pre-instruction drawing #1

a self-portrait.

let me be very clear here ... this is the first time i've tried to
"seriously" draw *anything* in twice the lifespan of pickles.

overall i'm shocked at how good it is. then again, my self-expectation
bar was so low that if it didn't end up looking like a building block, i
probably would have been happy.

the head shape doesn't look quite right to me ... i'm more charlie brown
and less JFK than that.

the nose is probably my favorite part.

the beard's good, but it's hard to draw the white part down by my chin
... i don't know how to draw white with a pencil.

the eyes are psycho, which is probably the right mental attitude, but
not the right look for what i was seeing ... my complexion is pretty
pink under heavy lighting and it's hard for me to get that delicacy
that's around my eyes.

the shadow from my glasses is there, but when i draw it, it looks (or at
least hints) to be wrinkles.

i like the eyebrow above the right eye image. that shape and look is
right ... my true eyebrows are not that pronounced because they're way
more blond, but i don't care.

the perspective is good with the shading on the left, but off on the
right ... when i look at the picture for a bit it feels like it crosses
from 2D to 3D at the center.

i hate the lips. they feel ridiculously amateurish.

the hair's not quite right. it's accurate on the right but simplified
on the left. maybe i should have erased one side and copied across the
same style to the other.

the semi-jowliness on the left looks right to me and on the right it's a
little off.

i had originally left white reflections in my eyes as pencil rings ...
when i tried to erase them, they smudged, ending up with the opposite
effect i'd hoped for.

i'm including a photo of my subject (i can't get the exact same lighting
for the pic i put here as what i actually see), so you can compare. i'm
sure this is probably some kind of huge drawing student no-no to compare
to a real photo, but once again i don't care.

even though it's not the point of this exercise, this drawing convinces
me i have potential and can turn something of quality out. to be
honest, i'm a little surprised i can do *anything* in this world.