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Sketchbook Journey 4: Spending 240 days learning to draw – Depth and Details!

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Stubbs1
Retired Moderator
Level 72 : Legendary Wizard Senpai
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Sketchbook Journey 4: Spending 240 days learning to draw – Depth and Details!


Welcome back to my Sketchbook Journey. I’m Stubbs, and I have now been drawing for 240 days in a row. Since starting this journey I have begun to become a lot more familiar with the skills that used to be like distant stars to me. Last time we explored how deconstruction and grouping help us create body constructions. Join me as I go through the sketches that shaped this segment of my journey, but also the insights and questions raised that came with them.

While I may not be a seasoned artist (yet!), I hope that you might learn something new or be inspired by this entry, as we chart through the progress from day 181 to 240.


Have you used similar methods in your learning processes? How have they worked for you?
Share your experiences and questions you might have in the comments below.



(New entries every 60 days)


Sketchbook Journey 4: Spending 240 days learning to draw – Depth and Details!



Table of contents:
- Showcase / Comparisons
- How this journey started
- Approach / Mindset

- Materials
- Goal

- Part. 1 – Looking for details (Day 181-200)
- Part. 2
– Muscles and Skeletons (Day 201-216)
- Part. 3 – Heads, Hands and Travel (Day 217-228)
- Part. 4 – Boxes and Perspective (Day 229-240)

- Tips from the community!
- Plans for the future




This blog is part of this video!




Showcase:

This is my day 1, 100 and 200 drawings:

Day. 1, 100 and 200

Sketchbook Journey 4: Spending 240 days learning to draw – Depth and Details!


Showcase 2:
This is my day 183 and 239 (comparing body construction using no references)

Comparing body construction:







How this journey started
How this journey started:

My path into drawing began through a series of revelations about the choices I had made in my life. Initially, I pursued music, convinced that it was my calling, until my studies in child psychology led me to discover the self-destructive patterns underlying that choice, since it was not my own choice, but my parents’ choice. This realization spurred a profound shift in me, that ultimately led to me dropping out and moving to Germany to study intellectual history – a field of study, which doesn’t lead directly to a conventional job (like studying psychology), but allows me to explore a broader intellectual realm; a perfect education to rebel against familial expectations.

In 2023, after having moved to Germany, I began reading the manga “Beat and Motion” by Naoki Fujita, which in many regards, mirrored my own disillusionment with music and helped redirect my passion towards art-making. The kicker for me to finally go out and buy the equipment and start following my dream of becoming a full-time artist, was actually PewDiePie’s video: Teaching myself to draw for no reason. So! On the 9th of December, 2023, I bought my first A5 sketchbook, drawing pencils, an eraser and a pencil sharpener for 20€.




NOTICE: The following sections might change in later entries in accordance with me learning new stuff




My approach to learning / mindset
My approach to learning / mindset:

⁍ Learning through writing:

I primarily learn though writing, which might seem counter-intuitive, when I am aiming for drawing. The point is that I document my thoughts and challenges in my sketchbook, resulting in some pages being filled with more notes than actual drawings. This helps me internalize lessons and maintain a more objective view of my work, by distancing myself from my art, in order to avoid an unfair comparison of my own work, to others. This entails, that while I use other, better, artists work as reference for my own – I only ever compare my own work, to my own work.


⁍ Consistency (Pomodoro):

Another key part of how I learn is consistency. Consistency means I draw every single day, with no exceptions. I started at 10 minutes, and now draw for between 1-2 hours. As for reaching 1-2 hours each day, I like using the Pomodoro method – specifically the 30/5 or 15/5 timer (30 or 15 minutes work, 5 minutes break), depending on how much energy I have.


⁍ Deconstruction / Grouping:

This is one of the art-fundamentals that I like to call ‘deconstruction’, which means that when I find a reference I like, I first try to break it down into different ‘groupings’, made up of the three basic shapes: Spheres, boxes and triangles. It’s a lot easier for me to comprehend and remember how to draw specific things, if I can discern the shapes and patterns which make up what I am trying to draw.


