Drawabox Lesson 1: Drawing From Your Wrist and Shoulder

This video is accompanying material for the text available here: drawabox.com/l...
One fairly common issue we see from beginners is the tendency to approach drawing as they would writing - pivoting their pen or pencil from the wrist, and limiting the type of marks they can make. They'll often try to work around this by 'chicken scratching' or allowing their marks to wobble. In this video, we take a look at how we can engage the other pivots of our arm to exert more control over the kinds of marks we can make.
You can find the free lessons at drawabox.com - if you're new to Drawabox altogether, you can start over at drawabox.com/l...
Other Links:
Drawabox Discord Server: / discord
Patreon: / uncomfortable

[@metil6636]

It feels like i'm in a rpg game and i am learning the new controls

[@fe3864]

Good analogy!

[@Darkmuan2014]

sadly we can't view our stats

[@Romaoplays]

@@Darkmuan2014 lvl 1

[@Lucid874]

lmao facts

[@Maria-os4et]

Lmao loved it

[@circusmonkey28]

Note to self (for when i come back here): -Focus on flow and fluidity over accuracy -think about how your whole arm is moving, try to engage the whole arm from the shoulder

[@flavioamiel]

I want to know too

[@morty7145]

@Liron Segal by the time now i can ask you the same question "-"

[@Ok-uq2ng]

Hi

[@cykavolk]

@@morty7145 I think I can ask you the same question too

[@morty7145]

@@cykavolk yeah i guess so :D

[@Whalemeister78]

I've just finished lesson 1 and have to say the updated video is a huge improvement in both content and production quality. The audio especially is 1000% better.

[@Uncomfortable]

It's amazing what one can do when they turn their microphone the right way around :P

[@macmcheese2385]

@@Uncomfortable lmao

[@alinerdelav]

So is this the new one? Just wondering, just started

[@matsimoto3541]

after years (~20) of drawing primarily with my wrist, i had a really hard time to draw from my shoulder no matter what i did, i just ended up using my elbow for the first few pages of exercise so i did a bit of digging, watching videos about drawing with your shoulder and one tip from reddit actually switched my whole mindset: imagine your shoulders being able to write this solved all my problems for whatever reason so if you're struggling with the same problem, give it a try

[@maverickpanda]

Surprisingly, that helped! Thank you :)

[@soirema]

I still dont get why should you even switch to shouler, it seems like hustle

[@zoushuu]

@@soirema From what I understand it's because the shoulder is better suited for drawing longer more stabile lines than the wrist is. Idk how it compares to the elbow.

[@nicksyoutubeaccount]

@@soirema Larger pivot, leading to straighter lines

[@soirema]

@@nicksyoutubeaccount ah i see, thanks

[@SupremeDirt]

5 minutes into this all and i'm already confident this is what i've been trying to find for a while

[@Uncomfortable]

Hahah- well I'm glad you feel that way, and I hope my course can meet those expectations.

[@toomuchtime4896]

I can only speak for myself, but your course is smashing all my expectations, just demolishing them.

[@mangonauts6464]

Honestly, drawing from the shoulder is actually drawing from the "shoulder + elbow". And not just in a "the shoulder is what moves and the elbow simply responds to it" way but in a "the elbow actually is equally if not MORE responsible for the line ending up being straight. The shoulder simply "extends" the length of a straight line that the elbow can create in space.

[@12gabriel3]

I'm now holding the pen with my armpit just to make sure i wont use elbows and wrists

[@thespontaneoustomato2676]

XD

[@mooky01]

I have such a hard time with this. I considered myself "okay-ish" at drawing before, but not using my wrist I feel like I am back in Kindergarten. But let's go, practice makes perfect!

[@teguhsan1465]

Yeah bro. Let's go. I've been follow Drawabox lesson 1 and start all again because I did not read all the instruction clearly. Hope this help you

[@susen98]

Same.🙃 I feel so frustrated. I should have practice drawing from elbow from the get go.

[@sabe9]

do you mind sharing your progress? i'm just curious.

[@ziaahmad8738]

@@sabe9 prolly gave up sadly

[@swisdom9117]

@@ziaahmad8738 tru

[@dms2331]

Today I will start and follow all these lessons. Unfortunately I completely ignored all fundamentals when I was young resulting in me ONLY being able to replicate a photo.

