This was my first time doing master studies. They can be very challenging, especially as my arm/line control isn't quite there yet, but also very informative. They give you perspective on what techniques are possible, and experience practicing them. In particular, the Jeff Watts bone sketch I referenced really challenged me to use a wide range of lines (thickness, value, edge). One funny thing was that it was so difficult that I had a "scratch paper" right next to my sketch to practice certain lines while drawing. (Shown in pic. 5) Overall though, I really enjoyed it. Source: The first master study was based on the "3 Epic Sketchbook Tours with Jeff Watts" video on Proko (Timestamp at 6:58: https://youtu.be/rcXULV7G9ZU?feature=shared&t=418) And the second was based on the "Audrey Hepburn drawing" video by David Malan. (Timestamp at 12:55. Link: https://youtu.be/BxDn_atsYrM?feature=shared&t=775)

The first 2 pictures are the before and after for Hierarchy of importance, the latter are for Shadow. This time, I really tried to go crazy with the line thickness because, if not now, then when? That led me to realize a few things: In general: Thick outlines, especially with variation in width, look awesome. I know it's too early to talk about style, but I'm definitely incorporating them at some point because they look great and add so much character and information to a piece. For shadows: I can understand the main ideas (darker/thicker for areas in shadow, thickness/softness of shadow based on contrast/form), but I'm a little unsure about the, "high contrast = dark" approach. It doesn't seem as intuitive, because high contrast lines now look the same as dark area lines, but maybe this will make more sense when shading is involved. For hierarchy of importance: Since there's so many different ways something could be important, I took notes and make a list of some things you could highlight: 1) Focal points: The most interesting/important things in the scene. 2) Moving parts, especially if they're fast or towards the viewer. 3) Parts doing something: gripping, pressing, flexing, etc. E.g. body parts like legs, as even if it's just standing, they're under tension/carrying weight. 4) Lines that make up a large shape. (This is because if it makes up a large part of what you're drawing, it's could be more important than smaller details.) 5) Subconscious/Body focal points: Eyes, mouth, hands, etc. (Maybe originates from body language?) 6) Parts that stick out. Horns, spikes, ears, tails. etc. (Going from thick at the tip to thin/light at the base really emphasizes the shape and adds direction.) 7)...And many more. As a fun exercise, I then tried to look up artists I knew, break down their thought process, and see when each rule applied. It helped me discover other reasons for emphasis, helped the lesson sink in, and appreciate their art more.

Contour/hierarchy of importance was nice and intuitive. There's a similar idea in game design, where you put outlines on interactables or what's important, to draw the eye. The reassurance that you can go with your gut when deciding what to prioritize was nice to hear. Shadow was more difficult. I initially made lines in shadow, darker. But, I remembered that lines themselves can represent thin shadows. So I then had to decide when to make lines dark in lit areas. Plus, shadows can naturally transition from dark to light, so practicing that pressure control to make gradients was tricky but rewarding.

Here are my warmups. Most fun: Line skating. Most difficult: Tie between "Light, medium, dark" and "Connect the Dots"

Here a progression across 4 days. This warmup was a lot more challenging than I predicted. You can tell that my arm was super imprecise initially and the pressure control was not there. But by keeping up with it, I think you can see an improvement "on average" on each sheet. For what it's worth, I've lowered my mouse sensitivity so I can practice arm muscle memory by just using my PC, and after this exercise I feel ~15% more precise, lol.

Using a lighter pencil for the initial sketch stage is something I'll try going forward; you can see that I used a dark pencil (2B) for all steps of the drawing, and so: 1) Lines couldn't be fully erased, making the final product messier. 2) I was more hesitant to put lines down. So things took much longer. Overall I took 4 hours on the boots and 1 on the snail. I think with sketching lightly, I'll be able to get the basic form down, and figure out where the key proportion landmarks are faster. Also, drawing large is a good challenge. (The second snail picture, I made to further try to simplify the image into C, S, and I curves, but also drew significantly smaller, making things easier.)

Here's my pear: One thing that is very tricky is pencil control. Like: 1) Shading a region and ending up with a clean rectangle without scribbly edges. 2) Shading an exact value. ... are both pretty tricky, and you can tell I kind of cheated the edges by drawing them, as otherwise I would get a blurry transition. Here's to improving fine motor control both in my wrist and my arm, haha.