Live Portrait Model
Drawing a two-dimensional portrait out of a book is tough, but a three-dimensional model is even more challenging.
You have the left brain interfering and dictating what you should see and draw, and your right brain trying to draw what you see. Putting all the learnings into practice is challenging. Therefore, this is a learned skill, not a God-given talent you have or don’t have.
It is tough, but I am continuing to work through it. I think I have made a 1% improvement from yesterday’s drawing to today.
Madame X
Today's drawing is day two of developing my portrait skills. Today was a warm-up exercise of drawing John Singer Sargent's Madam X. Focusing on the proportions and how the eyes, ears, and head proportions line up.
Putting aside what you see, people are even more alike than you think. There are infinite unique faces and features, but almost everyone is the same in many respects. For example, the eyes are halfway between the top of the skull and the chin, and the back of the eye to the back of the ear is the same distance as the front of the eye to the top of the head. In this crazy world, another example of what we have in common.
Learning the isosceles triangle of the head, eyes, and ears is fantastic. Progressing 1% a day.
Pizza Box
Originally I sketched my wife at dinner. But unfortunately, I didn’t get clearance to post that drawing! So I drew the take-home pizza box—a simple box with the logo. Good sketch.
It pays to take a sketchbook with you wherever you go. I keep an inexpensive book in the car for just these occasions.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
The Chair
Today’s sketch was a tough one. Trying to sketch the chair while getting the perspective and depth was hard. I tried to use the picture plane but couldn’t keep it still. I tried to focus on the negative space but couldn’t get that clear. Just an overall tough sketch today.
I’m not discouraged at all. This drawing shows where I need to put the work in. Nothing comes easy!
Knoxville
We were dropping our son off at UTK this weekend. Today’s image was the morning view from the Hotel’s coffee shop window.
I was trying to get the signs, the trees, the buildings in the background, and the road. I have some work to do to get the road to fall into the background.
Good fun image to sketch.
Vases and Faces
Today’s sketch is another drill to try and disconnect your left brain from what you are drawing.
The image is both two facing profiles and a vase. As you draw, you call out the components of the faces, and it helps trick your mind.