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.

Can someone point me to a video on body posture for drawing? I’m having trouble getting comfortable while sitting and drawing. I don’t draw as well while standing.

A page from my sketchbook

Images from “Portraits” this morning. Started with red and blue erasable pencil crayon (love them and they don’t smudge!) then gone over with 3 values of marker and pencil crayons erased.

Very informative, especially for beginners. Thank you, Stan. I have found it beneficial to practice drawing basic shapes while waiting for more complex assignments. It can get boring, so I tried using some warmups from Peter Han's "Dynamic Bible" to make things interesting.

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 used the pencil brush in Adobe Fresco with only minor changes in the brush settings. My main challenge using this medium was figuring out the best pen pressure sensitivity and flow settings to control the marks' value on the screen. I also used the pencil brush as an eraser. I have an Asian pear tree in my garden, so I chose this variety. I am still level 1, but I hope this class will help me level up!