⁍ Relying heavily on art-fundamentals (The 20/80 rule):

I strongly believe in the Pareto Principle (the 20/80 rule), which states that you can draw 80% of what you want, from learning the 20% of what it takes to draw. Breaking down what the 20% most likely is, I like to refer to ‘The 5 skill pillars’: (1) Composition, (2) Value / Light, (3) Color, (4) Form and Perspective, and (5) Technical ability with tools.

Currently I mainly practice form and perspective, without much thought given to any of the other skills. However, I see all 5 skills as the 20% that I need and want to learn.


⁍ I don't like being called smart or talented (mindset):

I find that being labeled as ‘smart’ or ‘talented’, feels very restrictive to me, mainly due to the mindset I use. In my practice, I’ve come to learn that the essence of learning and ‘being smart’ or ‘talented’, seems to stem from embracing mistakes as opportunities for growth, as each error reveals – not something I should feel bad about – but something new I can learn (even if can be frustrating to mess up!). Thus, I don’t feel my missteps as setbacks; I believe that the missteps I make, is what has allowed me to enhance my technical skills and conceptual understanding, to where I am now.

My focus is on this continuous cycle of experimentation and learning – almost hoping to make mistakes, when I approach learning a new aspect of drawing. If I were not to falter in my journey, my growth towards becoming a great artist would surely be stunted.

Or to formulate it in a more philosophical sense: By embracing the mistakes I make, I venture closer to becoming who I am meant to be.







Materials
Materials:
This list showcases all the materials that I actively use - but PLEASE note, that most of them are more luxury than necessity.

You only need some paper and pencils from the super-market to learn how to draw.


A5 sketchbook (primary)

Mechanical pencil (HB 0,5. 70mm)Sleeve mini eraser168 pcs, alcohol markers

A4 sketchbook (secondary)

Fineliner pencils (0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.8, BR)Pencil sharpener3 different art books on how to draw

15cm ruler

Square eraserColor pencils (Red, blue and green)Digital drawing tablet (small)


Inspiration/Reference-folder: https://pin.it/19hBx55









Goal
Sketchbook Journey is my way of thinking aloud as I learn how to draw–documenting the (often messy) process and thoughts that originate from my experiences. While I am doing this for myself (holding myself accountable, tracking my progress), truth is; it wouldn’t feel the same, without others hitching along for the ride (it wouldn’t be the same without you).

I love exchanging ideas, feedback, and occasional sparks when someone (or I myself) connect with something in Sketchbook Journey. I am not here to teach, but it does appear to be a positive unintended win, that makes the journey a lot less solitary. If any of it resonates with you, then I welcome you on the wagon, as we seek to overtake Nekojira (in a friendly way)!

I don't actually have any images to make, or stories to tell, which immediately feels like I'm setting myself up for failure. But, first I need to discover and learn technique and get an idea, then get inspired by it and go: “what does it unlock?”: Let that open up a new part of my mind, to think about things and get inspired and then make art.







Part. 1 – Looking for details
– Looking to improve on some of the smaller aspects of anatomy

  • Day 181

    Continuing from Day 179's efforts, I've begun to weave muscles and limbs into the skeletal frameworks I've working on over the past two weeks. The challenge now is not just in the drawing but learning the complexity limb-patterns by memory (as much as possible).

    "Limb-patterns":
    • Limb-patterns refers to the shapes that specific limbs such as the arms, legs, chest, torso etc. are made up of. It's important to note that these shapes are determined by the muscles and bones underneath it all – which means that it is a lot easier to figure out what a pattern is, if one first dedicates some time to learning the basics about how the human skeleton and muscles are structured.

    • Using exaggerated portrayals of each limb-pattern, helps create a more memorable and easy to recall pattern which one can use as a sort of base for how for example, the arms should be shaped around the construction. It doesn't mean that each of the lines in the specific pattern MUST be exactly as the pattern shows, as the pattern is more so a guide for where to place specific bumps and curves, due to the muscles and bones underneath the skin.