[@Uncomfortable]

On the bright side, I imagine you'll probably have developed some pretty strong observational skills in having done that. Everything is valuable, at the end of the day.

[@TheMaskedThearpist]

Mood

[@DeathstalkerSynchro]

Coming back to Drawabox after falling off years ago and completely mindblown by the realization, mid video, that drawing from the shoulder has become second nature since. Sorta does feel like being conscious of how you walk. Thank you past me and Drawabox 😭

[@tunein6765]

literally spent months doing this not moving my elbow. Here you are moving your elbow

[@Uncomfortable]

If we're being honest, I *did* explain in the previous video that the elbow would move a bit in reaction, but the primary motion would be driven from the shoulder. I must not have been clear enough though, as people would still get entirely caught up in the idea of "locking" their elbows, so I decided to do away with it altogether. Move your whole arm, and you'll be fine.

[@tunein6765]

@@Uncomfortable maybe saying control the movement from your shoulder instead of locking the elbow would be a better way to phrase this. Still, thanks for all the work you put in

[@Matt-qi5ff]

yeah lol i'd been thinking that i couldn't do it right for more than a year, thanks god i didn't lock my elbow 😭😭😭

[@Tork789]

I've been doing the course for so long that he started updating old lessons...

[@jifgena]

Lol! Me too😂

[@Ryoushi_Akanagi]

For people struggling to "find" their shoulders and if they're doing it right. Straighten your entire arm. Stretch it out in front of you holding your pen. Now draw a long straight line without pulling in your elbow. Ideally draw in the direction that your elbow is facing because you physically can't extend your wrist or elbow that far. There you go, that's your shoulder.

[@ayushmishra-mg9dz]

O MY GOD thankyou so much it worked

[@dio_licious]

Nice seeing the baby animation out in the wild. This new video should hopefully cause less confusion than the old one. The number of people trying to lock out their joints and asking about it on the discord was worrisome. Great update. One of my favourite things about Drawabox is how you continue to refine and update the lessons using your teaching experience. It evolves. Love it.

[@BlazertronGames]

I think you should clarify "drawing from the shoulder" on the website a bit more. When you show yourself drawing from the shoulder, while your shoulder is moving, your elbow also is. Especially from the diagram on the site, some people could get the impression that your elbow should stay completely stiff, and _only_ your upper arm should move.

[@crustaceanPeanut]

I’ve been drawing for as long as I’ve been alive, which I guess isn't much, being a high school student, but over that time, I’ve just been drawing without learning the fundamentals. I’ve been drawing without any real instruction, I guess. But now, I actually want to change that so my drawings will improve. Thank you! I hope I can look back at this comment to see how much I’ve grown.

[@SpaceyPlane]

I was afraid using my elbow even though I didn't lock my shoulder. But I rewatched the video and saw that you also use elbow. So basically I should "drive" motion with my shoulder without locking elbow or wrist.

[@Uncomfortable]

Correct! Previously a lot of people used to get too caught up in the idea of "locking" a joint, and blew it way out of proportion. I mean, they still do - but I tried to specifically word things in this video to reduce emphasis on that, and focus instead on what you mentioned, driving the motion from the shoulder.

[@redryder3721]

2:00 Comfy: Often you'll find yourself drifting off in thought, it'll happen, so re-assert control 2:16 A bit of dust drifts in front of the camera and completely captivates me

[@shinny1374]

Face reveal!

[@biggSHNDO]

looks just like his drawing of himself

[@forbiddenworld5463]

After a long term procrastinating, I finally decided to get better a art, So I'm starting this course today. I really hope I can finish the course and get better at drawing. Wish me luck guys.

[@forbiddenworld5463]

@Kat I'm learning but not really consistent with the progress. I'm half way through the 250 box challenge and it is draining my life. But my drawing got a lot better than before.

[@ericlivernoche522]

OMG, I'm at lesson 4, and I just felt the concrete ability to draw from the shoulder after praticing so much (like I can actually feel the contraction of the muscles). This change the game! TY for Drawabox!

[@filiprank9870]

Why draw from your shoulder, when you can draw from your hip?

