Second round of level 1 thumbs. I took some of the thumbs from my first round and played with value range, cropping, and adding shapes. A lot of fun. It is amazing how a single reference can seed so many compositions. I'm including round 1 as well to have both rounds in the same post.

My level 1. Did not play with cropping. Used digital because much easier. Did not have anything in mind for each thumb. Just tried to be different for each one.

I’ve got some big news! My family just welcomed our third child! It was a bit of an early surprise, but we’re all doing great. Basics students - With this change, the next three months might run a little differently. I’ve built up a backlog of content to keep things moving, but there might still be an occasional gap. If a week goes by without new material, just know it’s temporary. Things will get back to normal soon. Thanks for your patience as I adjust to life with three kids and gives some attention to my little one. In the meantime, keep practicing, revisit older lessons, or share your progress with the community. I appreciate all of you. Thanks for being such a supportive group!

Level 2. My backyard at three different times of the day.

My first attempt at level 1. Digital blurring helped. But I can still simplify more than I did. Struggled with the railing in the Norman Rockwell. Finally went with the lightest value.

level 1. This was difficult. Did it twice. Once with rougher paper and once with smoother paper. My first attempt looks better to me. I tried to start very light on the second attempt but still ran out of dark as I moved up the scale.

With a little help from my friend, @mcminnjesse , I have made a little progress. I followed the same process I had been using for the first two drawings. 1. glance at the reference and then draw 2. look at the reference for one minute and then draw. But the third attempt from memory (rather than just look at the reference for two minutes) was after breaking down the forms (physical and mental effort) and then trying to draw from memory.

Is there a prize for being the worst at this game? This is level 1 game 1.

Wow. That was hard. This is embarrassing and a bit funny. Also interesting that I got the angle (perspective) better on my second try as opposed to my third. I guess because I was thinking less about detail. (This is level 1, game 1 - draw from memory)