  • Day 182-183

    Today, I dived deeper into understanding limb-patterns for the belly, which has been a tricky area for me. On Day 183, I tested my skills by drawing a full pose, complete with muscles and limb-patterns, creating a reference point for the future—something to revisit on Day 239!


  • Day 184-186

    Today, I started to tackle the areas I need to improve, starting with eyes, which tops my long list! I focused on understanding what makes eyes captivating, particularly the crucial role of eyelashes and my struggle with drawing them.


  • Day 187-189

    Today, I concentrated on learning the basic shapes for drawing eyes and discovered 'shape language,' a concept for designing character eyes and their overall form. This was simultaneals the lead-up period to my final exam, where sleep was beginning to become a luxury.


  • Day 190-192

    I tried to zero in on attaching hands to the body, an area I’ve struggled with a lot (and still do). Figuring out the right hand proportions has been especially tricky, but I found an estimate that works about 60% of the time. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start—and it helps.


  • Day 193-194

    Today I had a small epiphany—I’ve been guessing at drawing fingers! So, I dedicated time to study finger anatomy. The next day, though, I crashed, barely managing 30 minutes of drawing, completely wiped out from my final exam.


  • Day 195-197

    I turned my focus to a detail I’d overlooked: the placement of the elbow, which is crucial for portraying arm orientation. I discovered that the ulna and radius bones connect to the elbow, allowing me to use the wrist as a ‘locator’ for the elbow—and vice versa! I also learned the wrist isn’t a circle but can easier be portrayed using a square with a tiny half-circle at the bottom.

    This insight helps make the arm look more natural, even though I’m still learning the connection between the elbow and wrist (still a work in progress, haha).


  • Day 198-199

    Today, I had a breakthrough with drawing elbows, identifying three primary shapes: Volcano, Corner, and Curve. I also noticed three refined variations: Pointed, Gentle Curve, and Pointed Curve. My Day 199 drawings show these categorizations in action, providing a useful framework for now. Only time will tell if they hold up, but they’re proving helpful for understanding elbow shapes.


  • Day 200 (100, and 1)

    Today marks 200 days of daily drawing! To celebrate, I redrew my initial pieces from Days 1 and 100, adding elements that highlight my improved skills. Using only my original drawings as references, I’ve made new additions purely from practice. The most notable progress I see, is in my understanding of body construction, though my clothing drawing still need work. Plus, the milk carton now has correctly placed shadows (I think)!


  • EXTRA: My first digital drawing!:

    While cleaning my apartment and preparing to move (again), I found a small Wacom drawing pad I bought about five years ago, buried at the bottom of an unused box. I connected it to my MacBook, and it still works! It's not anything big or fancy, but I'm excited to finally start experimenting with digital art alongside my traditional drawings.




Part. 2 – Muscles and skeletons
– Understanding how the shoulder muscles work

  • Day 201-203

    Today, I realized my understanding of the upper torso, especially around the neck, needs improvement. I’ve been guessing at drawing the neck, unsure about its exact placement or the muscles involved. This realization prompted me to dedicate time specifically to studying this part of the body.

    Using knowledge of muscle and bones, to draw better:
    • Head Placement: The head does not align perfectly center over the torso. It actually positions between the neck and the subtle dip at the center of the shoulder blades.

    • Trapezius Muscle: Contrary to what I originally thought, the trapezius doesn't only belong to the neck and back; it extends around to connect to the outer shoulders as well.

    • Sterno Muscle: Running from behind the ear to the collar bones, the sterno muscle is crucial for depicting the neck and heads orientation in drawings.

    • Using Collar Bones as Guides: I've also discovered that collar bones are invaluable for drawing difficult perspectives. By locating and drawing the collar bones, I can accurately set the framework for the entire upper torso and neck, ensuring proper placement and perspective.


  • Day 204-206

    Today kicked off a particularly stressful period—I’m moving (again)! My drawing time shrank to just 30 minutes to an hour each day due to the physical and mental exhaustion. Despite the challenges, the move was successful, and I got back to drawing fairly quickly, though still feeling the fatigue.


