Don't know if anyone is still reading at page 10 :-), but after struggling a while with FMQ I read a tip that helped. Several people mentioned drawing/doodling. One of the books I read said to look at a bunch of fmq patterns and try to draw them ALL and usually at least one will be very easy for you to draw. That's the one you should practice FMQ-ing next. I did this using my trusty IPAD, and it worked. I found a design that was easy to draw and it was the most successful thing I've tried to FMQ. Still need to practice lots more, though. Oh, I also draw shapes (squares, triangles etc.) and then practice stippling within the shape. I always used to stipple myself into a corner and this helped me to fill the shapes more evenly.