Wow, when I saw the title I thought : I'm going to skip that so fast... but then it turns out it's full of super good tips. Not to be missed!

Anyone else got jumpscared by the holy sound-effect? I was wearing headphones and it was kinda loud. Made me jump on my seat.

You could also use a small container to throw out sharps (like the razor blade). I use a small plastic container that used to contain bouillon cubes. You could tape up the blade, and then put it in a container to be extra safe. Toss the container when it is full.

Seems obvious, but I did not know I could just tear off the sandpaper off of those small paddles.

I use Razor blades to sharpen my pencils, every month I lose one or two razorblades so I open a new one. Its been like two years and I still can't find them not even one.

I keep finding my erasers melt the paint off of drawing pencils. It happened with all brands of erasers, the last offenders were prismacolors magic rub erasers . Anyone have good tips on how to clean them efficiently?

Two questions: 1) how do I empty the staedtler sharpener once it gets full? 2) is the hole on the bottom for storing the extra white bits?

Here are my HB, B, 3B 7B and charcoal pencil I sharpened with a knife. The tips look rough and unstable. Maybe I cut too much parts of the wood? Sharpening pencils is hard but sometimes I feel it's like meditating.

Using my trusty old Panasonic Sharpener to keep my pencils sharp

Will the Staedtler lead pointer work with all brands of 2mm clutch pencils?

Thank you for the video Stan. Can we use a sanding sponge block for sharpening the pencils, instead of sandpaper?

love sharpening!

Supplies and a lil bit of warm up exercises me and my sisters did

Stan knows his craft. Thank you, Stan, for another great video. I am thoroughly enjoying this course. You set clear expectations with the course description and outline and by explaining the difference between the free and premium benefits. For the students that missed this information, it is located on the Overview tab of the course homepage. Here is the course outline of topics: 1.      Materials 2.      Lines 3.       Shapes 4.      Perspective 5.      Intuitive perspective 6.      Values 7.      Edges As promised, Stan provided us with in-depth coverage of materials. I learned quite a bit of essential information here. However, for premium members, this course started with an exclusive episode of the Draftsmen podcast, “Advice for Beginners.” There was so much useful information packed into this hour-long video that I watched it multiple times. I also took notes. I feel as though many of the nay-sayers in the comments skipped or skimmed through this material. My first homework assignment was to be proactive. Sometimes students need explicit directions to prod them into action. It is best to read between the lines. Stan provided a curated list of books and resources in the lesson notes. Once I saw it, I knew this was not there to decorate the page. It was an implicit call to action for premium members. My first homework assignment was to watch every video and explore every book on the list. There was even an app for training your eyes! I filled up my first few weeks of the course with just this information block. I took notes. I practiced drills and warm-up exercises every day. Yes, some of this information is available for free for non-premium members. Who cares? Free or not free, that’s not the point of taking a course. The thumbnail image for “Advice for Beginners” says it all. A good teacher doesn’t hold your hand. He holds up the light and provides a curated experience from his knowledge and expertise. Learning is hard work, and students need to be proactive. Your homework. If you feel like the course has not started, return to the “Advise for Beginners” lesson notes. Rewatch the podcast. Take notes. Explore the curated list of books and resources, starting with the video “How to be a good student -Draftsmen S1E05.”  Take notes. Use the Eyes training app and practice drawing basic shapes for at least 30 minutes daily. Draw a perfect circle clockwise while saying, “wax on.” Draw a perfect circle counterclockwise while saying, “wax off.” Aim to draw a perfect circle with your eyes closed. Make drawing basic shapes effortless. Once you have done this homework, you are ready to watch lesson two, “Learning How to Draw,” again. Take notes. Read the Lesson Notes page carefully. There is another list of curated resources. Watch every one of these videos. Take notes and practice what these videos show you. Practice 30 minutes daily for at least a week or two while you digest this content. Do you see the pattern? Learning is hard work. Be proactive. Take responsibility.

Is it me or are the subtitles out of sync?

I’m having trouble with my downloads. It’s saying “access denied” to all of them.

Charcoal & Graphite pencils are freshly sharpened, and ready to draw. This was some simple gesture/form practice while also experimenting with values to see what I would come up with, and how it feels.

I’m a beginner and I just sharpened my stylus. Wait for it…..no I didn’t

There’s another way

I haven't got any of that sandpaper stuff, though I do look forwards to the first project tomorrow. I'll try and get it done soon as I can once it's up, might be a day or so because I also have mid years going on.