[@christiansoto6396]

thank you for breaking things down with humility. demonstrating the line variation at each joint helped me visualize my own movement. when it comes to drawing hair, I’ll try to encorporate my shoulder rather than my chicken scratching wrist

[@tuzkiiiii]

Another good indicator is the burning sensation you feel when using the joints. If you feel a constant burning in you wrist or elbow and no burning or fatigue in your shoulder, it means your leveraging them instead of the shoulder. Another tip is to relax the wrist and elbow instead of locking them. Locking means putting unnecessary stress on them, which forces you to use them unintentionally. But if you relax them to the point where they become limp (but not too relaxed you drop your pen) your body will ignore them and focus on your shoulder. This is really difficult as your body will keep going back and forth into tensing your wrist and elbow and you consciously trying to relax them. I've been doing it for 2 months now and I still struggle with it, but it drastically improved the way I draw smooth and confident lines.

[@Uncomfortable]

My only concern here is the wording - I wouldn't necessarily describe the sensation you want as a "burning", since it seems kind of.. worrisome. A dull soreness is generally a normal sign that you've been using a muscle to its limit, though if you get any kind of sharp pains, or anything that goes beyond normal muscle fatigue, definitely stop and assess the situation from there.

[@tuzkiiiii]

@@Uncomfortable haha no no it's not worrisome. It's a word I picked up from my guitar learning days to describe the sensation you get when practicing, where burning is good (it means you're working your muscles) and sharp pain is bad (you're doing something wrong). But you're right, I should've used "dull soreness" instead.

[@DougCuthbertson]

I'm just starting lesson 1. I'm glad you de-emphasized locking your other joints. You can't physically do that and keep the pen on the page except for a simple arc across the page. For example, trying to draw a line with just your shoulder, starting from close to your body and driving your arm away would just lift your arm up and off the page. I think what you want us to do is relax the wrist and elbow, and let them flex naturally. The driving force comes from the shoulder, and the other joints are just along for the ride. Anyway, thanks for all the hard work. I'm very enthusiastic, and looking forward to the homework and lessons.

[@Uncomfortable]

You're correct, that the main thing here is to just relax your arm and let them flex naturally, while driving the motion from the shoulder. That said, because of how the shoulder/clavicle can move (thrusting the arm further out or pulling it back, not *just* pivoting on the shoulder ball joint), it is possible to keep the pen on the page while drawing a straighter mark - but it's something students get used to as they work through the lessons and continue using their shoulder. Of course a student never gets that experience if they're caught up in their anxieties of understanding it all right this instant. So yeah, I definitely agree - simplifying and de-emphasizing the less important stuff is probably going to help a lot of people move forward, which is really what we want.

[@DougCuthbertson]

I was thinking of only the rotator cuff. I didn't think of engaging the clavicle. Thanks for that. I'll work on it.

[@johnbarnett670]

@@Uncomfortable Can you elaborate on how you use your clavicle? Does it just happen naturally when you try to make longer lines or do you have to make a conscious decision to use your clavicle and not your elbow? And how much is it supposed to move? Does it only apply to lines that you draw going away from your body, or does it apply to line going left to right too? If I try and use my clavicle to draw a line it doesn't really move my entire arm forward, it just kind of pushes my shoulder forward slightly while my elbow and hand stay in the same position. And even then my elbow still extends a little bit.

[@Uncomfortable]

@@johnbarnett670 I'll be honest - I think these questions suggest that you are *vastly* overthinking this. All the video talks about is drawing using your whole arm, and making sure that your upper arm isn't static. The reason I simplified it down to just that, and stopped talking about locking joints and other such specifics, is that I'd get students now and then who would just obsessively focus on understanding how it all works on paper, rather than jumping in and getting a familiarity of how the arm works for themselves. So, unfortunately I'm going to have to decline to answer your questions, because I think it would only encourage the kind of misalignment of focus that I'm trying to reduce.

[@zacharybailey4580]

Dude. This guy is a phenomenal instructor.

[@Uncomfortable]

Aw, shucks.

[@OmnomberryTea]

i love your t-shirt, the raven looks so adorable with the eye like this, its staring into my soul kinda xD

[@Uncomfortable]

Hahaha, I love the shirt design too. Unfortunately it's already started to wear off the shirt - I think Threadless' printing process has changed for the worse. I probably need to change how I was them to compensate.

