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Introduction

Hello! This is the first post/version of my Supplementary series where I do my best to research and address certain issues I have found with different art instructional/educational methods. I then post my conclusions and findings in this series to hopefully help others who are having the same issues resolve them and move on from them.

For context, I personally, started drawing with the book Drawing on The Right Side of The Brain and the Loomis books, years and years ago in Secondary School. My start in art and the subsequent journey is arguably not too natural and guided by instructional books, and I have read a lot of them and struggled with them and grew with them.

My initial article on Loomis, “The Uninformed Problem of The Loomis Method”, where I talked about one of the method’s problems (the seemingly mathematical approach to the ideal proportions and the sudden non-mathematical approach to finding the sides of the cranium), is the most viewed article on this website.

If you google “Loomis Problem” or “Loomis Method Problem”, it is also the first result on Google, hence the traffic to it. It is responsible for 99% of the views this website gets.

I believe that the viewership, which was all purely from Google search terms leading to that article, and even the comment I had on the article asking me about alternatives to the method or solutions warrant further researching and the creation of the Supplementary series to help people.

I meant this to be started as video series but I hope that I get additional feedback here to see what other issues there are or if my solutions do not answer their questions so I can research and improve further before making a video series. So please do comment with your feedback.

Part One: Conclusion Topics Found

It may seem counter-intuitive to begin at what is seemingly the end but I wish to provide the conclusion topics I have found out which I will refer back to later on as I provide evidence as to why I think this is a proven point. This can also serve as sort of a TL:DR if you don’t need to see the evidence I have researched and the solution. In no particular order of importance.

A) Loomis Has Unintentional Inconsistencies From Step to Step

B) Does Loomis Actually Slice Off The Sides? What Do They Mean

C) The Loomis Method Was Meant To Be Changed Accordingly To What You Need, Not Followed Too Closely, Loomis Did This Himself

D) Real-life Observation Supersedes/Informs Constructional Methods To Conform To What You Observe (For Observational Drawing From Reference)

E) Anatomical Knowledge (Bone And Muscle) And Knowledge of The Planes (Asaro) and Rhythms (Reilly) Supersedes/Informs Construction Methods, (For Drawing From Imagination)

F) Not Everyone Uses The Loomis Method, No Matter How Recommended The Books Are

G) The Straight-on Front View Is Static And Is Rarely Used

H) The Perspective Of The Sides Only Applies To Views Not Fully Frontal Or Fully Side

At this point I want to also address another issue, I wish to put the rest of the article under a pay for view chapter (if I actually made it work). I take a lot of effort into writing the issues I write about and I want to be able to make some money for my trouble, it costs a one time payment of 3USD to view the rest of this article. If you wish there are other free articles to read below.

Conclusion

In closing, that has been finally a long awaited follow-up post done, my hopefully sooner than later Supplementary articles will be on the side view, 3/4 view of the head and how to draw people of different races.

If you liked what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon (monthly) or ko-fi (one time donations.

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Keep Creating~!
JR