I am of the opinion that "just draw" does NOT work for anons who don't have a grasp on form and perspective. However; it's amazing advice for those who do know how to "feel the form" because then drawing literally anything builds upon that skill. Flat drawers however, will be doomed to repeat an action forever and ever that does nothing to help them become better at drawing, and that's how permabegs become so.
The stronger your skill in form and perspective, the more information you will glean from every drawing, and the faster you produce your drawings. This is why some seem to improve faster than others.

Cross-sectioning blobs
10/10 exercise, simple and intuitive
Sometimes in the middle of the blob exercise, I find myself getting tired and getting lazy, and the form starts to look off. I just abandon it and start anew with a refreshed mind.
This exercise is like lubricant before starting your gestural and anatomical studies. It helps you hammer in the habit of "tucking in" and "pulling out" your lines in a circular motion.

>>7634967
Example of abandoned exercise. The previous lines just screws you up as you try to go further. It's not worth finishing.

Sculpting with clay is a fast way of getting a grasp of very, very complex and organic forms, like the skull. God likes to be a show-off, but I wouldn't like to use the word "over-engineered" because I think every single detail adds beauty to the human form. Every bump and ridge is there for a reason, and everyone seems to follow a certain blueprint that diverges in delightful ways.
This is what I made before starting my anatomical studies on skulls.

Sculpting with clay is a fast way of getting a grasp of very, very complex and organic forms, like the skull. God likes to be a show-off, but I wouldn't like to use the word "over-engineered" because I think every single bump and ridge adds beauty and utility to the human form. It is all there for a reason. Everyone seems to follow a certain blueprint that diverges in delightful ways.
This is what I made before starting my anatomical studies on skulls.

>>7634985
It was good to follow up with anatomical studies with pen and paper, because the clay sculpture had some inaccuracies and I learned even more about details of the skull with further practice.

Gestural drawings from your favorite movie is another 10/10.
It HAS to be your favorite movie. Or a movie with an actor you think is very hot. When you like what you draw, you have a drive to capture the essence of it. Don't chase butterflies, chase the deer and the rabbit with the red meat.
But really, I'd say this is the best exercise, and it only ties with the cross-section exercise because of how enjoyable it is. I think 20% of everything I have ever drawn so far was gestural studies from movies, and 80% of my progress came from that alone.

>>7634959 (OP)
Draw a physical box (cube), spheres, cylinders, cones.
Physical as in irl, made out of wood, metal, plastic, wires, styrofoams, etc.
You won't do it though. You are always ready with excuses.

Just play around with forms in a sketchbook, try to break down animals and objects into primitive shapes. Drawing bones is good too, areas like the scapula/collar bone and pelvis are good perspective grinding.

>>7635005
This was not a from a movie, but referenced from a picture in a magazine.
Gestural drawings of naked models posing specifically for art is nice, but it's not that fun for me. Movies have the best of both worlds: the drawing from life aspect that helps build a sense of dynamism, AND the fun of referencing something with artistical aesthetic

>>7634959 (OP)

>>7635012
Oh yes draw-a-box! I was getting to that one.
This is the one and only thing that -ironically - lifted me out of the permabeg mantra: "If I keep drawing this one thing over and over I'll eventually get it." I still have the hundred boxes I drew from 2020.
Before drawabox, I had no sense of perspective and form. Everything I drew was symbol-drawn, from a flat perspective. Drawabox gave me the confidence to tackle on references. It gave me the tools to break apart the form of life into little pieces.
However, I don't think it's a good exercise for people who already know how a cube works. After you learn how to draw cubes, it's time to apply that knowledge to real-life objects.
It's a lifesaver for those just starting out, but not the most necessary when you can get practice from analyzing more complex entities.

>>7634959 (OP)
look at photo ref
do pose in mirror, maybe even at different angles
draw
repeat as needed

i find it's a lot harder to understand if you only look at yourself in the mirror vs using both a ref and mirror. alternatively if you had a live model you could look at different angles that would be good too, but most don't. in addition to people i would also do this with simple shaped objects placed in different angles like boxes, paper towel roll, etc

>>7635012
I must've skimmed over your second sentence. The box made of things, especially organic material like wood with all its grains seems like a really good exercise. I'm going to try that out and see how it compares with my favorite one (cross sectional exercise)
I hope more anons post good and specific ones like you

>>7635012
I must've skimmed over your second sentence. The box made of things, especially organic material like wood with all its grains seems like a really good exercise. I'm going to try that out and see how it compares with my favorite one (cross sectional exercise)
I hope more anons post good and specific examples like you did
>>7635032
^im the same poster

>>7635005
based Kubrick enjoyer. I try to do that, but I always end up just watching the movie with my sketchbook in my lap. Do you pause scenes or try to capture them as they're playing out?

