I've learned a lot, and released a lot. And growing my 'muscle' of discipline ( if you can call it that ). I'll be posting an update monthly ( so I can focus more on the work itself ).
I can hardly believe I began art school almost a year ago ( last July, in 2020 ). But anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Here is a look at my progress since the last post:
I'm open to receiving feedback on these, so feel free to point out what I need to work on. I'll see you next time!
I think your work is really good, Joe! Especially the the anatomy deconstruction.
One thing that might help you: when you are doing 30sec and 1min gesture drawings, do not focus on drawing/copying the outlines of the pose, but try to „feel“ the pose and draw that then…. Probably not the best explanation, but maybe a quick look at Proko‘s figure drawing videos (I think its called How to draw gesture), might help you.
https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/how-to-draw-gesture/assignments
The difference between the two ways of drawing the gesture is, that with one you focus on copying outlines and with the other you focus on a very essential thing: the pose itself and what it tries to convey.
Also: do not get hung up on little details like the bump of a particular muscle thats sticking out, try to portray the figure using simple C-shaped, S-shaped and straight lines.
But the video will explain everything in more detail! 
Good job, and keep it up!
1 month later
I'm about to enter my last university semester and finally graduate at the end of the year. I plan to finish ART School by the end of 2021 ( if not, by mid-2022 to the end of 2022 ), and I'll focus on characters, creatures, and environments ( these are the things I am most passionate about creating ). Thank you for the suggestion regarding the gesture drawings, I watched the video and it made a lot of sense ( though I'm still adjusting to that loose method of drawing them ).
Here is a glimpse of where I'm currently at:
I'll be working diligently on TERM 4 this month, and will post an update at the end of the month. Feedback is appreciated, and I will see you soon!
19 days later
Here's the work I've done on TERM 4:
I went for analogous colors for the character at the end. Otherwise, here's where I'm at for older content:
The faces were too much for me to learn all at once, so I've gotten back to the basics of simple shapes. Once I finish the anatomy portion of TERM 4, I'll extend the amount of time I spend on each gesture drawing so I can draw all of the muscles ( loosely ). So I feel by the end of the year I'll have much better knowledge of anatomy than when I began. My semester has been challenging for the first week or so, but now that I'm back in "school mode," it should be easier to to adjust and balance my time.
Anyway, I'll continue working on TERM 4 and getting my act together. I'll slow down as well, since patience is key ( and this will be a lifelong journey ). See you at the end of the month!
16 days later
Not Art School related, but I wanted to share this fan art on my blog:
( https://forums.cubebrush.co/t/joe-art-blog/9486/12 )
17 days later
Last month was rough. I understand now thinking I could finish all of this by the end of the year was a grave overestimate. I'm simply going to slow down and become more methodical ( so to speak ) and intentional with art school. I am striving to be the best artist I can be, but that's a lifelong journey, not a destination. Anyway, I got around to finishing up the lower anatomy lesson as well as doing the gestures and faces and whatnot. Here's my work currently:
So there's my small update. I'm slowly developing a habit of being more productive and focused, and this is what will inevitably help me in the long run. See you at the end of the month!
You pretty much hit the nail on the head, Joe! : )
Take your time with you skill development and enjoy every step towards your goal!
1 month later
Graduation is weeks away, so I'm focusing on getting everything done. But I'm also continuing to create art and work of my skill. Here's another piece of fan art with pen and colored pencils [ https://forums.cubebrush.co/t/joe-art-blog/9486/14 ]
1 month later
I have graduated with my undergraduate degree. Going through the school system has turned my creativity into something without any joy ( I'm sure this feeling is relatable ). I've decided to start over with ART School, with Term 1 next month. Monthly updates were a nice attempt, but I will be going back to posting my progress at least once a week. My ultimate desire with ART School is to keep learning and growing my art with each passing year, on my road to mastery. I'm so ready to have fun and joy with my art again.
Okay, Term 1. I'm basically taking what has been given with the assignments and making them my own. Anyway, this is the beginning of my 2022 ART School journey: 
So that's that! I will be working through the assignments over the course of the month.
I may be getting ahead of myself already getting into the more complex shapes, but here's the beginning of the perspective assignments. I've lowered the opacity of the horizon line, outlines, and the vanishing point to make it less visually distracting.
A lot of the things that appear to be extremely visually complex on the surface have been things I've found to be easier to understand once broken down into smaller, simpler shapes and forms.
The observation assignment has made me look at the world in a different, I'd say, more beautiful way. It's as if everything can be seen as a puzzle for me to solve, where I am perplexed with the task of understanding it as such a fundamental level that I can draw it and actually break it all down in my mind. Anyway, I'll keep learning and observing..see you soon!
First off, here is a 2-point perspective practice. I simply went for a single cube, but sculpted it a little ( making it accurate is what I'm after ). I even went ahead and tried to tackle having a light source next to it ( which I feel was a mistake, since looking back it feels like it was too much to try and achieve at once ).
And then here are more gestures!
I'll leave with the thought I've had recently that it seems no matter how much I learn and improve, there is no "destination" ( really! ), because there will always be more to learn. And so I've learned to focus on the journey, this moment here and now, the hard way. But in any case, I'll see you soon with more progress!
Great mindset to have! Keep going