[@user-zs6vl9ij9n]

It's my 3rd time watching this video coz I'm starting 3rd time 🙂 I hope I won't quit this time😔

[@uacntospaa]

Don't quit you can do it

[@creativespark7371]

Did you quit, or are you still going?

[@princeydv6759]

I have never really drawn a lot before. I am now starting my drawing journey with Drawabox. Let's GO

[@genuineinterest]

Describing it as a "driving force" truly helps so much! Previously I was struggling, trying to wonder how I was supposed to sort of... _move only my shoulder._ thanks for the update lol

[@BingoGo2Space]

Thank you very much, people like you make the world a better place.❤❤❤

[@abner1153]

So... i just got into the course and there's an update already! 😃 Thank you so much guys, all these lessons for free is a blessing! Love from Brazil! 🇧🇷

[@Santi-bn9oc]

Eae man vou começar agr, como q tu diria sua habilidade tá? Ou parou?

[@aCubeOne]

@@Santi-bn9oc ele deve ter falecido

[@Santi-bn9oc]

@@aCubeOne duvido nada

[@aCubeOne]

@@Santi-bn9oc também não

[@arrownite4527]

The other methods I've seen haven't worked well in the end, however I've come up some tangible ways to draw from the shoulder and keep your arm straight that are something you can actually physically control: One way is to sit as far back and as high as you physically are able to while being able to reach your paper/screen, so your arm is forced to be locked because of the distance, even for small drawing areas, and move your chair back or forth to keep your arm locked depending on your distance from the intended line For vertical lines, do the motion of punching outwards or bringing it back inwards from a punch essentially, but with your pencil/pen on the paper

[@noname76787]

You’re godsent man! Although I’ve just started, but I am already feeling grateful for the drawabox! Thanks a lot!

[@christinaelliott8186]

Thank you this is excellent! Trying to begin Drawabox, so appreciate you physically showing the movement.

[@cesarantonio8424]

Oh, an update, I like it.

[@creativespark7371]

Just starting DrawABox. Finished Lesson 0, starting Lesson 1. Excited to get drawing!

[@joyflg1rl]

Thank you so much for the updated videos. I appreciate the amount of care you put into this work. I started your course some time ago, but life got distracting and I wandered off. Seeing all the updated videos come through my feed inspired me to want to jump back in and start again. ::grateful::

[@Uncomfortable]

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad my content's having a positive impact.

[@SneetchDreams]

Oh thank god we learned how to write and draw in 1st grade from the shoulder. I thought that's how everyone learned. Drawing from the wrist will be new for me.

[@simonemerli5745]

Thanks for the update! The new format with you talking at the camera is way better.

[@ericlivernoche522]

Thank you so much again! Such valuable information. I had never even thought about drawing from anything but my wrist before I had seen your last video on the subject. By the way, this video is more comprehensive than the last version of it. It helped me understand how to use each pivots when you mentioned that the upper arm remain still if you draw from the elbow or the wrist, but everything moves if you draw from your shoulder. Have a good day! :)

[@Uncomfortable]

That's a big reason I like to go back to revise the older content rather than just trucking ahead into new topics. In interacting with students, I'm constantly improving the approach I use to explain certain concepts, in the hopes that they'll make more sense to more people.

[@MewenPng]

When i tried to draw ellipses from the shoulder I noticed a huge difference between drawing it from my wrist!!! Usually ellipses i draw are kinda wonky.. thank you so much for posting this on KZbin!!! :D

[@Uncomfortable]

I'm glad to be able to help.

[@Vickerdeer]

Starting my journey today. I will take look at the this comment once I complete this course. Don't know how long but will complete this :)

[@TwintailsLover]

Thank you! Thank you! I've been struggling with this for some time. I messed up this whole time, I didn't use my elbow properly. I finally understand it now and am ever si happy. The video (you showing your elbow) and a comment under this video helped so much! So thank you!

[@DennisCNolasco]

Nice to see someone go over the basics

[@dreamkiller55]

I like how these released after watching lesson 1 yesterday during work

[@sub_umbra_floreo]

Thank you so much for putting so much time and effort into this. I really enjoy the course, even if I just started. Especially the multi-medial teaching style is awesome!

