Primrose Art Lab is a year-long experiment to see whether free YouTube art tutorials actually help you learn to draw.
Each week, I follow a beginner tutorial properly, complete the exercises, and reflect on what worked and what didn’t.
The first playlist I am following is MarkowskyArt’s playlist. This is Week 5.
This week’s exercises (his versions):
The (not so) Open road:
My versions:
I definitely need to make time to practice, hopefully this week (before I record Week 6).
A quick synopsis of my analysis of Week 5
A. Clarity (1–5)
Could I understand what to do *without guessing*?
1 – Confusing, assumes prior knowledge
3 – Mostly clear, some leaps
5 – Extremely clear, well-paced
Notes : 1
You need to have basic knowledge of some drawing terminology and understanding, uses a lot of jargon (but it is Week5 and we are progressing)
B. Skill Transfer (1–5)
Did this actually teach a usable skill?
1 – Just copying
3 – Partial understanding
5 – I can apply this elsewhere
Notes: 5
This was so valuable. I had almost zero knowledge of how to draw anything like this.
C. Beginner Accessibility (1–5)
Could a true beginner follow this?
1 – No context or explanations
3 – Some help, some gaps
5 – Fully accessible
Notes: 1
You need basic understand / knowledge.
D. Constraint Awareness (1–5)
Did the tutorial explain why choices were made?
1 – “Just do this”
3 – Occasional reasoning
5 – Clear logic behind decisions
Notes: 5
He explains perspective really well, keeping in mind the limited time of the video, so nothing too intense. Also gave some real world and real art examples.
E. Time vs Value (1–5)
Was the learning worth the time spent?
1 – Not worth it
3 – Fine, but long
5 – Efficient and focused
Notes: 5
This was one of the best lessons to date.
F. Emotional Experience (1–5)
How did this feel to follow?
1 – Frustrating / discouraging
3 – Neutral
5 – Encouraging / energising
Notes: 5
Feels like it brought it to life for me. I was losing the will with all the shading (probably why I delayed / did not bother doing the practice homework)
G. Repeatability (Yes / Maybe / No)
Would I do this again without the video?
Maybe. If I struggle with these lines. You know the lines, the lines the lines.
Why?
The lines 😀
Final Verdict
Who is this tutorial actually for?
Definitely still valid for beginners, just not a Week 1 beginner.
I followed it in full, took notes, and completed the exercises in real time. I did not have to pause or stop the video at any time and was able to keep up with his pace.
The accompanying video documents the process rather than teaching it. This project is about learning in public and testing resources honestly, not presenting expertise.
Watch Week 5 on YouTube :
I’ll continue with the same playlist next week to see whether repetition improves understanding and confidence.
Please feel free to follow along on this blog or the Youtube channel of the same name 🙂
Primrose Art Lab 
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