Keep on keeping on; proportions and faces are good for me to do, and so I will continue to incorporate this exercise regularly.

I let fear and intimidation creep in and I felt ill-prepared to do a sketch by completely eyeballing; so I checked my work as I progressed, measuring as I went; then eyeballing, correcting, etc. That effort is the first sketch. I then reviewed Stan doing the Demo- Eyeballing proportions video, and felt inspired to try even if I 'failed'; so I did the second sketch by eyeballing only. My skill with eyeballing is low but I have to start somewhere. I felt good about making the effort for that 100% eyeball. Generally those eyeball shapes are 1.25 - 1.3 times bigger, though the facial details are closer to correct proportion. I have another sketch of a man that I did with a similar combo of eyeball/correct with measure/eyeball/ correct with measure that I will now do a 100% eyeball effort. Then in future I will start with eyeball only and then do the second one with corrections as I go.

Well I really wanted to make an improvement from the first (on left) to the second (on the right). I did better with using straights, the proportions are ok in some places but maybe not so much in others and the axis/angle of the face is completely wrong. I do not have photoshop or other digital software to create an overlay of my sketch to check. It is unlikely I will develop that skill anyway at this time, if ever honestly. But I can see clearly how off it is. If anyone has other methodologies to check the work that is not using digital, please share.

Did this reference photo a second time and I am more satisfied with my mindset, approach and the outcome with it. It was quite a challenge and I see that this will take some time for me to develop this skill.

This assignment was very challenging for me. Even as I followed the how-to that Stan did, I struggled. And my ability to eyeball without any kind of measurement is very undeveloped. I corrected over and over as I went along. It took well over an hour to lay it in initially; I had a bit better of a time with creating the shapes, and then, creating the shapes/detail for the face was, again, challenging. I will not be discouraged by this, she said hopefully.

As a beginner who tended to draw lines, I found this exercise a bit of an awakening. Still seeking confidence in drawing lines, I now seek to develop confidence in seeing and designing shapes. I did my set of animals twice, the second time after viewing all the videos. I sought to simplify the second time. And maybe I did some. I was challenged with designing shapes to create a new look to my creatures. The challenge was akin to drawing from the imagination exercise earlier in the course. In any case, it was fun and even though I could hang back to continue to develop confident lines and shapes, I post this and will move on in the course and seek to develop confidence as I go. I am motivated to get better. Comments welcome.

Admittedly, I did not follow the directions initially...to create simple shapes for each image. I locked in on the word "shapes" and began to sketch, starting with the chicken, then the hippo and lastly, the bull. I then listened to the demo video and had to shake my head at myself about not hearing the word 'simple'. In any case I love working with shapes, knowing I still need to simplify even when I was aware they need to be simple. I look forward to continuing this project for another 5-10 animals. Then and only then, will I see about doing the Level 2 project. (The first image of each critter is Before-Demo viewing and the second image is After Demo viewing.)

I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the work of a number master artists for this project. I had never done such a review. After a number of hours of doing so, I went back and selected a botanical piece by Leonardo DaVinci, a still life by Albrecht Durer and a wildlife sketch of a cougar by Aaron Blaise to study. I enjoyed studying the lines and then creating them in my own sketch. I am so enthralled by this activity of studying Masters, I have just ordered a book that Stan recommends via his podcast and website, Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters by Hale. Undoubtedly I will do more of these studies as I develop my skill and style.

I wanted to experiment with line weight using depth and form using a landscape scene for my first time doing it because those at the scenes I would like to eventually do, and it seemed like it would be 'easier' for the decision making process. I chose a landscape from an Krazy Kat cartoon created by George Herriman, a very popular cartoon in its day. I look forward to using this method with other elements in future sketches.

I have rather enjoyed experimenting with line weight. And so did this one depicting the sun from the upper left/backside. I would like to develop my skill using light and shadow because I would like to do landscapes and this seems to be an essential component.