[@noctislupus851]

Was about to move onto lesson 3 but my main weakness was pointed out as line confidence. Talk about good timing! I'll go through these videos and redo some of the basics to hopefully pick some more things up. Thanks again for all these resources and videos! The fact that its free for everyone as well is amazing.

[@neon_lights]

This course is a literal lifesaver!!

[@Claudia-tm9dr]

This is super helpful! I'm finally trying to pick up drawing again, once I put aside my d fear and need to be perfect I've been having fun with it, just like I did as a kid. Looking forward to starting your lessons! Honestly it can be daunting with all the information out there nowadays.

[@Uncomfortable]

Well, hopefully this course will help you develop the confidence you'll need to venture out into the bigger world of all the resources out there. Best of luck!

[@Claudia-tm9dr]

@@Uncomfortable thanks so much mate!

[@MoolsDogTwoOfficial]

This is by far the biggest thing that's been holding me back. I always tried to draw from my shoulder, but end up just doing it from my wrist. Not only did this put so much strain on my hands, it ended up with me chicken scratching everything and lines just looked awful and hard to pull off. I will focus the next few weeks on building my arm dexterity.

[@raheen7570]

195 likes and no dislikes! That’s a sign that this video is quality

[@buizelmeme6288]

Now there are 3 dislikes.

[@clankennon8253]

@@buizelmeme6288 And now there are none. Hurray for KZbin.

[@majicMix911]

This new video is fantastic in quality.

[@friedrichbeutles4605]

I understand the concept, but for smaller lines my elbow always moves more than my shoulder. I think the video shows the motion for long lines very good, and for circles/ellipses its very natural to use the shoulder. But in the moment, you draw the small lines, it also looks like you move your elbow more than your shoulder, so the whole concept is kind of confusing for me. The only way were I really feel that I use my shoulder for small lines is, when I “pull it back” (so draw a line from the top the paper to the direction I sit). But in most cases that leads to wobblier lines. Maybe that this obsession thing you talk about and its okay when elbow moves a bit more than the shoulder or maybe I should try to hold my elbow more stiff, when I try to make a line.

[@Uncomfortable]

People have a tendency to get too caught up in what the elbow is doing. This is the third video on this topic I've put together over many, many years, and ultimately for this one I decided *not* to stress what the elbow is doing all that much. Focus on your shoulder and upper arm - if that upper arm is moving, it means your shoulder is driving the motion. Yes, your elbow will respond to it, but don't worry about it. Minimize the elbow movement where you can, but focus on driving the motion from your shoulder, using your whole arm.

[@friedrichbeutles4605]

@@Uncomfortable Thanks for the fast feedback. I think I got a better understanding. I checked a bit more if or if I dont move my shoulder/upper arm during line making and it seems, that I figured out how it works.

[@dionysus7811]

Utilizing the elbow for drawing has always felt strange to me - for its movement is akin to that of a door’s hinge. Nonetheless, endeavoring to use the shoulder pivot for drawing has proved beneficial. I won’t forget how instrumental this website was for reshaping my understanding of how to draw properly (alongside the fundamentals).

[@user-or2bt3qx6p]

Really good and thank you for showing me the difference between my motions of the hands..it's very exciting

[@randomgayguyman]

Wow, playing on low DPI in FPS games actually helps/helped ALOT with this shoulder movement

[@evanbailey6973]

So I'm out of school and I'm going to spend this summer trying to get better at my drawing. I've always considered myself good at it when just copying a picture, but just drawing something out of my head? Nahhh. All the materials are really overwhelming, but I trust this site can help me. Anyways, wishing myself luck!!

[@digitalspecter]

Even breathing is something many of us need to learn .. at least when it comes to meditating and using breathing techniques to relax.

[@eno_7206]

Great content. This video is great.

[@EyekooDrawsStuff]

Aside from the valuable lessons... that's a super-cool shirt design

[@Uncomfortable]

Hahaha, I thought so too! Too bad the shirt didn't hold up past a handful of washes.

[@draw9768]

Now the lessons look more dynamic! Thanks for your videos, them help alot!

