29 Faces Challenge - Faces #4 and #5

Yesterday afternoon, while it was storming, I spent some time working with a pen in my sketchbook. I usually use a pencil, so this is always a bit scary. I drew about a dozen faces. These two are the best of the bunch.

The sketches were all freehand. The closest I came to measuring was to draw a small horizontal line crossed by a vertical line with pencil to help me space the eye ovals correctly. Then I erased the lines. Once I have the eyes in place, I can use them to estimate where the nose, mouth, and ears go.

Have you ever noticed that male faces seldom appear on the art blogs you visit? I wonder why that is. I admit that I tend to draw more females than males.

You will notice a lot of extra lines around his eyes. That is not some weird makeup. After studying my sketch, I realized he looked strange because his eyes were too small compared with the size of his nose. So I kept adding to the eyes until they were large enough.

As I look at him after scanning, I see some other mistakes I made. I think I need to rewatch the class videos before I draw more males.

I think I finally figured out what I've been doing wrong with my eyebrows in this expression.

I am really glad I joined the 29 Faces Challenge. All the practice I have done in the last few days is really helping to knock the rust off of my drawing skills.

29 Faces Challenge - Face #3

I finished my face last night, but was too tired to do the post. I went to get groceries this morning. This afternoon I had to unplug my computer due to storms that wouldn't go away. Just as the storms were finally over, I got a phone call. Then it was time for supper. After cleaning up the kitchen, I started working on my post...until the thunder started and I had to unplug again. Gr-r-r! It is still raining, but it is quiet. It's weird actually after hearing rumbles all afternoon.

I did do some sketching during the storms. I will scan and post a couple of the best tomorrow. No storms are in the forecast, but cooler weather is. Yeah!!

This is nothing like what I was imagining when I started. I am still working on showing emotions other than happy.  I'm not going to tell you what I intended. If you have the time, please tell me what you see.

I did not plan to make such a long face, but the drawing seemed to have a mind of its own. The finished face looks a bit masculine to me. The mop of hair didn't help at all.

Update: I played around with her eyebrows in Photoshop. Where they curve over the nose is much too bold and long. When I shortened the curve, she looks more feminine.

For the hair, I tried a product new to me, a Speedball Elegant Writer. It is one of Speedball's calligraphy markers. When you draw or write with it, the ink looks black. If you activate it with water, it changes color. First, you get a gray-blue, sort of like Paynes Gray. As it dries, pink and turquoise start appearing. I wish I had worked on larger paper so that I would have had more room for hair. I'll keep playing with the Elegant Writer to figure out how to get a better effect.

The face was done with a black Stabilo All pencil which was activated with water. Once you add the water, it is like working with watercolor except for one thing. When it has dried, it will not reactivate. (The Elegant Writer ink does reactivate after it is dry.) The Stabilo is a waxy pencil that will write over a lot of things, such as glass and plastic (acrylic paint). It is available in a few other colors besides black.

Since I am linking to this post at Art Journal Every Day, I ought to explain that even though this face was created on a single sheet of paper, it will be taped into my Faces Journal. All of my faces are in this ring-bound, 9 in X 12 in journal. If the face was originally done in a bound journal or framed, I photograph it and put the photo into the journal.

My Faces Journal is a working journal. On the back of the face, I list supplies used, the things I like about it, the things I don't like, what I need to work on, etc. I refer back to it often. I'll be starting a new one soon as the current one is about to outgrow the bookrings.

Wishing everyone a good weekend and a good holiday to those in the US.

29 Faces Challenge - Face #2

 

Black Stabilo All Pencil on watercolor paper; highlights in eye - White Sharpie Extra Fine Waterbased Paint Marker

29 Faces Challenge - Face #1

This is the first time I have joined the 29 Faces Challenge. Since I really need to do some face practice right now, I thought maybe this would keep me at it. I might not post every day, but I'll try to create a face every day. I'd like to get myself back where I once was before I take another class.

I was trying out some new watercolor pencils, but decided the paper in this journal does not work well with water. I'll try them another day on watercolor paper.