The Uncool Kid

UNIT TWO: Dynamic Figure Drawing | Day 2 – Copy a pose from memory, trace, and correct original

I am going to interpret this as just using real life references.

Again, since we had so much success last night we are going to break things down again.

Suggested time: 90 minutes (30 minutes per unit, 10 minutes per part)

Unit 1: Gather images

• Part 1: Look for reference photo sources
• Part 2: Brainstorm action poses
• Part 3: Brainstorm perspective poses

Unit 2: From memory

• Part 1: Pose 1
• Part 2: Pose 2
• Part 3: Pose 3

Unit 3: From life

• Part 1: Pose 1
• Part 2: Pose 2
• Part 3: Pose 3

Unit 1: Gather images

Part 1: Look for reference photo sources

10 Best Free Pose Reference Sites For Figure Drawing – Improveyourdrawings.com

Part 2&3: Brainstorm action and perspective poses

Human Anatomy for Artist – ShowSet Photos – Ultra-high resolution human photo references – Human-Anatomy-for-Artist.com

Human Anatomy for Artist – ShowSet Photos – Ultra-high resolution human photo references – Human-Anatomy-for-Artist.com

Human Anatomy for Artist – ShowSet Photos – Ultra-high resolution human photo references – Human-Anatomy-for-Artist.com

Human Anatomy for Artist – ShowSet Photos – Ultra-high resolution human photo references – Human-Anatomy-for-Artist.com

023 Male Action Pose — Characterdesigns.com

011 Gun Action Pose Male Model — Characterdesigns.com

*Not a pose, but a really cool course I might want to check out

(155) The 6 Types of Joints – Human Anatomy for Artists – YouTube

Now I need to decide on the specific poses I want to try:

Unit 2 & 3: From memory & life

So the poses I most want to choose in order of precedence are:

1. Pose 7
2. Pose 3
3. Pose 1
4. Pose 2
5. Pose 6
6. Pose 8
7. Pose 5

I’m going to try the first four (7, 3, 1, 2).

Part 1: Pose 7

Part 2: Pose 3

Part 3: Pose 1

Part 4: Pose 2

Overall Takeaways

Rough Sketch

• Recreate the pose as itself instead of memorizing the image
• Visualize the twist of the torso
• Try to visualize the space they are holding with their arms (like a beach ball) and space with their feet (like a pyramid)

Refined Sketch

• Focus on the different sides of body parts, what side is facing where
• Mark the attachment point of the neck

Sleep has always been the beast I had to conquer.

Ever since I left my house and went off to college, it has been increasingly hard to go to bed on time.

It’s killing me. I don’t recover from workouts, my mind is foggy, and my memory mists away. My moods feel erratic and neurotic. Energy during the day is a thing of the past.

And yet I cannot stop.

2 am, 3 am, 4 am, 5 am. I keep going to bed late. And sometimes later and later.

I tried so many times to go to be at a reasonable time. I try for a few days, and then I relapse. But we aren’t giving up. We are trying it one more time.

And I didn’t do it alone. My good friend Edgar gave me this kick in the butt:

So what is my gameplan this time? How am I going to succeed when I failed so many times before?

A couple of things:

1. I will not try to control how much sleep I get
2. I will not try to control my screen habits
3. I will not control anything but one single factor, which is my bedtime
4. At the same time, I will figure out what needs I am meeting by going to bed late and how to meet those needs earlier in the day
5. I will commit to this bedtime long enough to form a habit

I made a list of reasons why I love staying up late at night:

• Completely alone
• Lots of time – no rush
• Sense of accomplishment (if I feel I haven’t accomplished anything yet it gives me more time to get things done)
• Consume art
• Nighttime magical vibes
• Dread of the next day
• More time to eat and digest

I realized that not sleeping is incredibly compelling to me. It is far more challenging for me to go to sleep on time than most people. So as a result, I need to keep it simple. Bedtime at 11 PM for the next 66 days, no exceptions. The challenge will end on December 12th. I am two days into this challenge already.

What does this mean?

• I can eat right before bed
• I can watch videos in my bed after 11
• I can get back up, stretch if I cannot fall asleep, then go back to bed
• I can toss and turn at 11
• I can get up at 6 am if I have work that needs to be done but I don’t have the time to finish it

In the meantime, in an attempt to meet all my needs before bed:

• I will silence notifications and try to find some alone time every day
• I will work to identify a task that is feasible to do and will give me a strong sense of accomplishment every day
  • I will try to get this done early so that I will have larger open times during the day where I don’t feel rushed
• I will pursue more art and magical vibes
• I will try to leave gifts for myself the next day so I have positive anticipation(ex: a clean empty sink, plans for something fun)
• I will try to eat at 8 pm at the latest so I have time to digest before 11

In terms of how to structure the next 66 days, I have not decided yet, but perhaps I will try to focus on each of the needs and strategies every week.

Some additional strategies/thoughts:

• Turning off all the lights
• Melatonin gummies

So far, finding a way to feel accomplished/ready for the next day has been a game-changer in wanting to go to sleep. Also, it is easier to go to sleep when bedtime is a hard boundary that is very strict and everything else is quite relaxed (I can still get less sleep and wake up super earlier if I feel I’m not prepared for the next day, I don’t have to go to sleep as long as I’m in bed). Nothing is tempting as a valid excuse/difficult decision anymore.

So tentatively I feel this time will be different. My hope is that after 66 days, I will no longer have to try to go to bed at 11, it will just be automatic, and I will start to cherish my sleep and life in general!

UNIT ONE: Sova Model Studies | Day 1 – Portrait

Since this unit was all about model studies, I went into a custom game and used the model as a reference for drawing sova portraits.

I started with this side view of Sova.

Then I did colors:

New rough sketch of Sova:

Followed by a more refined outline:

Then by a painting attempt:

Something wasn’t clicking. I still didn’t like the painting job. I decided to try again and learn from another tutorial on shading.

I tried to color again.

This time I felt something clicked with using large soft brushes and the lasso tool. I used the soft brushes to create nice gradients and the lasso tool for the clean edges. Looking closely at the painter I see that he also uses the smudge tool a lot.

Today I am back to following the structure I set about in Valorant 30 but with some edits.

UNIT 1: VOD Review

• Day 1 – Apas – 6/3/23
• Day 2 – Klaus – 6/4/23
• Day 3 – Yay – 6/5/23

UNIT 2: Map Understanding

• Day 1 – Lotus – 6/7/23
• Day 2 – Split – 6/8/23
• Day 3 – Bind – 6/9/23

UNIT 3: Mechanical Breakdown

• Day 1 – Crosshair Placement – 3/15/23
• Day 2 – Flicking – 3/16/23
• Day 3 – Spray Control – 3/17/23

Prompt: How good are you waiting for what you really want?

I remember the psychological test where they said that they could predict the success of children in later in life, just by how much self control they have for delayed gratification, and I wonder what child I am. Am I the type of child who grabbed the marshmallow, despite being told to wait by the researchers the minute they left the room? Probably not, when I was a child I was a stickler for the rules. But what if they gave the choice to me? What if there were no rules? Well I suppose it would feel like a cruel test, to believe internally that I would get two marshmallows if I waited long enough but one would never come.

I think now that I’m not good at waiting for what I want at all. But really what I am, is not good at avoiding distractions when I feel extreme discomfort. Am I running from discomfort? Or do I really want something and are not willing to wait for it? The answer isn’t clear to me.