[@kent8547]

I typically rest my pinkie (similar to fingerstyle guitar) on the page while I'm drawing. It seems to help my confidence and accuracy. Also drawing from the shoulder was very confusing to me starting out but as soon as I started drawing ellipses it become a lot more easier to distinguish/use. I'm currently procrastinating my way through the 250 box challenge :`)

[@EVBell-gz8iv]

Interesting... i prefer to draw or paint standing up as it feels better (less back/bum discomforrt, more energy) and i focus easier and feel the 'flow' better and just now, practicing shoulder drawing while seated - it feels like how i draw when i stand? i'll have to test it out but i'm pretty sure i've been practicing this already somewhat inadvertently through my little adventures in art-while-standing

[@inferno6012]

there is a face of the voice. the universe is answering its questions

[@quonkylops]

I'm really excited to start this!

[@Pesto-64]

Thank you for making these videos and making Drawabox!

[@njmezx2184]

شكرا على تعبكم

[@jmine3621]

starting those lessons today, so exited!!

[@cogwun]

Ever tried drawing from the hips? I was just experimenting with it and I think it works well and it's quite fun wiggling around on the chair

[@ReblazeGaming]

I tend to draw with my elbow a lot so it's going to be hard not to slip into that but here we gooo

[@eelfiify]

You won't believe me, but I use your technic... In tig welding. I was practicing drawing with you and meanwhile went to welding school. Teachers took me there as a miracle student with a lot of control in hands 😄 Thank you for that!

[@Uncomfortable]

Hahaha, that's fantastic! These things definitely aren't limited just to drawing - at their core, it's about how the body itself can be used. I'm glad you were able to apply it to your welding!

[@UlyssesSB]

All this time i draw with my wrist and it looks decent. When i start over with shoulder it just turns into a preschooler drawing. My self esteem just drop into oblivion lmao

[@Uncomfortable]

It's really a question of short term results vs. long term results. Yeah, short term drawing from your shoulder's going to give you a lot of trouble, because it's not something you've developed til now. But long term, it'll be just as comfortable as your wrist, and you'll be much better for it.

[@love_radiation6408]

So you revising the lesson every year? Thanks for the awesome work man.

[@Uncomfortable]

Not every year. Til now, I've only really had the time to update certain chunks at a time. Now that I'm doing Drawabox full time, I have more time to start working through revising the whole course. *Hopefully* those changes will last a good while, but inevitably I'll find new things I want to revise later...

[@mommaduck79]

I greatly appreciate the content that Uncomfortable puts out, and I admire how much he actually tries to help people - however there is one thing I really would have liked to see addressed in this video. We can see here that Uncomfortable draws pretty much all of his straight lines from the bottom-left of the page towards the top-right of the page. That's because (from a right-hand position) that is the easiest direction to mark the page with great accuracy - but I do wonder why he didn't spend time talking about lines that travel to-and-from other directions. Especially when he mentioned about how most people will initially find it easier to draw from the elbow than the shoulder. That may be true with marks that travel from the bottom-left to the top-right of the page - but try drawing a straight horizontal line from solely the elbow (which i'm sure is physically impossible without also externally rotating the shoulder too). My point is that, this lesson does very little to educate the viewer on how to actually mark the page accurately without resorting to the crutch of rotating the page in order to place the trajectory of each mark on a path that is more comfortable for us to be able to apply. If you can mark a good vertical sytraight line - then you only need to rotate the page to get a straight line in any other direction. But that is not something I've ever seen uncomfortable do - nor do i think that it is a habit that Uncomfortable would recommend. So, personally, I would have liked to have see a discussion on how to approach lines of all sorts of orientation. Do I need to be able to draw a vertical line from both a top-down and bottom-up approach? Or is simply being able to make sure that I can mark a good vertical line (despite which approach is used to achieve this) all that matters? Am I supposed to be making sure I can mark the page accurately from any position - or am I building a rigid arsenal of lines that I can recreate consinstently and then employig whichever one is most suited for a particular desired mark? All I'm saying is, since it's not touched upon, it gives way to the overthinking that you find in this very comment (for me personally). Regardless, Draw A Box is a treasure (Uncomfortable is too ha), and something like this is not something that enables me to be highly critical about the rest of the course though.

