ok,so will confess I am also one of those who have kept the Bargue book in my bookshelf for quite some time. But thank you so much Mischa for this thread and your great help.And the good advices above.
, I have worked on this o plate 1,6 , and hopefully work them up to perfection. tsee what I can learn from it .
Up to now I learned :
1. never to trust the eye and always measure twice.
2.a millimeter off here and another there, makes everything out of place
3. curved lines are hard to copy and get in the right place.
4.not as easy as it might look to do these drawings :o

first layer of shading:

Grethe, I am glad that you have accepted my offer and are willing to go through the stages necessary to do this drawing. We are fortunate to have the Bargue plates even when on the shelf but the true benefit comes from practical understanding.

Your foot is coming along well. This stage where you are at now is a most important stage. Here is where you will fine tun all lines and shapes. When you think you have done that send the drawing to me for a final look. The next stage will be a pleasure to do and also the stage where you will see your drawing come to life.

All the best to you

Mischa, thank you , I appreciate your help very much.

Grethe, the pleasure is all mine. It is the people and that is why this forum is such a nice place. What kind of a world would this be if we did not care to help one another.

All the best to you and I am glad that the people on the forum were/are there for you.

When I was doing the Bargue drawings I found the first one to be the most difficult to do. Why? Everything is new and in life we rush at things. The ones that master an art, what ever that art may be, are the ones that tuck their time in the beginning in order to master the basics. Don't rush the finish. Refine the finish for as one gets close to the finish one can find a wealth of understanding in placing a dot here and not there, in line thickens and why.

We miss-out on so much when we rush and we come to the point when we must go back in order to learn what we have missed.

Misha,

How eloquently you have stated this thought!

Kind of you to say that Chris. Still, I cannot take the credit for the credit belongs to Jn.3:16. I am but a student. If I can instill but a chuckle, by the way I use or spell words, than I am happy.

Mischa, thank you for your support for students.

I started Plate 4 - ears some time ago and got to half way as my impatience annoyed me doing the curves. I am looking at it now and am going to have to fight with my procrastination, my ignorance and inabilities to strive to do these exercises the best I can at this present moment of my training.

It is funny how we don't think we need this sort of training in our heads we think we are so much better than we are, we certainly come down to earth with exercises like these that test your sight measuring and artistic abilities. I haven't gotten into the habit of standing back and measuring with an outstretched arm and brush yet as I thought my eye training (as limited as it is) would allow me to wing it. Oh, how I was oh so wrong in my assumptions and expectations.

From now on I have to take it one step at a time.