>>7635032
>>7634959 (OP)
>>7634967
>>7634969
pyw, your actual work, I'm of the opinion that the 'exercises' treadmill just serves to keep permabegs busy

>>7635032
To reiterate and expand further, the 100 box challege is like a "cure" medically speaking. If you find yourself frustrated, stuck and unable to grasp the concepts that others seem to understand for years and years, drawabox is a medicine. If you're not "sick" then it's not very useful. (Unless you really, really do like drawing and grinding boxes. I am of the controversial opinion that drawing what is fun and enjoyable is tenfold more beneficial than grinding)

>>7635012
>>7635040
Boxes made out of physical stuff

Doesn't top my favorite, which is the cross sectional exercise, but there is something to be gained from being restricted to a box shape.
It's very effective at unlocking the sculptor mindset, and I think it works the best with organic textures. The only downside is that it's not a "fast" exercise, but it's still worthwhile. Next time I do this exercise I would probably attempt aluminum foil, another sponge, fur and crumply fabric textures like lace or ruffle.

>>7635048
You have no idea how happy I am that you recognized another kubrick enjoyer.
I pause scenes, skipping frame by frame during intense scenes. Sometimes, especially in the most intense scenes I draw the gesture of every frame as fast as I can, and other times I pick my favorite one and draw it a little more carefully. There are some apps that let you do this, what I use is the precise frame mpv video player and I downloaded the movie using yar-har-har methods.
I think Kubrick's films are absolutely perfect for using as a reference because the guy is literally insane. Every single detail in the movie, from the composition of the backgrounds to the actor's expressions and motions and the clothing design is all part of his artistic vision so no matter what you're copying, you can always absorb a bit of his greatness. The actors have all said that he was crazy (poor shelley). When I scrub through the frames I like to think that I come across a glimpse, just for a fraction of a second, of exhaustion or even genuine terror in the actor's eyes that's not supposed to be there, like "goddammit stanley this is the 500th take" or "what's this mother fucker gonna make me do next" and then that look disappears in the next frame.
This is a frame by frame gestural btw.

>>7635182
>>7635048
The last gestural study was on april 28. I took a break from it to study up on anatomy, but after I finish learning the muscles on the arms and lower legs and feet I'm resuming my little project.

>>7635049
This entire thread is his work.
Post yours.

>>7635049
My true passion lies in cartoons. But I abandoned this parody of the Odd Couple because my skillset half a year ago felt unsatisfactory. So right now I'm learning about the muscle attachments to the bones.
Thing is, I'm not looking for a treadmill, I'm looking to go somewhere a really nice place to take a walk.

>>7635225
What is your most recent finished piece, and how long have you been drawing for?

>>7634959 (OP)
most of the dab exercises unironically but the /beg/s here aren't ready for that conversation

>>7635318
>dab exercises
Those are dynamic sketching exercises. Irshad just repackaged them, but worse.

>>7635322
yeah because it's made for actual /beg/tards like OP

>>7635330
the ways in which Irshad misinterprets Han's instruction don't magically make them good for /beg/s

>>7635334
have you not seen how /beg/s here draw? han’s intent doesn't matter when the average /beg/ here can't even draw something as simple as a box. following dynamic sketching will just get them more lost. they don’t have the mileage, control or spatial understanding to get anything out of it

>>7634959 (OP)
contour exercise like that is given after some proctor has seen you already have good grasp of line control. Those contour lines are shaky scratchy as fuck.

>>7635344
They don't get anything out of DAB efficiently, either, and they get stuck on it for longer.

>>7635357
/beg/s who get stuck on something as basic as dab were ngmi anyway

>>7635369
"stuck on" meaning wasting time on it and DAB wastes a ton of your time

>>7635369
yeah autistics doing a Hobby that isn't exactly what their brain is into are all always stuck on the basics of the Hobby.

I love autistics as customer. They just pay premium for basic stuff.