Monday, February 7, 2011

Faces, Faces

I really want to learn how to draw and paint faces, so I've challenged myself to do the 75 faces in 75 days, thing.  During the past week I've sketched ALOT, trying to capture as many kinds of faces as I can.  I've learned some things about light and shadow, and the planes of the face, as well as some things about proportion and symmetry.  I can recommend Suzi Blu's online portrait class as a way to get started, because even though she works with stylized faces, she is very clear about shading technique.  I've just begun and am excited to see where the class will lead.  Ultimately some of these faces will turn into journal pages using her mixed media approach.

I took a trip by train (and home by plane) to SoCal over the weekend for a lengthy meeting, where I sketched in my journal and all over my notes and agendas.  Nice way to pass the time, I have to say, and I was still able to listen and contribute : )  I have a ways to go, but am really pleased with the progress.   Besides, I'm having enormous amounts of fun.  Some of these are from photos, and certainly don't look much like the person that they are supposed to represent, but still were really enjoyable to draw.  Most are from my imagination and are just for practice.

In March, I hope to take a gesture drawing class, and am looking forward to being able to capture more spontaneity and the essence of a person's expression.  For now, though, I'm happy to be learning some things about technique, and hope to be able to transfer the learning to watercolor.








10 comments:

Alex said...

Faces are so much fun to do. They bring life to the paper you draw on. And you've got so many faces done here with different styles! I think this is a fascinating collection!

Pooja Srinivas said...

Beautiful! Especially the lady with the tilted head. Could you pass on the link to this class? I'm posting a list of portrait resources on my blog.

meegan said...

very exciting concept. looking forward to seeing more

Dan Kent said...

Fun is what it's all about. I am also totally taken by faces. I am still learning - it's endless really. And fun is what is all about. Great variety here - I especially like the lady with the leaning head.

Unknown said...

Oh, I do love to sketch faces! They are my default doodling! These are lovely and I already see some great technique!

David R. Vallejo said...

Excellent drawings! I also enjoy drawing faces. I often use faces to explore new media or techniques; or if I don't know what to draw, I'll draw a face.

Anonymous said...

I love the portrait of the man in blue ballpoint pen (I think). It will be really interesting to follow your progress with this project.

Elena (Pelusa) said...

I comment you on EDm already, but I have to say I find this faces so sweet! Thanks for sharing!

Ann said...

That is a fantastic collection of faces! Nicely done!

Anonymous said...

I especially like the blue guy. Because I wanted to exercise faces, I joined # Julia Kay's Portrait Party.