Not sure I'll finish the portrait as I'm not feeling confident that my skills are there yet especially after doing the pear. :) Felt like the further I went the worse it got. I found myself wanting to blend the lines for smoother transitions. Much harder than anticipated.

Not the best paper to do this on, but I went with it. Limited the number of pencils to try.

It's hard not to get disappointed when you're so excited to start a paid course, especially when the first 4 chapters have been put on YouTube for free. However, this is where patience really comes in to play in a world where everything is about instant gratification. These things can't be rushed and by being forced to wait a whole week for another video it gives me a chance to become really comfortable with old and new tools alike. It's been fun and, in the end, I know it will be worth it and I'll be a better artist for it. Surely there is a Chinese proverb for this, eh? :) Thanks for the new video!

A few Daily sketch doodles. Never have used Col-Erase colored pencils before to sketch with...kind of liking it. Keeping the sketches pretty basic right now by either drawing something off my desk or basic shapes. Note to self: really need to work on perspective. Happy Hump Day!

Egg practice Though I am drawing digitally, I work hard to restrict my options so that I don't hurt my learning progression. I disabled my undo shortcut, use a simple brush tool (pencil), and I try not to change the zoom level while drawing. I am not sure if these limitations are enough to overcome the benefits of using pencil and paper to improve drawing skills. I hope so. I suppose I can compare an egg drawing I do on paper with this digital drawing, though I am not sure that is a valid skill test. Any thoughts?

I've had this spiral sketchbook since 2015 and only used it twice as I didn't particularly like the paper then. However, for this course it's perfect! I wanted to try different pencils on the paper to see what works and what didn't. Of course, I didn't throw my whole arsenal at it, but enough to give me more of an idea. I rarely, if ever, use charcoal...so 1/4 way through his fur I started using a woodless charcoal pencil. I hate that graphite and charcoal are not friends. :( I gave myself an hour to complete this drawing so I wouldn't try and be perfect and just be looser about it. I didn't get to finish it, but that's ok. :) At 430am this morning I decided to draw something from my desk and since I love penguins and I picked up this adorable fuzzy pen penguin, I thought why not? Charcoal pencil actually worked great on this paper which was quite surprising. I even used a little of the Mars Lumograph black on the fuzzy hair...haven't got to experiment with them a whole lot as they are supposed to reduce graphite shine. Like a cross between charcoal and graphite. I may experiment with that next. My apologies for being wordy this morning. Ha Have a great creative weekend everyone!

This lesson described my drawing anxiety exactly! I have been fantasising about drawing for years but always been so embarrassed and inhibited by my inexperienced efforts that I have given up repeatedly. My greatest hope for this course is that it gives me courage. My passive learning in the last 4 years has already paid dividends - I have learnt how to SEE better- but nothing replaces the sheer graft required to really improve. .....the binge watcher on the sofa....that was me.... In the spirit of bravery....here is a photo of two self portraits. The one on the left was done 4 years ago. I am currently still working on (and experimenting and exploring with) the one on the right..... Having made substantial improvements and changes even since this photo, it feels stressful to post this but while I always feel acutely aware of my deficiencies in drawing, I am also SO PROUD of how much progress I've made so far without instruction. So this is me.....reaching out to fellow (quietly self-disparaging and discouraged) learners.....let's hold fast and trust the process together. XXX

Hi I recently finished the figure drawing course. Im hoping in this course I can finally learn how values work. I want to learn how to draw better from imagination. This sketch will be my benchmark since I have drawn this from imagination too. Im ready!!!

I originally started out doodling references from a library book for fun, then I got interested in the lighting for some of the other photos and did quick little studies. I switched to traditional for one last study before bed, I hope to keep up this momentum throughout the course!!

I think I'll be doing the course mostly in analog for now, I do have a tablet, but currently I enjoy the tactile feeling of drawing with pencil. Got myself a few fineliners as well to try out. I guess Ill be adding a few things as we progress through the course, but holding back on buying the markers. Tried out shading a sphere with my materials and then doodling a bit from imagination (castle on the floating islands) and did a sketch of my hand. I need to develop my patience, since I tend to go too fast and the result is of course shetchy rather than 'polished'.

First time I saw a swan in my mothers home town and I ended up drawing it. And first time using the staedtler 2mm. I bought them for this course. :)

I swear I felt this video was tailored just for me in the beginning up to "The Spiral of Death"! lol Glad I wasn't drinking my coffee. I'll probably watch it again to remind myself those exact things.

My pear may be a bit wonky as I have a tendency to freehand everything, but thought I'd go for it and give the pear a try. :). It's definitely not as easy as one would think. sheesh. Spent about 1 1/2 hours and thought I'd quit before I over did it. Maybe I didn't go far enough. P.S. Not sure why it's saying "Asked for Help" Obviously I'm hitting the wrong button...sorry. :(

I'm keeping it pretty basic right now, only done with 2B pencil. Finally had some time to sit down and it feels soooo good. Some things I want to work on is I'm really uptight when drawing. I know I could do so much better if I just relax and let it all flow. Been working on holding my pencil better and drawing from my shoulder. I'm a bit older and so my eyesight gets strained easily and my hands aren't as steady as they used to be, but all that aside... Drawing is life and life is creating, growing and doing everything in my power to be the best I can, have fun and stop being my own worst critic. Let's do this. Never too old to learn. :) Also included some of my supplies....going to order a few things on the list I don't have.

whoa, what are all these pears and portraits? Are we supposed to draw them already, before the beginning of the course??? I can't believe I'm late for something AGAIN, even before it began :'(

It’s so difficult to understand all the nuances in a human face! Sometimes is just “put some random lines in the paper and pray it works!”

If anyone is interested in a study group, I can start a discord server were we can follow along with the course as the lessons come out. Comment below and I can shoot you an invite. *Edit* Sorry, not as discord savvy as I thought I was. I'll need you to friend request me, and then I can send you the invite link (has to be friends only). My code: Other Barry#8117