  • Day 207-209

    These days were filled with painting the new apartment and building furniture, leaving me with only about an hour to draw each day. So, I decided to focus on shoulder movement. I had a decent grasp of how shoulders should work but have yet to delve into the finer details—so that’s exactly what I’ll do.


  • Day 210-212

    I continued my 1-hour studies on shoulder movement while settling into my new apartment. My focus was on getting the back measurements right and using the scapula bone to clearly depict the back view of a character.


  • Day 213-214

    Today, I decided to revisit a previous study: skeletons! This time, I used stylized references based on the human body but adjusted for manga-style characters. During this, I realized I haven’t been practicing side-views and definitely need to work on those.


  • Day 215-216

    I continued my side-view studies but realized by Day 216 that they weren’t very productive. While they look neat, I felt like I was wasting time on pretty skeletons and shapes I wouldn’t use again. Interestingly though, I’ve noticed a pattern where I dismiss useful drawings, only to find them invaluable months later. 'Thank you, past Stubbs!'




Part. 3 – Heads, Hands and Travel
– A bunch of random stuff (idk lol)

  • Day 217-219

    Today is travel time again, so these days were filled with doodles of whatever I saw while sailing. I also thought it’d be fun to practice drawing heads inside boxes, as I tend to draw a box and a circle, but when I add the head, it shrinks significantly. This exercise was about fully filling the box with a head, instead of just 60%–disregarding if the head ended up looking weird, because it had to fully fill the box.


  • 220-221

    Today was similar to previous days, with the journey continuing towards home. On Day 221, I drew a random OC, inspired by creators like DreamWanderer who have recognizable characters. I might not use the design I came up with, but I love the horns! (Deftly going to make a character with horns).


  • Day 222-224

    Today I started a "draw 100 hands" challenge today, which will continue into the next Sketchbook Journey entry. An important discovery I made is that the mid-point of the middle finger can help locate the joints of all the other fingers. The middle finger’s joint is exactly below its mid-point, which I find incredibly helpful for positioning everything else.


  • Day 225-227

    Today, I bought Scott Robertson's book "How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments from your Imagination" and began reading and practicing the exercises. I alternated between reading Robertson and drawing hands. Reading Robertson, I’m slowly starting to understand the importance of learning the basics, like drawing boxes and shapes in perspective. While I love drawing humans and studying anatomy, Robertson’s exercises are helping me grasp how professional artists create complex poses and perspectives for set humans.


  • Day 228

    I gave this day its own section because I realized I’ve been focusing solely on studying without making a full drawing in a long time. So, on Day 228, I decided that every Sketchbook Journey entry from now on will start and end with a full drawing. Whether it’s manga, cars, or buildings, only time will tell. The point is that while practice is good, I need to balance studies with full pieces to apply what I’ve learned in a final drawing.



Part. 4 – Boxes and perspective
– Learning from Scott Robertsons book 'How to Draw'

  • Day 229-231

    Today, I stumbled upon the 10,000hrs YouTube channel (again) and watched their video on essential drawing books. While watching, I realized I’ve spent 336 hours drawing, whereas the person in the video has only spent around 190 hours—and yet, their skills far surpass mine.

    It was disheartening to see someone achieve better results in half the time. But, this frustration sparked a curiosity in me: “What did they do differently?”. I began researching and noticed a familiar pattern: Often, I learn something but don’t fully grasp its importance until months later when I encounter a related frustration (see day 216).

    This first happened with using boxes for anatomy and posing, and now it’s happening with drawing shapes in perspective. The lesson that keeps resurfacing is that understanding shapes in perspective is fundamental to mastering anything and everything in drawing.

    Asking for help is like a superpower (even if you already know the answer):
      • There seems to be 2 important dimensions to asking a question, even if one already knows the answer.

        1. Simply asking a question – even if it leads us nowhere, or does not result in anything of worth – changes us as people; thus also having a significant impact on both ourselves and our mindset around what we do and who we are.

