Portrait Practice #10 on Emma Stone

Finishing my tenth portrait drawing felt great as it gave me a chance to improve my skills with a pencil. For this practice session, I think I made some progress on getting the hair to look more realistic as well as achieved better facial proportions that make a portrait look more like the subject matter I was trying to draw in the first place. I was also pleased with the eyes. While the rest of the portrait drawing could've been better, I'm still happy with the slight improvements from No.9. 

Portrait Practice #10 - Emma Stone

Why Emma Stone for this latest portrait practice? Well, I initially wanted to draw Gwen Stacy, a comic book character as portrayed by Emma Stone in both Amazing Spider Man 1 and 2. But because I didn't quite fancy drawing blonde hair after nearly three months of drawing inactivity, I went with the hair colour the actress is more famous for ... red. She is reportedly a natural blonde.   

Photograph of Emma Stone used as reference for my portrait practice

One key difference I made in my drawing versus the photo reference I used, was in her eyes. In the original photograph, Emma Stones had fairly constricted pupils due presumably to the bright studio lights. However, seeing that larger pupils is frequently associated with attractiveness I decided to draw larger pupils. For the science or psychology behind this phenomena, click here. 

Quick black and white comparison between the drawing and photo

So this concludes my latest attempt at drawing portraits. I am enjoying these graphite diversions and it's an added bonus that it also recharges my batteries for when I paint again. Looks like the weekend is upon us again ... have a good one, and may your pencils and brushes be sharp and pointy!