Now that I've experimented with some basic shapes, it's time I got into some more complex drawings. This time, I decided to draw a face portrait using what I've learned previously (lighting and shading) as well as new information that gives tips about portraits, and drawing human features properly. The two definitely work together to get the best result. "Sometimes side lighting with its interesting contrasts, helps characterize the features and shapes the male face." (Civardi 100) If you don't use proper shading techniques to portrait the appearance of light and shadow on the person's face, the drawing will fail to look truly three dimensional. Although the lighting is very important in the drawing, this is actually one of the last steps you want to do when drawing a portrait. What you want to do is first draw the basic shape of the head, then add some detail in the form of simple eyes, the nose, the ears etc. and then focus on the different surfaces and planes on the person's face before even focusing on the lighting. (Civardi 99) Unlike a simple sphere on a surface, there are more complex parts to draw. For me personally, the most difficult parts were the eyes and the mouth. Even the slightest difference in a pencil stroke could create a noticeable irregularity in the drawing. Luckily, the book did break down many of the separate parts of the face and broke down how to approach drawing them in detail. Despite this, my drawing came out a bit rough.
While many parts of the drawing are well done, like the nose and jaw, there were still many parts that did not quite match the original picture I chose of the man. Overall, the picture lacked some polish that my previous picture managed to come closer to. However, it's important to keep in mind that this was my first attempt at a face portrait, and that there should only be only improvement from here on out.
This brings up the question, what are some strategies you have when it comes to improving on accomplishing difficult tasks?
Giovanni, Civardi. Drawing, A Completle Guide. N.p.: Search, 2006.
Hey John!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'm not sure if you are able to see you picture but it's not showing up for me. Just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to edit it.
Anyway, aside from that, great post! I agree with your view that things can only move up from where you are. There's a lot of things in my life that I'm not the greatest at but I know I can only get better so why not keep trying. Also, to answer your question, my strategy for working out a difficult task may not seem that productive but it works for me. Usually what I end up doing is just putting 100% of my mind power into doing that task until I'm completely burnt out and start to get mad. At that point, I take a 15 to 30 minute break just to clear my head, and then I go right back at it. Yes, it may raise my stress levels a bit because I always end being burnt out, but it's gotten me this far so for now I'm sticking to it. What about you? What strategies do you use?
Great work on your posts, and amazing job with your drawings! Much better than I could ever do! Thanks for the great post and good luck with the rest of your blogging!
-Logan Munoz
Hey Logan!
DeleteI think the picture is there, it might just be a problem between the different browsers. When it comes to my strategy personally, I tend to take things slowly. I generally like to give myself as much time to not stress myself out, and I take frequent breaks too. It may not be the most efficient way, especially when I'm in a time crunch, but it can be very effective if I plan accordingly.Your way is usually much more effective, although a lot more stressful too. Thanks for the comment!