Anyway, the two biggest things I've been working on (and I think they really have helped) are blocking in my forms before drawing, and visually measuring in order to keep perspective. I've included 3 of my favorites that I think turned out most true to life. On a few of them you can still see the scaffolding or symmetry lines faintly around the main subject. That technique of wrapping everything in a simple geometric form first has really helped me give a depth to my drawings that I didn't feel was present before. Check it out:
I also have kept up with my free hand practice, trying to keep my lines less harsh and more fluid. In that vein, I've included two sketches that were done "fast and loose", the second one being my first drawing where I've ever been remotely happy with a human hand representation:
Lastly, since I do so enjoy shading and refining, there's one piece here where I went ahead and developed a little more. An axe from the fire station I work at:
