 |
| My fifth serious attempt at portrait drawing |
It is painfully obvious that I have not yet achieved any true resemblance to the reference photos that I am trying to draw. One reason being that my drawing skills are still not up to par but another not so apparent reason is that I am drawing from photos I see on a computer screen. That makes it harder for me to get the correct measurements and proportions for my drawings. Going forward, I plan to print out the photos in black and white to make my work easier and hopefully more accurate.
 |
| Miranda Kerr, former wife of Legolas ... errr Orlando Bloom |
But one silver lining is I am slowly coming to grasp with the use of graphite pencils as an art tool. When I look at this portrait of Miranda again after a few months, I will most likely cringe in embarrassment. In fact, I am counting on it for it will mean I have improved my drawing skills.
 |
| Making slow but steady progress on my portrait drawings |
This drawing of Miranda Kerr was my incidentally first attempt at shading skin with graphite pencil and blending stumps. Previous efforts were negligible and feeble attempts that look more like line drawings than shadings of varying values of light and dark. To help me get a feel for shading, I did a quick sketch of the interplay between light and shadows on a sphere. I am not very happy with what I achieved in my first try at shading skin with pencils but it's better than leaving it as line drawings.
 |
| "Look Peter a ball," said Jane. |
One thing's for sure, I will have to revisit my portrait drawings and redo them to determine if I have made any actual progress. Redrawing them after a period of a month or more should give me an idea whether I am improving or not. So it's back to the drawing board for me as more practice lies ahead.
That's amazing work- I could never do that. I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, they look amazing. And I believe she is the the ex of Legolas now (so she's available... er, don't tell my wife).
Lol ... sigh, I can never keep track of celebrity matches. I had better edit the caption in my blog post. =)
DeleteBy the way, thanks for your kind and encouraging comments on my drawings. Sometimes I cringe when I look back at my earlier attempts (most recent one included) BUT that's a good thing cause at least I can look at my own stuff critically. There are so many things I can do better so hopefully it's just a matter of practice. Don't worry I can't draw a straight line myself ... lol ... anyone can draw and I hope to prove it by posting much better drawings in the future. Thanks again ... it's always nice to get encouragement (or constructive advice) when there are so many internet trolls out there. ^_^
Great work Kuan , i love it !
ReplyDeleteGreetings ^-^
Thanks Vincent! :)
DeleteWow, this is fantastic, begs to be scanned and colored! ;) Amazing progress too, compared to the first one, even though the first was not bad at all. Keep it coming! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Adam! =) Sadly the proportions of my drawings are still off as you can see with Miranda's nose and tilt of head in my latest attempt. But I am ever hopeful that with practice the drawings will look better.
DeleteGetting all the proportions right is very hard, but you're really close to that already :) And of course, the more practice the better - as long as you're having fun practicing!
DeleteIt's always fun to draw. ^_^ I used to doodle and draw everyday when I was much younger but as with most people the hobby just went away as I grew older.
DeleteOh it looks good! I did a few realistic drawings in the past, but I know your drawings are waaaay better then mine back then!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind words Denise. ^_^ Just visited your website and I must say I love your ballerina drawing. Very nicely done indeed!
Deletevery good work! I envy your patiente in working with pencil's nuances
ReplyDeleteThanks! ^_^ Still a lot of practice needed but I am having fun using pencils.
Delete