Hello there! I made a pre demo and a post demo attempt of the pear (I used a different photo for each), It was interesting seeing the difference watching the demo made. I think the post demo drawing was a lot more successful, though I could have simplified more. Would love to hear some feedback if you have any, thanks!

I love cross contour.

Level 1:

My pear 😆 the paper I used was too thin so I couldn't do shading very well

Had the most fun doing an assignment since the dynamic shapes and rhythms days! I tried to implement what we learned in the shapes section and hoping to get some criticism about my shapes, too along with the contour thing. I am getting a bit confused at the spots where the contours are overlapping or changing (like the one I have marked in the first image). I am trying to imagine that surface but while drawing the contour lines, it somehow feels wrong. Any tips for that?

Here are my fist studies, which are charcoal on newsprint. I'm really loving these hand exercises, they're a lot of fun. The references are based on my own hand (one from a photo, and one from real life).

Shout out to @Patrick Bosworth ! Patrick’s Pentel Pocket Pen & Posca Paint Pen proposal has proven to be positively a practice in pure pleasure! #240528 Brush Pen maiden voyage.

Here’s my organic forms cross contour project.

Here is my attempt for this super fun project before watching the demo. Tried to study a bit more reference photo for each animal and did some level 2 practices only for the roosters (will do for other animals too on the other day). And the demo is super useful! Here are my main takeaways: 1. always be confident to your shapes, I found my drawings especially for hippos cares too much about "likeliness", but shapes focus on simplicity yet capturing the main characteristics, and are never about "likeliness". 2. use several simple shapes to construct complex shapes 3. use line weights to make the shape design look better, e.g. the eye socket should be lighter to the eye itself. 4. use small thumbnails to give a preview on your shapes.

For this assignment, I struggled with trying to match the proportions of the hat to the face. I tried to keep it simple while trying to challenge myself with certain features. With that, it lead me to have the hat a bit too big. I also had trouble with the eyes, the size, the placement and the shape. Had fun with this assignment, even while struggling with drawing daily! Any feedback would be great!

My submission for the Cross Contour on Organic Forms exercise.

In these dayss i don't have enough time to pratice, but if i can i will add some other animal before the deadline.

2 attempts. I dunno 🤷‍♀️

Here is my try on this. I tried to focus on movement and the overall shape but i think it’s easy to get distracted but details, like making the face look nice. Had to remind myself that it’s not the point of this.   I feel lost when it comes to the guiding the eye thing.

Jim Lee study

Walt Simonson study

Hey @matt barton! Nice start here! A few things to consider, the gesture is looking pretty stiff, the proportions could use some tweaking. First, gesture- Your character is stacked upright (almost right against your vertical head measurements) which makes him feel like he's standing up straight, balancing on a tight rope, or he's been caught and is surrendering. You can really push the centerline of the body into a fluid S curve for a more graceful flow to the body which sells an upward flying momentum. Same with the limbs, they're pretty straight and stiff, you can push more curve into the overall flow of the arms, and consider leaning on more asymmetric poses to add some more dynamics to your character. Proportionally the head is a little large for the chest/frame, and the legs and arms feel a little squat for "Heroic" proportions. Especially with the low angle you're viewing this character from you could lengthen the legs a bit to sell the idea that the figure is flying above the viewer. Take a look at "Heroic" proportions from Loomis and you can see the head stays relatively the same size, but the chest, hands, arms and legs are much bigger adding to the imposing presence. Another thing to consider is the overall storytelling of your pose/costume. The cape is a bit inactive, and the hands could tell more of a story. The open hands suggest a peaceful, welcoming character, but if this is a threatening or commanding character, you could use those hands to convey a sense of power and control over their surroundings. The cape is a dramatic element to include for a character and you can use that to also sell the idea of flight, power, and movement. I hope this helps! Keep up the good work! Looking forward to seeing this one cross the finish line!

I made this one with a different photo because I saw Stan's demo and I couldn't resist using the same measures as his. I did the project, compared my lines with the photo in PS, and then moved some of them.