2018 Art Goal - Getting back to the basics of drawing!

I am working through the final chapters classic text, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Some of the drawing exercises I embrace with giddiness and joy, others
​I painfully slog through until "I get it". The premise of the book is to shift focus from our ideas of what objects look like, to perceiving and drawing objects with greater accuracy and ease while taking the mystery out of the activity. Learning the techniques have felt like artistic weightlifting,  gaining drawing muscles with the intention of strengthening other creative activities.

While studying at the Alberta College of Art and Design, I took several drawing classes, reaching some competency yet feeling the activity was difficult. I've always been a little self conscious about my skill level and wanted to get a handle on it. Currently with every painting,
I work out the composition with a preliminary sketch and/or tonal drawing. Although my paintings are fairly abstract and impressionist, strengthening these skills would enrich the artwork overall.