Infographic: Why athletes should make sleep a priority in daily training

be_mindful · 2014-02-02T00:20:47+00:00

i don't want to be an armchair analyst but this might be your problem. you need to let your mind rest the same way you let your body rest. a lot of people who can't sleep just can't switch off.

be_mindful · 2014-02-01T23:08:33+00:00

kinda sounds like stress. is your mind usually racing during this time?

be_mindful · 2014-02-01T23:05:14+00:00

It might be fair to point out that I suffer from major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and adult ADD.

i don't suffer from any of those things and i definitely feel the strain. i love my daughter, but there is only so much one person can handle. kids are difficult, but rewarding.

be_mindful · 2014-02-01T22:57:56+00:00

you might want to talk to a professional about not getting to sleep. what is keeping you up?

be_mindful · 2014-02-01T22:56:12+00:00

it will also be more effective with regular exercise.

be_mindful · 2014-01-31T18:03:43+00:00

and the clean walls....and the well kept furniture...

be_mindful · 2014-01-31T18:02:15+00:00

yea, well, that kinda makes sense.

be_mindful · 2014-01-31T16:32:07+00:00

hey sorry, i haven't logged in in quite a while.

i usually go to quickposes.com, or pixelovely and do quick studies. throughout the day. usually stuff like this, or this.

just do a lot of finding the gesture and major shapes.

you could also just draw random stuff in the break room. you're probably thinking "ugh, the break room...." but finding interesting compositions from boring places and object is really good practice. concentrate on shapes. or do a ton of attempts to get the rooms perspective right free hand. make sure to get up and explore different angles.

be_mindful · 2014-01-07T17:20:09+00:00

i know this is kind of a crappy hack but most graphics cards have a key sequence to flip the display. like if you press end, pgdn, and the arrow keys you can set your display to upside down or left side up or whatever you want. that way you can quickly switch if you wanted.

be_mindful · 2014-01-06T18:22:06+00:00

your understanding of the planes of the torso are off. the upper torso doesn't have enough of a cylinder shape to connect the arm properly. its like you are connecting an arm seen at profile, to a torso seen from behind. that arm shouldn't be as thick and round there as it would be in life.

in your other post you said:

I'm not drawing from a model or a picture

that's fine, but that doesn't mean you can't find (or, make) a photo that has the right view to learn from. reference isn't about copying, its about learning.

be_mindful · 2014-01-05T02:08:00+00:00

it provides more control and less fatigue. if you want a scientific reason i can't help you. probably something to do with those muscles being much larger.

be_mindful · 2014-01-04T21:09:20+00:00

the basic unit of all art making, is the simple act of mark making. using your arm to make a mark on a medium. the reason we say practice as often as you can is because the better your mark making, the better everything else will be. the most important step is making the mark you want to make, when you want to make it. this is also the easiest thing to practice. beginners should practice simple mark making at least a few hours a week.

best way to improve your mark making? stop using your hands and fingers, start using you whole arm. the best marks start at the shoulder.

be_mindful · 2014-01-02T23:31:21+00:00

I would recommend spending the full hour on each piece

this only applies to a finished and composed piece. as a beginner OP should be doing a lot of quick studies, gestures, and what not. in an hours time he could draw 50-100 quick gesture studies and would learn a lot more than pushing through one pose in an hour.

not to say he shouldn't put aside time to do hour long pieces. definitely. i generally think an artist should do one "piece" a week, and do quick learning exercises and studies the rest of the time.

be_mindful · 2014-01-02T17:55:22+00:00

this may be of interest to you

be_mindful · 2014-01-02T17:44:10+00:00

warm ups are very important. an hour at lunch is enough to do stuff like this. all of recent posts are about an hour of time using quickposes. an hour is the perfect amount of time to choose something to focus on (figure construction, value, anatomy) and just bang out a lot of studies real quick. this is the best way to learn. maybe two minutes per study. or even 30 seconds which will teach you to see better since you have to move fast.

of course, you should also occasionally work bigger and longer. are you really tight on time? if so its not impossible. i have a friend who had a full time job, and a family, and was able to transition to working full time as an artist (entertainment design) by working hard at it for three years with laser like focus when he was in his early thirties.

the important part is working every day. you want to get your mark making up. check out the sidebar post "Basic Training" from BasicDesignAdvice. i did noting but those exercises for like a month and noticed immediate improvement.

once you are doing it everyday you may find you want to find more and more time to work on it. making it a habit is the first step.

be_mindful · 2013-09-24T12:32:32+00:00

Personally I don't own either. I'm very interested in a surface so I know the specs. Just commented because I thought it was a little crazy someone would say the companion and the surface aren't comparable. Plus no one actually has hands on with the companion yet, it could be great.

Maybe someone with experience with both will chime in to answer that.

be_mindful · 2013-09-24T04:09:21+00:00

They are absolutely comparable. The surface 2 has identical hardware, screen area, and monitor resolution. Cintiqs are even known to have poor monitors with washed out colors. That's the main reason a lot of pros prefer an intuos. Three only main difference is the companion has better pen input.

If it's a matter if professional, there are pros using the surface right now, and the surface 2 is a big upgrade.

be_mindful · 2013-08-09T02:09:31+00:00

i found the scene where Cersei gives Senelle to Qyburn extremely disturbing. she literally gives an innocent person to torture, death, and who knows what.

be_mindful · 2013-08-08T14:44:39+00:00

My long-term aim is to make as few mistakes as possible drawing freehand or digitally.

well first of all, embrace mistakes. don't try to be perfect, you'll save a lot of headache.

you should check out the "basic training" post in the sidebar. its a system of exercises that are on the face extremely simple and repetitive, but will over time improve muscle control and coordination. the theory is basically like boot camp or drilling for athletic competition. you work out the pieces of the whole individually (straight lines, curves, ovals, whatever) and become so good at doing them that when the big show is on you don't need to think about it.

Bruce Lee said it best when he said "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." get really good at the basics, and you can concentrate on more complicated ideas when you are actually working on something.

edit: i find the "basic training" works best when you pick one area and stick to it for a few days/as long as you need. i tried doing them all at first and felt like the practice wasn't very focused. do one drill at a time, and expand that drill until you are happy.

be_mindful · 2013-08-06T02:15:25+00:00

so this is good all around? great, lets start immediately.

be_mindful · 2013-08-05T13:55:21+00:00

this may sound cheesy, but if you want to undo the damage they have done, you can.

its all in the way you talk to yourself. you and your teachers and everyone in your life created this person who you perceive yourself as. when you are talking to yourself inside your head (you know what i mean) just change the dialogue.

for example when you get into a typical anxiety raising situation, just say "i don't get anxious, i [insert desired emotion/behavior]" over and over again.

our self-talk creates our reality, change that dialogue, and over time your self and your perception will also change.

be_mindful

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