6th drawing of same face

female face #6

5" x 8.5"

charcoal on sketch paper

Practice makes better...this is the 6th attempt at this particular face. I am getting closer to the reference. In this one, the eyes are almost where they need to be- a little too far apart. But the face below the eyes is too long, once again.

I read something last night that I'll try on my next go-round. It's about drawing the nose. This little nugget of info comes from the Drawing Magazine, Summer 2011 Portrait issue, in an article where Susan Lyon gives advice on drawing the face: "When you're measuring the length of a nose, don't only measure to the bottom of the nose- that will lead to the nose being too long. Measure against the entire length of the head and other landmarks as well." That's exactly what I was doing- just measuring to the bottom of the nose. Must be a common mistake. I look forward to trying again and applying her advice.

If you want to check your own drawings- scan them along with the reference, then layer them in photo shop, placing the reference above your drawing on separate layers. Then reduce the opacity on the reference layer and then you can compare them. It's a great way to see where you got it correct and where a drawing may be off.

The whole point in learning to accurately copy a picture is that once I master it, I can then begin to break the rules. But first I must learn the rules! Copying is, in my opinion, the best way to learn how to draw. There is no 'magic' to drawing, it's a learned skill, just like riding a bike or cooking.