Hello Luca! Fellow drawing basics student here, and these are my two cents regarding your question. My short answer is this: I think the most important aspect is to make sure you are paying attention to each lesson and don’t just go trough the motion in an attempt to get this done quickly. Whether you should take actual written notes or take mental notes instead depends, I think, on your learning style. For example, I don’t take written notes while watching the lessons, but I do each project at least 3 times: - once after the initial project video (without watching any sort of demos); - again after watching the demo, where I pay attention to what I was doing differently; - and a third time after watching the critiques. I allocate at least a full day for each attempt. This way, I make sure to give myself enough practice to understand the concepts presented in that lesson (even if I'm not able to execute the assignment perfectly, at least I know what I'm aiming for). With the exercises I struggle with the most, I repeat them monthly/weekly (without watching any videos again and just trying to remember the concepts I’m trying to practice). If, after a while, I notice that the initial information from a particular lesson has gotten lost or blurred along the way (which can happen since there is a lot to learn from this course), I go back and rewatch the lesson. A quick refresher does wonders. Personally, I think that watching the videos again is much better for me than going over any written notes I could take (I think the videos are that good). If you do find it easier for you to take written notes, then go for it, but don’t stress yourself thinking it’s a requirement. Again, I think the most important part is paying attention to the lessons, doing the exercises with intent and focus, and having patience with yourself. It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon (something that I have to remind myself constantly). If I might be so bold as to give advice on your particular case, then it would be this: since you are used to taking notes (for math and programming) but have no idea what to write down for these lessons, then don’t. You are still at the beginning of the course. Go through a few projects and see how the information comes across. If later you realize that taking written notes might help, then you can adjust. I hope this helps! Good luck!

I personally found it beneficial to take notes from his critique videos! After doing the projects, I'll think about the parts that I had trouble with or parts that just 'don't look right,' and compare them to his demo and critiques of others. He explains his thought process very well, I feel! The two biggest notes I personally found enlightening from his pear critique video are: 1. Values are meant to help communicate the form, volume, and shape of the subject. 2. This is not about replication. This is about communicating the form, volume, and shape. These insights together opened my eyes because for my first attempts at the project, I was so focused on replicating what I saw that the end result looked weird because my values felt random and didn't feel related to each other. I had to think about the bigger picture.

I move through material so slowly (and my memory is notably bad) that I NEED to make flashcards for important concepts. I have pretty severe ADHD though, your mileage may vary. While watching a lesson, I'll take a screen shot of an example of an important concept, and make a flash card using Anki. Anki is free and uses a scientifically determined algorithm to maximize retention.