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This skill tree is designed to provide the easiest and fastest path for learning art skills. The early levels develop muscle and control skills, which later build onto the construction of simpler shapes and forms. As the skill tree progresses, these simple forms evolve in complexity.

The content aims to be comprehensive and cover the meta-knowledge of how to learn and teach these skills. We believe it is essential to understand why a certain advice or assignment is given to effectively learn from it.

Because of this, the early levels (1.1-3.1) are rather detailed and may be boring. Our choice of theory and targeted practices are stripped to the bare essentials. There is no fluff added for the sake of making it seem fun.

Therefore, we strongly advise you to mix this skill tree with enjoyable work of your own choice. This will prevent overwhelming yourself with raw levels of studying and diminishing your desire to learn. Your motivation and love for the arts are your main resources, so it's essential to protect them.

Line and Shape Elements can be viewed as a single unit, as they are heavily interdependent and shorter than any other units.

In the Line Element, learners will be introduced to pencil holds, work angles, and arm coordination. They will also be given assignments to increase the range and accuracy of their movements when drawing.

In the Shape Element, learners will be introduced to shape-form differences and the basics of ratio taking. They will continue to build on the accuracy and range introduced in the Line Element.

Due to the brevity of these elements, the levels include necessary beginner information. Like supplies, work environment needs, and the basics of art auto-didaction.

Form divides into four sub skill-trees: Form Theory, Perspective, Constructive Drawing, and (optional) Anatomy 101.

Form Theory will introduce learners to meta-knowledge about what they are about to learn, how it affects other skills, its importance for an artist, and why we picked these learning methods for Form.

Perspective as a sub skill-tree is extensive. On Level 2 Form, learners will be introduced to the first parts of it. The topics covered are listed here in the order they will be learned: Perspective Theory 101, 1 Point, 2 Point, 3 Point, Rotations, Grids, and various forms in perspective. The rest of the sub skill-tree will be explored later under the Advanced Draftsmanship route.

Constructive Drawing skill has relatively less theory content. At the start, learners will be given theory knowledge on how what they learned in Perspective skill relates to real life. Then, the methods of manual ratio taking will be covered. The rest of the skill is practiced on an assignment-to-assignment basis with the Still Life 101 section. This skill requires a lot of practice with feedback. Please consider joining our discord community, finding a mentor, or using one of the many subreddits dedicated to art feedback.

Anatomy 101 is constructive drawing theory applied to human anatomy. It includes a lot of meta-knowledge on how to autodidact anatomy studies and quotes many great artists who created their own methods. This section is technically optional since artists may choose not to ever draw figures, portraits, or any anatomy at all. But it should be noted that this study is essential for all artistic anatomy, including animals, monsters, stylized anatomies, cartoons, and anime styles. It should not be skipped even if the learner is only interested in simplified or stylized forms of anatomy.

Form Element is a marathon, not a sprint. Please prioritize consistency over the intensity of your practice. Make sure to sustain your love for the studies with a variety of artwork made solely for your own enjoyment.

The Value Element covers what many refer to as “shading”. These resources are balanced in content with theory and assignments. Much like the late stages of Form, it requires practice and feedback.

The Learners will be first introduced to Value Theory and the importance of edges. The following assignments will focus on value control, perception, and gradients. Following this, there will be a large section dedicated to Shadow Theory, then still-life assignments that combine the lessons of Level 3 Form and the Shadow Theory.

Unlike the preceding three levels, Value Element isn’t full of abstracted or simplified drawings. Learners will have the opportunity to test their realistic skills for the first time and witness the tangible outcomes of their studies. Embrace this stage, take your time to delve into it, and enjoy the results of your hard work.

The curriculum has been designed to provide a linear progression through the most essential skills, starting with the simplest of Elements and gradually introducing increasing levels of complexity. However, after the initial four levels, the skill paths diverge, offering learners the opportunity to explore non-linear routes tailored to their individual interests and specializations.

The construction of these routes will not begin until we are done with the resources for the levels up to this point.

ADVANCED DRAFTSMANSHIP: While the curriculum introduces learners to Perspective, Constructive Drawing, and Anatomy in their basic form, this route delves deeper into these sub skill-trees, providing new assignments to help learners enhance their drawing abilities and accuracy.

TEXTURE: Learners interested in furthering their rendering skills with graphite/charcoal can choose this path. The route includes a series of still life assignments covering various topics such as drapery, transparency, and reflection. It offers learners the chance to refine their rendering of different materials. Additionally, we are planning to include an optional section dedicated to organic textures like hair and skin.

PAINTING: By the time Learners understand shading and values, they will be equipped with the foundation necessary to study colour theory and painting. This will provide an early introduction to painting techniques and more opportunities to refine this new skill when they move onto the texture & draftsmanship paths with paints, instead of pencils. This route early on will include black & white studies, underpaintings, colour theory introduction, Zorn Palette and advanced colour theory. Our future plans include creating sub-routes dedicated to specific painting methods like Alla Prima, Impasto, and Layered Flemish.