Second Portrait

not failed - just a step on a learning curve and learning well

is it in charcoal this time?


crit: the eye on the right is a bit too outlined - half close your eyes as you draw, don't use outlines unless something is clearly and sharply delineated. The other eye works better

the lips are too outlined - they work better with the shadow of the upper lip put in (no outline) and the shadow below the lower lip and the shadows at the corners of the mouth - the eye will then fill in the 'missing' parts - the tonal difference between the bottom lip (usually catching the light) and the skin is not usually as much as the top lip (curving under and therefore usually shadowed).


The drawing of the nose and chin are greatly improved - well done!

if you are using charcoal then I'd suggest that you have a little practice on all the lovely marks you can make with it - soft pale smudgey greys to intense blacks. soft lines/hard lines etc Remember 'lost' edges, where the background and subject are the same tone and don't have an edge at all there, let the shape be lost into the background. These differences in your edges will enhance your work enormously.

you are doing well

Thanks Vivien, also thanks for the PM. It was done in pencil

it appears to be pencil with oil pastels for the hair

for drawing most things, proportions are not critical as long as you get all of the details it will look OK to the mind

the human face is NOT one of these things though, and it is critical to have the proportions be precise...even the smallest proportional errors can drastically change the look from realistic to unrealistic.

therefore, I suggest that you practice outlining the positions of the major facial features as many times as it takes...just keep drawing and erasing until you get it right before you get into the detail.

another thing is that you should have the pupils in the same position in each eyeball unless you want him to be looking at something RIGHT in front of his face