        2. Asking a question, and getting an answer we already knew prior to asking the question, seems to both underline that we have understood something correctly, and can pat ourselves on the shoulder for that – but it also seems to strongly underline that this specific aspect of whatever we are asking, is of greater importance than we might have previously thought.
      • I start by analyzing and learning from those who progress faster than me. I will observe their techniques, try to understand their practice routines, and seek advice directly from them (if possible). I then incorporate new methods into my own practice, experimenting to see what works best for me. I believe this adaptability is crucial, as it allows me to refine my own approach and make more significant strides in my progress as well.


  • Day 232-234

    Robertson’s lessons have my brain in a twist. I struggle to grasp perspective concepts, often messing up one guideline and wrecking the whole drawing because I stick too closely to them instead of trusting my intuition. This tells me I need to rely more on my instincts, but I’d rather make mistakes and learn than get it perfect on the first try and learn nothing.

    Quick tip: when drawing mirrored, rotated, tilted planes—use boxes! Don’t just sketch the plane; draw a full box and then carve out the plane. Including the box makes everything so much clearer (at least for me).


  • Day 235-237

    Today, I began learning to draw curves on 2D surfaces and ventured into drawing from my imagination using techniques from Robertson’s book. By starting with basic shapes and building from there, I decided to sketch a rollercoaster cart—without any references!


  • Day 238-239

    As Day 240 approaches, I’m reflecting on what I’ve learned over the past 60 days. On Day 238, I applied Robertson’s techniques to recreate the Old Train Service Station I built two years ago (feels like ages!). Although I didn’t finish due to summer studies needing my attention, Day 239 was dedicated to drawing a pose from memory, using my anatomy and posing knowledge. I think it turned out pretty well!


  • Day 240!

    Today it has been 240 days of drawing. Keeping in line with my promise to start and end each entry with a full drawing, I selected one of my favorite references and tried to draw it. There is still a lot of stuff I need to work on, and a lot of stuff that I need to revisit. I am however, very proud to see that my abilities in terms of constructing the body to help get the correct perspective, is something I've started to slowly gain more confidence in.





Art-tips from the Community!
eagoy : "I don’t know how much you’re using the eraser while drawing (the dust free is indeed kinda nice to use). But what about putting the eraser away for a drawing or two? Having no option to erase a bad line or a helping line, it will force you think/reflect twice about the lines you put on paper."

Markus_ : "maybe you should focus more on forms so that you can also draw cars instead of just people"

Edaryion : " 'Sometimes the wheel moves slowly, but it still moves' Ancient Chinese proverb. You got this. Not everyone has the same living conditions, experiences and efficacy. It is important that you do not stop. 🤍✨"





To be continued
– My future plans for day 241 to day 300 (aka. Sketchbook Journey V)


That wraps up 240 days of learning to draw!

Thank you so much for reading
If you have any questions or tips, feel free to ask in the comments :)

Future Goals:

Upload 1 YouTube video every month:
– Upload at least 1 YouTube video every month. The goal is to learn how to make high quality videos and finding some kind of format whereby I can combine my love for making art, with my studies. In other words: This will be a way of trying to figure out my niche.

Research how to better promote and write Sketchbook Journey:
– I've slowly started to realize that while I enjoy writing these blogs, and they are a good way to keep track of my own progress (and hopefully also help others), the format isn't exactly something that is easy to promote. I'm going to work towards having all of Sketchbook Journey series together, accumulate 100+ views each day across all entries and platforms. It will be difficult, and deftly will not last forever – the goal here, is to learn to think basically.

Research and build an AI-image generator:
– AI is wrecking the way we used to think about art and learning, and this isn't inherently a bad change, as (at least for me) it has started forcing me to ask questions about 'what even makes me human?' and the whole 'can a human artist be fully replaced?'. I think we're all around the world, sort of confused and nobody really knows whats going on any more – which to me seems to be the largest indicator that we need to learn and think about it all, with the goal of raising proposals for how we should approach it.

