitive Forms warm-up. This comes with it's own 3D models for practice. Click on the dice icon to get different deformed primitive forms.
Boxes placed against each other. Which, of course, also comes with a 3D model.
And here's a warm-up for stacked extruded shapes , which come with their 3D model based on this single extruded shape.
The idea behind the warm-ups was initially to have exercises that improved the accuracy with which you could place a line. The exercise after that, the memory drawing exercise, was designed to enhance your instincts and your ability to judge where the line needed to go.
This has changed a bit. The warm-ups now also include drills where you manipulate 3D forms and move them through space. This does both: it trains your line accuracy but also trains your intuition.
The warm-ups are distinctly different from the second part, which requires reference. To do the warm-ups, you don’t need a reference, and you can immediately see where things are wrong and use that in a feedback loop to improve.
Working from reference is essential. We need to study what things look like and fill our visual library. Plus, the warm-ups get boring after a while, and this is supposed to be fun!
Muybridge Plate #252
This is one slide from a sequence of eight slides where this woman kneels to clean the floor. You see her doing it step by step, from three angles. It's highly useful to see actual poses, to see how people actually move. Click on the image to go through the slides.
Eadward Muybridge Plates!
I started incorporating the Eadward Muybridge plates into the website! It's a lot of work but very much worth it.Muybridge Plate #244
This is one slide from a sequence of eight where this woman seats herself down and pours herself a glass of water. You see the real life motion, step by step, and from three different angles! Click on the image to go through the slides.
His work was ground-breaking. For the first time, we could see how horses actually moved! It was a revelation.
Muybridge Plate #387
It's highly useful to see actual poses, to see how people actually move. Click on the image to go through the slides.
You can see some examples around this text. You can also click on the images and you will be taken to that Muybridge plate, or you can click here to go to a page where you can choose one of the Muybridge sequences .
A fun game you can do is to imagine what a pose looks like from another angle and to draw that from imagination. You have the photo reference to compare it against, to see how well you did.
But, looking at a pose, you can also start to try to imagine what the pose will look like a second later. For that, too, you have the photo reference.
Muybridge Plate #290
Many movements have only been recorded from one angle or two. But it's people in motion! Click on the image to go through the slides.
Maybe all we need is a user experience revolution to make the information easier to access.
As you can see if you look at what I made of it, you can click through slides where you see the same pose from two or three angles at the same time. It's fun to see the movement, and to control stepping through it.
Yours sincerely,
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