Hi Andy, This stuff's hard so don't beat yourself up on it! The most important thing you can do to improve is keep having fun doing it, whatever that means to you. All of these ideas like construction, rhythm, etc. are very important to understand, but at the end of the day they are simply tools, a means to an end. It really does take a lot of practice and time to really understand these tools in a way that you can use them freely and loosely, but be assured they are not meant to be constraining or rigid. Especially in the beginning you have to embrace the fact that most of your drawings are not going to be 'good'. A lot of the work even very good artists make is not their best. But all of these failures are really valuable learning experiences. If you draw a figure and you're not happy with it, that's ok. Try to be aware and observe what could be better the next time. The goal here is not to make the best drawings anyone's ever seen, but to steadily test your understanding, improve your weaknesses, and ingrain your strengths. I took a class with the sculptor Simon Lee and he said something along the lines of "I am not trying to make an amazing sculpture, I'm trying to make a better artist." And as you might imagine, that kind of thinking has lead him to make some amazing sculptures! Hope that helps, keep up your hard work!

I have a friend that I have been helping on another forum. I'll suggest to you what I suggested to him: Start a sketch thread. Progress in drawing happens slow. So slow that it's hard to see improvement from one drawing to the next. The feeling of being on a plateau is persistent. Even I feel it at this very moment. But over months and years, you will see the difference if you keep working at it. Whenever my friend gets caught up in the feeling like he isn't making progress, all I ever have to do is tell him to go look at the first page of his sketch thread, and every time he feels better because he can see how far he has come. Another way of stating this is how I feel about my own art when I finish something. I think, "It's all right, but could be better." I feel this way pretty much every single time. But when I look back on something I've done, say ten years ago, I can see all the mistakes that weren't obvious to me in the moment. I can see that I've gotten better. The best we can hope for is proof that our studies are paying off. The time horizon for that, however, is months and years, not days and weeks. Be patient, and keep at it. You're on the right track.

Hey Andy, I hear you, I get days like that too where no matter what I do the lines just don't do what I want them to do. The best thing I have found recently is to do a few minutes of warmup lines on a page. A whole bunch of S C and I marks just to loosen up before a session. Only take 2 minutes and it makes a difference in the confidence of my lines. Here are 2 example pages. Hope that helps. Keep it up you are doing great.

Hey andy, sorry to hear that today didn't feel the best for drawing. I reccomend ways to make it possibly feel more enjoyable but sometimes people need breaks and come back to it fresh and enthusiastic. Some tips for making it more enjoyable though. -use overhand grip, tripod grip can feel a bit clunky at times. -draw big on large pieces of newsprint. It gets your whole body into it. -look into other techniques such as the reilly rhythms. New approaches can spark the motivation to learn and energise you. Hope all goes well