Starting a few weeks late, but I'd like to get one basic art exercise, (I'm a rank beginner hear,) up on this site each week. And I invite anyone to join me on the journey. Most of the exercises will be sourced from books, other sites etc. and will be chosen to cover a fair range of media and technique over the course of a year. The purpose is two-fold. First, I'd enjoy the company of other fledgling painters/drawers. And second, I reckon the old adage, "practice makes perfect" might, for me at least, translate "practice makes better".
About 20 years ago I cut a clipping out of a magazine. Despite the antiquated imagery, (and mixed metaphors,) it still makes a lot of sense. "Drawing primes the pump. you keep feeding something in, nothing happens - then all of a sudden it begins to spark, and the engines begin to function. I'm firing on all 12 cylinders now." (Ian Hunter quoted in the Listener).

So - in the next day or two I'll get the first exercise up.... Cheers.