[@Uncomfortable]

Unfortunately, you're a little bit mistaken here, because I *absolutely* recommend that students, as they work through the homework for this course, rotate their page for each and every mark they make. I talk about this when introducing the ghosting method which is just a little ways further into Lesson 1 than this video. It's addressed here: drawabox.com/lesson/1/ghostedlines which students visit when they move onto the second exercise. I also address the matter of this being a "crutch" here: drawabox.com/lesson/1/10/betteruse

[@mommaduck79]

@@Uncomfortable Sorry, yeah I realised this once I watched a few more videos. Does that mean you only need to concentrate on drawing these lines in one single orientation to begin with then? I always struggle making sure I can do them horizontally, vertically and diagonally. I also always try to go 'top-to-bottom' as well as 'bottom-to-top' for the verticals and both 'left-to-right' as well as 'right-to-left' for the horizontals. But there are only a couple of orientations I can actually try to draw a smooth consistent straight line well.

[@Uncomfortable]

​@@mommaduck79 That's correct. I do find that students' range of "comfortable" orientations does tend to expand naturally, but you can of course later on target that specific issue using the exercises we've shared here. For the purposes of the course however, it would not be an efficient use of time, and would delay you from getting into the meat of what the course is designed to focus on.

[@ImHungryHi]

Dangit, trying to draw lines to make notes on the distinction between mechanical movement of wrist vs elbow vs shoulder, I automatically and instinctively made my lines straight by using multiple at once :p

[@henriqueprado9205]

I've never imagined that drawing with the shoulder could be so hard, especially controlling the pressure in the pen.

[@pascal1858]

Hey, I'm new to the world of art! I'm wondering, is this course also suited for me if I plan to primarily paint with acrylics?

[@Uncomfortable]

Drawabox basically focuses on training students to develop their spatial reasoning skills - not to teach with the intent of a specific medium or application. We use ink specifically because it lines up with the exercises and reinforces them, but it really is just a foundational building block for drawing in general. Even if you intend to focus on painting, you still need to work at rewiring your brain to understand the things you depict on the flat canvas, as though they exist in 3D space. So yes, it is definitely a suitable starting point.

[@pascal1858]

@@Uncomfortable awesome, thanks for the reply! Then I'll start my journey here!

[@offthepathworks9171]

Keeping your elbows of the table will also help immensely with your posture and back health in the long term. One of the big benefits of a drawing hobby vs. just sitting behind a damn computer.

[@ajinkyax]

is this law of attraction ? I started to learn drawing and Drawbox videos are now available online

[@JhonattasxBR]

hey @Uncomfortable thanks. Congratulations on the lessons. I tried to do the DaB a while ago but ended up giving up (griding 😥). But now I will make it to the end, thank you

[@LoxusTheFox]

this is pretty great, extremely helpful info

[@k.p2841]

I can draw and replicate everthing 3 I see but I have very low imagination skills I cannot come up with something on my own. started this course today pretty sure this would help me to

[@k.p2841]

@Hola_Amiga :D Oh same lol

[@elizabethkapas9437]

What a terrific site to develop drawing skills! I just began lesson 1 and realized part way through that my high school art teacher always had us draw on a tilted desk. She explained that on a flat surface perspective can be skewed and elongated. I have always drawn on a tilted surface for that reason, but I often find it awkward . Can anyone tell me if for this course a slanted surface or a flat table is recommended? Or does it not matter? Obviously perspective is not as relevant when practicing random lines, but what about future drawings that do involve some perspective? Thank you.

[@Uncomfortable]

If you take a look at the video from Lesson 0 Page 4, towards the end of it I talk a little about slanted desks vs. flat desks. And of course if you haven't gone through Lesson 0 yet, it's important that you do so: drawabox.com/lesson/0

[@elizabethkapas9437]

@@Uncomfortable I missed that. Thank you!

[@haythamhabbari2793]

I never thought my art lessons from middle school would become so handy in the future lol

[@janelle_was_here]

it's nice seeing a face to the voice 😊

[@amaliyadray8143]

Love that shirt.

[@Flort-ifcations]

A quick question I have about the 50% rule. Does the time spent watching the videos, reading the lessons, etc, contribute to the 50% rule. Or is it only the time spent actively putting the lessons into use while drawing and doing the assignments that contribute to the 50% rule?

[@Uncomfortable]

Ultimately that's for you to decide. The 50% rule lays out an overall goal - to strive to balance the time you spend focusing on learning/improving/getting something concrete out of the time you spend, with time spent drawing just for the hell of it. You can decide for yourself whether the time spent watching videos/reading lessons/etc should be factored in or not.

