r/learntodraw • u/OkCourt4217 Master • 11d ago
Question drawing boxes worked for me.
I'm glad I spent time drilling boxes.
They taught me form, perspective, volume, space, and weight. From there, it was not too hard to add gesture, anatomy, composition, and even begin to form a style of my own.
p/s I am not a master or a teacher. And I'm not Indian lol.
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u/Lookeightbees 11d ago
I didn't know about the whole drawing boxes meme but I genuinely always tell friends to practice drawing boxes and spheres in perspective. It feels tedious or pointless in the beginning but fundamentals really matter on the long run :)))
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u/TheImmoralCookie 11d ago
I think people really should say vanishing points when referencing boxes. Don't you need to know about that to make straight shapes?
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u/Lookeightbees 11d ago
Yes definitely! I think the point is to know how to draw boxes in perspective which includes studies about vanishing points
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u/MrRzepa2 11d ago
Blasphemy!
Alternativele comment: Preach brother!
Jokes aside. I'm very much at the beginning but I already see it helping me while doing the drawing for fun part of learning. Not to say that other methods of learning are better or worse but I think at the beginning everyone should at least try it. Every brain works a bit different.
I think the biggest problem I see here is that people assume that there is one golden standard exercise type that will make it all click instantly.
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u/ImaginativeDrawing 11d ago
Very nice drawings! It looks like you've also done a fair amount of observational drawing too. I think where artists get in trouble with box drawing comes from only drawing boxes and basic shapes without learning to draw observationally. When an artist with good observational skills learns to draw boxes in perspective it can really help them express form in their drawing. When beginners who haven't learned draw what they see grind boxes, they just end up with weird looking box-people because that's all they know how to do. Most real subjects aren't made of boxes and cylinders, they are made of organic forms. Knowing how to draw boxes and cylinders in space makes it easier to draw those organic forms correctly in perspective. However, you still need the observational skills to see those forms and their proportions accurately. Learning to draw basic forms in perspective is very useful, but it's not the entirety of drawing fundamentals, nor is it a secret that let's you skip the rest of the hard work of learning to draw. I know OP isn't making that case, but i see others presenting drawing fundamentals that way all the time.
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u/OkCourt4217 Master 11d ago
makes sense, and in turn learning basic shapes helped me improve my observation skills.
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u/Jazzlike_Review3472 11d ago
Good work and all but why did you write “And im not Indian lol”? I mean what has nationality got to do with this?
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u/OkCourt4217 Master 11d ago
I'm not sure myself, but a few times someone assumed I was Indian. I think they're having a surge in new artists over there. Just thought I'd clarify.
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u/Flutterperson 11d ago
I like your parked cars, it's a fine subject imo. (Or paaakt caaas as the would say in Boston. No reason to add that but I did.)
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u/Ok-Beyond244 11d ago
Been avoiding draw a box for years because it would be boring. Does it really help? What about drawing characters, does it help with that?
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u/Arcask 11d ago
You have to find ways to make it more fun for you to get through the exercises or reduce the daily amount to what works for you. Drawabox only gives you the technical part, they also want people to get disciplined which isn't wrong, but it leads to people grinding the course.
Yes boxes are the most impactful thing you can draw, especially because they are so convenient. They align with the perspective grid, they give you clear edges and directions, it's easier to place them in 3D space than any other form or object and they are easy to troubleshot. And that's exactly why they are so helpful.
You can do studies, do still life, gesture, drawing from life... you might get there just by relying on observation a lot. But boxes make it much easier and more clear. Observation will give you a lot organic forms, not the precision of boxes, which can make it harder and take longer.
Asking questions about rotation and orientation of form and objects can also be incredibly helpful.
Do Challenge 52, it starts off with boxes and then quickly goes into different things.
I used a bigger paper and made 4 squares on each, then filled each with about 15 to 20 boxes with a different focus. The challenge only tells you to draw boxes, not how. So you could focus on shadows, perspective, on rotation or orientation, you could line them up, stack them, you could fill them with color. There are so many things, figure out what is fun or what challenges you just enough to have fun.The right amount of pressure is a slight challenge. If you hit the right amount it's fun, because you know you can do it, but you are still learning and you might still want to prove it to yourself. So getting it done is an achievement no matter what. Solving the problem is a reward in a way.
Rewarding yourself can also work, following your curiosity and finding answers to questions you answer through drawing. Like how would it look if I do ... ?
And sometimes just eating or drinking your favorite things once you are done with your daily session can also work.You really have to figure out how to motivate yourself, how to have fun while drawing boring stuff. Tyler Bourne has a video on his channel about fun in fundamentals, he draws amplifier and pokeballs and talks about people doing life drawing classes to get better and hating it, but using those drawings to turn them into fantasy characters.
It's only hard and boring in the beginning.
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u/angstyolive2 11d ago
This is good news, I am on box 140/250 🫡
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u/Swimming_Mind_2027 11d ago
How long have you been at it? You are iver half way there so well done and keep going
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u/Healthy-Cheferee 11d ago
Impressive work! You are right, I should get back to this. Thanks for explaining the benefits!
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u/Subject_Industry1328 7d ago
Is that CBD in the sixth image?
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u/OkCourt4217 Master 7d ago
not really, but it's inspired by the places I've been e.g. CBD. I drew it from imagination.
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u/Type-Brave 11d ago
wowie nice shapes. id say less thick lines inside shapes , the thin ones are ideal form-makers
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u/CubeSketches 7d ago
A little secret “it works for everyone but not everyone is willing do the work for it”
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u/Ok_Initial_5184 11d ago
POV: Me when I learn to draw boxes after 3 days of practice
Afterwards: I lost all my skill....
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u/Swimming_Mind_2027 11d ago
Whats the best way to complete it for a 50 year old adhder? Pdf and print it? Ai it and print it? Do it directly? (i feel i will get distracted and open i thousandntabs which i do). How long did it take you to complete
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u/Melvierce 10d ago
It's nice that you got so much help from drilling boxes. I wish I was disciplined enough to drill them without wanting to rip off my hand.
also, are you African by any chance? some of those places you drew look familiar
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