finishing up.

I know that I haven't posted any progress for the second portrait, but I'll do that pretty soon.

The end of the first semester is approaching, and that also means the end of my passion project work for now. We also have to do a presentation on our projects to conclude them... and that involves a bit of reflection. So this post is more about what and how I've learned throughout this project.

I started with a lot of reading and looking at other people's drawings, and tried some of it on my own sometimes. It worked better {i think} than just deciding to try draw portraits on my own. There is a lot more to drawing faces than simply copying lines... you have to consider lighting, angles, and face shape and structure. Plus, everybody has a differently structured face, so it's not like you can just draw the same outline every time.

While I was drawing child portraits, I realized that it was important to make sure that you only start drawing the features about halfway down on the face, and you can't make too many lines or smudges, 'cause that seems to add age. Their jawlines and cheekbones aren't as defined either, so the shading is a bit softer. When I was working on my first project, I realized that it is also pretty important to measure out the features and where they are on the face. When I just tried to guess approximately what the proportions were, the sketch turned out a bit far from the actual image.

I also had to start scheduling specific days to work on my project {like Tuesdays and sometimes Thursdays} so that I'd actually get it done. :) Otherwise, other things would take priority. Hopefully, I'll still have time to work on this "hobby" {for lack of a better word} even though the semester is ending.

getting ideas and help :)

... i have found Pinterest to be pretty helpful to find ideas, inspirations and tips throughout the course of my project so far, so i joined the site to save some of the stuff that i found useful and to help me get some more ideas and help :)

the link to the board on pinterest is here, and also on my inspirations page.

idea board.

plans.

So, the next step in my project is to work on a more detailed, full-page project {that will probably take longer!}Yeesh.
I'll really not like the fact that it won't be done right away, but that's just how it is. I put a few pictures on my inspiration page, and am going to start with one of the child ones {since I am practicing that for this time period!} I am going to start with this one...
My reasons? Mostly because i really like the angle {it's fairly straight-on, yet it appears that the artist was looking down at the child, which is an interesting angle.} There is not much shading on the face, and I think that'd be good to start with. The lighting also seems to be coming pretty much straight on, so there's not a lot of that to work with... {not like angled lighting is bad, it just makes for a bit more dramatic-ness in the face, which equals more precise shading!}Overall, it doesn't look too complicated, but I could be taking my words back in a couple days :)

I'm going to post the progression of the picture as I go, which will be a bit different than with some of my other sketches. They'll be coming soon :) 

faces a different ages.

The composition of a child's face is much different than that of an adults... and the key to an accurate children's portrait us understanding that...and {the much harder thing, applying it on paper.}
One of the major differences is that the face pretty much begins halfway through. The forehead makes up half, or sometimes over half of the face's composition. Also, the head is a lot rounder. The eyes look a lot larger compared to the rest of a face. Another thing to note is the lack of a defined jawline and pointed chin, and not really prominent cheekbones. The nose, jaw, and eyebrow ridge are upturned a bit more as well. This picture shows how a child's face changes throughout the years. It's not that detailed, but it gives a rough idea...








This picture {despite how weird it looks} is pretty accurately showing the difference from the side view...













Finally, This link was very helpful just to see some examples :)
http://www.pxleyes.com/blog/2010/04/50-ultra-realistic-children-portrait-drawings/

With all of this information, plus a bit of tips from my art books {listed on the resource page}, i'm going to try to get some practice and hopefully post a few of my attempts sometime this week or next.