But! That all first start with learning about AI, and the best way (for me at least), is to try building my own model, learning how the framework is constructed and what its limits and advantages are.




My current stats

My current time stats




Remember to check out the other entries in the series!

they're all free!

Year. 1 (2024)Year. 2 (2025)
Part. 1 – Basics and Beginnings (1-60)

Part. 7 – Imagination and Anatomy (361-420)
Part. 2 – Color and Quality! (61-120)

Part. 8 – Flow and Form (421-480)
Part. 3 – Poses and Proportions! (121-180)

Part. 9 – Contours and Craniums (481-540)
Part. 4 – Depth and Details! (181-240)

Part. 10 (2. August)
Part. 5 – Tools and Transitions (to digital) (241-300)

Part. 6 – Structure and Sight (300-360)

END OF YEAR SPECIAL!
(I drew every day for a year, heres what made the biggest difference)







507 x 290
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Sttaarr
09/06/2024 1:56 pm
Level 28 : Expert Mage
This is incredible! My best tip is to do gesture drawing. It helped me improve like SUPER fast
3
Stubbs1
09/07/2024 5:38 am
He/Him • Level 72 : Legendary Wizard Senpai
Will deftly have to try gesture drawing some time :D Haven't actually tried it yet
3
-Valery
08/25/2024 7:59 pm
Level 57 : Grandmaster Procrastinator Artist
Kinda late already, but whatever.

While I do think that AI is mostly horrible, it can be a helpful tool. I always draw in low resolution, so I was surprised to find that AI can simply double your image's resolution without much trouble. Not too good, since most websites/apps compress the images anyway, but helpful in certain cases.

I have other things to do, but these blogs always make me wanna start a comic or something. Someday...

Anyways, keep up!
5
Stubbs1
08/27/2024 5:45 am
He/Him • Level 72 : Legendary Wizard Senpai
Oh yeah! Hadn't actually though of that use. Usually if I have to scale up a drawing I will scale up the sketch and redo the line-art at a higher quality. I'm going to test out the use you mention :D

Glad these blogs inspire you. I'd love to hear more about your comic idea :) Best of luck to you too
3
Viperfangs
08/13/2024 2:56 pm
He/Him • Level 4 : Apprentice Artist
history
Maybe you can draw the human chakra system
4
Stubbs1
08/14/2024 2:14 am
He/Him • Level 72 : Legendary Wizard Senpai
Could be an interesting challenge to find a way to represent each of them indeed. I will consider it for the future, but main focus will still be on improving my technical abilities first :)
4
Viperfangs
09/06/2024 9:05 pm
He/Him • Level 4 : Apprentice Artist
Oh nice!! Good job
2
cheyko
08/11/2024 9:03 am
She/Her • Level 71 : Legendary Goblin Scribe
this is so cool! your studies look super productive and structured and omg i could never hahaha
it's seriously impressive how long you've been going and how much you've improved! it must take a lot of determination to keep up, i personally struggle a lot to draw consistently LOL

(btw i saw ur from dk hej hej det da lidt cool)
5
Stubbs1
08/11/2024 11:54 am
He/Him • Level 72 : Legendary Wizard Senpai
history
Er glad for at du synes om det!
Tror min tilgang og brug af tekst mere giver en hvis illusion af mere struktur end der egentlig er haha :'D Og i forhold til at blive ved; ville sige at det er en ret god motivator kun at have 1.5 års SU tilbage når jeg sigter efter at tegne på fuld tid xD

(btw. Elsker også den stil du tegner i! Kan stadig huske din Brutus animation (Når vi nu taler om determination ;P ))
5
eagoy
08/11/2024 1:32 pm
Level 57 : Grandmaster Lava Rider
*Danish huh?*
*proceeds to do a few attempts to give it a shot at understanding*
*notices it start to make more sense when trying to pronounce it, with a bit of German accent*
*fails anyway*
*only remembers 'hey' and 'tack/tak | tak sa myket' & wonders if that wasn't Swedish*
apologies for some rambling I couldn't help myself
3

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