On 14 May, 2021 With
Portrait by Molly, Drawing Academy student
Hello,
Thank you for your time. I’m experiencing some problems with rendering my drawings. I feel like I’ve got a handle on the likeness etc. but the rendering is leaving me frustrated. I can’t seem to get the hang of hatching and cross hatching. As you see in my picture it looks too rough and crude. When I blend it looks better to me. However, I know from your course that graphite should not be blended. How to fix this problem?
Thank you.
Artwork critique by Vladimir London, Drawing Academy tutor
Dear Molly,
Thank you very much for your wonderful drawing.
Before rendering an artwork…
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On 3 Apr, 2021 With
Portrait by Emily, Drawing Academy student
I just enrolled in the Drawing Academy a few days ago, and I am already glad that I did. I have been drawing for most of my life, but I was quite amazed at the concepts and skills I have been learning here which are almost entirely new to me. I have read a little about the hatching and crosshatching techniques in years gone by, but I never actually employed them much in my own works.
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On 9 Oct, 2020 With
I started this Drawing Course with Drawing Academy six weeks ago and was immediately knocked out of my comfort zone.
I wasn’t expecting everything to be so new to me. From the way I hold my pencil to constructive drawing techniques – it’s all new.
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On 14 Mar, 2020 With

Portrait artwork for critique from Luciana, Drawing Academy student
Since I started the Drawing Academy, I can see some improvement in my drawing skills.
Here’s the portrait in progress. I tried to follow the right proportions, but it still feels like something is not quite right, though I can’t exactly tell what it is.
I would really appreciate your critique.
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On 18 Feb, 2020 With
Drawing by Ann Marie
Hi,
I have a question or two, regarding my artwork. I am working on this piece and I am thinking about the golden mean and how it works when setting up this still life.
I visualize the spiral starting in between the the window and door of the shoe and spiralling out and going up by the roof to the top of the plant and down to the lemon. I see the rabatment rectangle of the drawing as being the horizontal back edge of the table.
Also regarding perspectives, I should make the leaves in the back of the plant a little lighter than the leaves in the front to show distance, right?
I’m reviewing Drawing Academy videos on the golden proportion and focusing on how to include the Golden mean in my drawings and paintings.
Thanks for your response in advance.
Ann Marie
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On 30 Jan, 2020 With

Portraits from Bill, Drawing Academy student
Somehow your words “draw what you know, not what you see” just didn’t click with me. While doing some practice drawing today, I began to realize that it is not only drawing what you know, but to feel the curves that round the face, the eyes, lids, nose, lips, etc. I have never drawn this way before. I started my old way, and I realized I had to feel the roundness and curves to have them stand out. In the past, by luck, some of my copying of photos did produce many of those curves. However, I now realize that this is a much better way to draw. Sorry it took me so long to understand how to make curves. I will let you know how this drawing turns out.
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On 14 Jan, 2020 With
I made a first attempt at the still life and it was quite challenging, especially the bowl. It seems I can’t quite make ovals!
I hope it is satisfactory for our purposes. I must do more of these.
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On 9 Jan, 2020 With
Hi,
I am working on the Anatomy Master Class course. I am on lessons “How to draw a portrait”, drawing the head from the neck-shoulders up.
I find that I cannot quite render the right proportions of the head. I think it has to do with the circumference of the base of the neck oval, then the length of the clavicle. I cannot get this right.
Could you enlighten me on what I am doing wrong and how to correct it?
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On 31 Oct, 2019 With
Artwork from Geri, Drawing Academy student
Hi Drawing Academy tutors,
I’ve just registered and look forward to my journey on this art course.
Just to let you know I am a totally self-taught artist and have had no formal art training at all. As a child and young adult I found it quite easy to draw from my imagination but as I got older I started drawing from photos and now I’m even finding it quite difficult just to do that. I enjoy it but it takes me ages to create my artworks.
I’m just scared that I may not be able to break out of old bad habits like copying from photos.
Here’s one still-life I’ve done from life.

Many thanks
Geri
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On 11 Mar, 2019 With

Artwork by Lynette, Drawing Academy student
Thank you so much for your support. Here’s my drawing I did from life and a photo of the subject.
I am looking forward to your opinion.
Thank you
Lynette
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