[@matthewcoleman5666]

Draw box is amazing thank you for this!

[@user-bl7oo5ze4x]

Nice your vedio are more attractive than old one .

[@paulf871]

This video explains things better than the last version but theres still some things I'm confused about. In the comments for the older video you said something like "Even outside of drawabox, if you want to draw a flowing stroke the key is to make sure that whatever joints/motions youre using to make the stroke doesn't change." That still doesn't really make sense to me. Could you elaborate on it?

[@paulf871]

It's just frustrating because you seem like you know what you're talking about but then you say something like this that doesn't really make any sense.

[@ps3pwns1]

It seems that the phrase is saying if you draw a line or stroke, don't do something like start using your wrist to draw the line and then switch halfway through to using the shoulder or elbow to do the rest. Use one of the three to keep the line consistent

[@paulf871]

@@ps3pwns1 I can understand not switching to your wrist after starting a stroke with your shoulder, but I literally can't imagine how drawing a line with your elbow and then switching to using more of your shoulder creates a hitch.

[@BattleDuelists]

I still struggle with this somehow, I am so used to drawing and writing from my wrist. Having to re-wire to draw from shoulder is incredibly hard.

[@oranbrie]

note to self: fluidity > precision

[@meridiem.dolorem]

Wew shoulder drawing looks helpful !

[@Clipdip1557]

When you make the lesson 2 videos, can you show yourself drawing the organic forms with just your shoulder? I'm having a hard time drawing these without using my elbow for some of the curves.

[@Uncomfortable]

Unfortunately I probably won't - showing the whole arm like that has a cost, and it makes it more difficult to capture other things that are important to the given exercise. I will however give it some thought and see if there's a way I can still address the issue without sacrificing anything else.

[@Clipdip1557]

@@Uncomfortable I'm just having a hard time not knowing if I'm actually drawing from the shoulder. In the past you talked so much about minimizing how much you use your elbow but even in this video when you say you're drawing with your shoulder, your elbow is doing most of the work.

[@Uncomfortable]

@@Clipdip1557 I believe in this video I mentioned that people got way too focused on whether or not they're drawing with their elbow or their shoulder, that I changed how I decided to phrase it to keep such people from getting distracted. Now I only focus on whether or not they're drawing from their wrist, or using the whole arm. If your upper arm is moving as you draw, rather than remaining static, then you're fine. You will only hinder yourself by overthinking it and worrying about it beyond that.

[@Clipdip1557]

@@Uncomfortable Before these updates why did you say that people should completely lock their elbows or that they should minimize how much their elbow opens or closes? With you saying that and telling people that you somehow use your clavicle to draw it's no wonder people got so confused. You made it sound like they shouldn't use their elbows at all when you actually wanted them to do most of the work with their elbows and have their shoulders move only a little.

[@Uncomfortable]

@@Clipdip1557 It makes more sense to explain why I decided to make the change. Talking about locking the elbow joint was adequate for many students - they aimed to lock the joint, and while there was some minor movement there, it caused them to focus primarily on how their shoulder moved, rather than how their elbow didn't. There were however some students who struggled with that wording, and ultimately I decided to shift the wording for their benefit, while hopefully retaining the focus that continued to work for those other students. Drawabox is after all a course that is constantly evolving and adapting as I learn how to better explain this material to students. I myself am a self-taught instructor, and so I'm learning how to approach that through this process as much as my students are learning how to draw. When I started to realize that a small selection of students got hyperfocused on something that wasn't really as important as the focus on the movement of the shoulder and upper arm, I altered my approach, in the hopes that it would help students focus on what's important without distraction.

[@elemental2637]

The goat himself

[@nikithanagraj4539]

updated video!! so cool :o

[@d4darwin458]

That shirt though 🔥🔥🔥

[@trollzilla]

Little more than a month ago, this felt like an impossibility. Now, it feels like second nature. That said, I still REALLY struggle drawing smooth lines and to be honest, I don't see that much difference between lines I draw with my wrist and with my shoulder. I know I have pretty bad motor skills (quite possibly the result of pregnancy issues my mother had), so maybe I never will get better at them. Or maybe I simply still need to practice much, much more. I guess time will tell.

[@user-yk1cw8im4h]

refreshing to finally see your face xD