Another attempt

by Sue Bledsoe
(Tennessee)

I tried the portrait drawing thing again. This is just a sketch of a pic in a magazine (nobody I knew).
I think I did well on the nose but I seem to have a tendency to overemphasize the eyes.
I did not spend a lot of time on this but I submitted it because I liked the way her nose came out.
I am going to try the grid again with faces. Maybe someday one will actually look like a real person.



Note from Kerry:
Hi Sue
I am glad you're going to give the grid another go - I hope the end result gives you a pleasant surprise.
I'm not sure what size square you used last time but I recommend one inch squares. If you copy a pic from a magazine, draw the squares over your reference picture using a dark fine pen so you can clearly see the borders of each square. Make sure you have exactly the same number of squares on your drawing paper.
When we are learning to draw portraits (it happens to all of us) we always over-emphasize features because we are trying to get them right. Squinting helps you to pick out what is important - just look for tones and not features.
In your drawing here, you have good proportion which is really good considering you drew it from sight. I agree with you, you did do a good job of the nose.
Lips are generally suggested through tonal layering (not outlined) and that technique takes a little getting used to.
There's no doubt that portrait drawing is a hard topic. Are you enjoying the tutorials from Drawing Made Easy? Do you think they've helped you at all?
I admire you for sending your work in for critique and advice, I hope I've been able to help you a little since I am also a learner when it comes to portrait drawing.