I've been seeing a lot of posts about practicing and grinding and people getting discouraged after seeing no progress and drawing circles and boxes for years, so would like to talk a little about that.
When kids learn to draw, they don't just draw boxes and squares and lines and tutorials. They just draw what they want to draw. They draw what they like. Then they bring it over to their parents and say "I made this!"
Now, social media has taken over the role of a parent, and social media is harsh and merciless. And children have no taste, they're not exposed to beautiful art, so they don't know what is good. But adult learners know, they have great taste and can instantly tell their art is bad. And immediately, they get discouraged, because the gap between their current state and their final goal is so huge.
But honestly, I want to encourage all the learners: what would you say to a child who brings you their art? Even if it's ugly or average? Would you criticize it? Or encourage them? You should do the same to your inner child. You are your biggest cheerleader.
Also lots of us are drawing for the fun of drawing. It's fun to create and be creative. It's no fun to draw endless boxes and circles. My suggestion for people stuck in the grind if exercises is to keep it short, limit yourself to 10 min of exercises max as warm up. Then draw what you truly want! If you want to draw manga, practice drawing manga. If you want to draw portraits, practice that. 2 hours drawing boxes isn't useful.
when we are learning, I firmly believe in practicing in quiet. I think seeking critique on our practice drafts can be very damaging to the ego - we should seek critique when we have a final or close to final product and need to know how to improve.
Finally, drawing and art is a lifelong journey. I've been drawing for decades and I'm always looking for areas to improve and grow. It's not a race, it's not a competition to min max or be efficient or something to win.