Bill_Johnston
Member since Nov-9-02
143 posts, 5 feedbacks,
Nov-11-02, 08:52 PM ()
"My 2nd Portrait"
This is my younger daughter and my 2nd attempt at portraitry (is that a word?). Actual drawing size is about 5"x7". All in graphite pencil. The hair and the braces were the scariest parts for me. Critique at will . . .
This is an excellent piece. She reminds me alot of my niece. Im on about my 15th portrait and I'm still not to this level.
Two things I noticed when I saw this.
1) The roundness of the iris in her right eye. It seems to have lost its shape around the bottom.
2) There seems to be a nice range of midtones and highlights, but an absence of the darkest darks.
I really like this drawing and would like to see the original photo if that is what you worked from.
Robert
absolute
Member since Aug-24-02
895 posts, 12 feedbacks,
Nov-11-02, 10:43 PM ()
2. "RE: My 2nd Portrait"
hey bill thats amazing, the braces look like actual braces,ive never thought much about it,but drawing someone with braces on is a new thing to add to my list of scary things to try. ,..also the ear stood out as one of the most detailed ears ive seen in quite some time.,..great job
Bill_Johnston
Member since Nov-9-02
143 posts, 5 feedbacks,
Nov-11-02, 11:22 PM ()
3. "RE: My 2nd Portrait"
Thanks for the praise Robert. You are right about the darks. Looking at it now I can see that pretty clearly. I'm not sure what happened with the eyes. I had much more trouble with the left eye. I'll have to go back and study the original a bit. The original photo was a low quality snapshot I took with my first digicam. I will try to dig it up and post it. Thanks for the helpful comments!
Bill
Bill_Johnston
Member since Nov-9-02
143 posts, 5 feedbacks,
Nov-11-02, 11:28 PM ()
4. "RE: My 2nd Portrait"
Thanks Jim, you are too kind. I really didn't want to attempt the braces, but #2 daughter was a very eager subject . . . so what are ya gonna do? Anyway, thanks again for the kind words. I've read many of your posts (haven't gotten through them all yet) and studied your excellent work and am honored to have earned your praise.
Bill
absolute
Member since Aug-24-02
895 posts, 12 feedbacks,
Nov-11-02, 11:38 PM ()
5. "RE: My 2nd Portrait"
well actually its the other way around....i learned to draw more with a woodburner then i did with using graphite or charcoal to do the whole thing..ive only done about one finished drawing for every 10 woodburnings,...and its a whole new world for me cause i just cant figure out how to shade the way i want to,..so i spend a lot of time looking at how other people are doing it....i like to draw a lot...and its pretty expensive to buy wood every time i want to do something new.,....the light shading is what throws me off the most. ,...my blending looks like mud most of the time.
Melissa_M
Member since Aug-23-02
326 posts, 6 feedbacks,
Nov-13-02, 09:02 PM ()
6. "RE: My 2nd Portrait"
Bill, that portrait looks great! I like the detail on the shirt and necklace, as well as her braces and ear. Her hair is also quite good, though perhaps lacking some extra darks. Great job--for your second portrait, I'd say it's excellent! P.S. Maybe a bit more fading out would be good on her shirt at the bottom left.
,...my blending looks like mud most of the time.
