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This is a recommendation for noobs like me who would like to improve their line quality. Whether you are a draughtsman/woman or a painter - if you want to improve your drawing skills starting with your lines, perspective, construction etc. then try out Drawabox. I had decent results practicing the exercises - although I haven’t finished the entire course.

And let me know how it goes for you.

Bye,

Abhishek (art noob)

We have all read picture books of some sort when we were young, and among them are certainly a few comics. If you ever wondered about this artform - how and why it works, well you have to read Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics”.

This is a one of a kind book which travels all over the landscape of story illustration and gives quite a few insights into visual storytelling.

Even if you don’t read too many comics - this book teaches a lot about how illustrations and stories work.

A must read!

And if you do read the book, do …

With the advent of smartphones, pens and notebooks have been disappearing steadily from pockets. For all those who want to get back to sketching, drawing, note taking, writing journals - I suggest buying a thin notebook and a cheap pen and always carrying it around with you.

When you’re bored take out your notebook and doodle what you see or think. It’s better than mindlessly browsing some app with endless scrolling.

Have a great Sunday,

Abhishek (art noob)

Hi there,

The journey of learning any craft is a long one. It has sprints, marathons, and pitstops. To be able to understand our own energy, our fatigue and what our body needs - we need empathy for ourself.

When we need rest, our ambition and our desires should take a vacation, and let the body and mind have some down time to rejuvenate.

I leave you with the painting - Trett (Tired. 1885) by Norwegian Painter Christian Krohg.

I really like the serene expression on her face.

Have a great weekend,

Abhishek (art noob)

This is a short post. I wanted to recommend another blog if you are interested in art related contemporary writings.

James Gurney has been writing his blog for almost 14 years now. I love his art and his writings. Here's the link - http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/ .

That's it for today.

Have fun,

-Abhishek (art noob)

Human figures are the most recurring feature in our drawings. They are also some of the most challenging objects to draw. One can spend a lifetime learning figure drawing, there’s so much to learn. But where does one start and what are the prerequisites.

Although there are no rules in art, generally if we wish to turn out believable figures, we should possess certain drawing skills before hand… (although it is possible to practice these along with learning the figure)

• outline drawing

• ability to recognize and draw shapes (2d)

• ability to recognize and simplify and draw form (3d) - especially …

Hi Reader,

At the beginning of a new month, here’s a dragonfly poised for flight.

That’s the post,

Tata,

Abhishek (art noob)

Hello Dear Reader,

Today I want to talk about a subject which I keep coming back to time and again in my own thoughts - so you could say it is close to my heart. And that is the long-form over the short-form of everything.

We all get one life (unless you are the proverbial cat) - and we would all like to enrich the experience of that life. We would like to make every second count for more and we would want to experience as many fulfilling experiences as we can.

So we want to do more per second and we …

If everything works right, you will get a banner along with today’s email. I made the banner in Clip Studio Paint 1 and the logo in Aseprite 2. The photo in the banner is from a few years ago - in the rainy season a frog was lounging near the fountain just posing for a photoshoot. I hope you like the banner - any feedback is welcome.

Here’s the full sized photo of the moody frog…

See you later, alligators,

Abhishek (art noob)

Hello Dear Reader,

Yesterday’s post had a glaring error in the technical section. I corrected the post after sending out the email and the web version has the corrected section. However I realized I need to institute some discipline on my part to ensure quality.

I’m thinking of delaying posts by a day so that I can read it one more time before I send it out next day. So it gives me a chance to review after a cool-down period.

Let me know what your thoughts are on the subject.

I leave you with a photo of …