[GustavBrodin]

Hi!

Im kind of new to portrait drawing but I would love to get some thoughts about my drawings. Dont go easy on me please, say whats need to be said ! Would really like to evovle.

Im sorry for the amount of picture, couldnt resist adding them all ..
Thanks you all!

 

[SketchingRat]

Wow, for the most part, these are really good!

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I’m not good at drawing people myself, but I’m happy to try and help anyway.

In some drawings, you have really good contrast and shading, there’s a strong mix of black, greys and the plain whites of the page. Others seem a little too grey and blended, making them look a bit flat. Take a look at the two people with sunglasses compared to the ape, they seem to have a lighting effect that brings the drawing to a sort of 3D perspective, compared to the ape, who is somewhat one tone in colour except for the dark eye.

Taking another look at the two people with sunglasses, the man on the right seems to have odd proportions. If he was to remove his glasses and look directly at you, his right eye would currently be higher than his left. The angle is weird, if you understand what I mean. The right lense should be somewhat lower than the left lense with the way his head is tilted.

But like I said, these are really good, especially if you’re new to portraiture! Tone and perspective can be tricky to get right, especially when it comes to realistic styles of art.

 

[GustavBrodin]

Thank you very much for your comment! I will look into more tones and angles. I find myself often getting kind of blind when drawing for a longer time. Usually I have to correct a bunch of mistakes after a good night sleep 😅 havent thought of the mans angles though! Thank you once again

 

[Maüsser1337]

Hi!

Im kind of new to portrait drawing but I would love to get some thoughts about my drawings. Dont go easy on me please, say whats need to be said ! Would really like to evovle.

Im sorry for the amount of picture, couldnt resist adding them all ..
Thanks you all!

honestly, I myself am not a good pencil drawer or the sort but these are really good!

 

[GustavBrodin]

honestly, I myself am not a good pencil drawer or the sort but these are really good!

 

[GustavBrodin]

Thank you very much! Made my day a whole lot better with that comment!

 

[Rowy van Hest]

Hi!

Im kind of new to portrait drawing but I would love to get some thoughts about my drawings. Dont go easy on me please, say whats need to be said ! Would really like to evovle.

Im sorry for the amount of picture, couldnt resist adding them all ..
Thanks you all!

I think it could be a nice hobby. Keep at it.

 

[GustavBrodin]

I think it could be a nice hobby. Keep at it.

Thank you! Its a very relaxing hobby. And maby, with time, I could make some Nice portraits to give away to friends and family

Have a Nice day!

 

[GustavBrodin]

My latest work in progress. My youngest son. Im going to give it some more time with the smoothnes and then a background. Anyone who has any tips regarding improvment of the portrait?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Maüsser1337]

Thank you very much! Made my day a whole lot better with that comment!

I don't need thanks, I just say what I see! I hope your days goes well on your own art journey

 

[Mullanphy]

There may or may not be technical errors in those portraits, but that is for someone else with much more portraiture experience to say.

My observation is that each of the drawings captures and portrays the personality of the subject. I don't think saying "exquisite" is going overboard with praise.

 

[GustavBrodin]

There may or may not be technical errors in those portraits, but that is for someone else with much more portraiture experience to say. My observation is that each of the drawings captures and portrays the personality of the subject. I don't think saying "exquisite" is going overboard with praise.

Those kind words made my day! Thank you for taking your time to comment my drawings!

 

[lmoyer]

My latest work in progress. My youngest son. Im going to give it some more time with the smoothnes and then a background. Anyone who has any tips regarding improvment of the portrait?

Thanks in advance!

I love this! I think the drawings of the children tend to stand out the most with the best contrast. My biggest issue for the longest time was quitting too early instead of adding a few more darks and lights to help bring the image to life.

Also, I love that you're a father and still spending some time creating these! I'm a father of two and haven't had a chance to create anything until recently.

Wishing you the best!

 

[GustavBrodin]

Thank you Imoyer! I love drawing children. The smooth features of the face is a really funny challenge. About beeing a father and taking time for art is somewhat of a lifesaver for me. The hours spend drawing at evenings when The kids are sleeping and the house is quiet gives me a moment of recovery. I find it very relaxing. I hopp you yourself find the time soon to get back on drawing !

 

[shazia]

Hello, I am still learning to draw portraits (I am an inexperienced newbie so please take my comments lightly). I think your portrait and animal drawings are really good. Are these from observation or using a photo reference or both? I particularly like how you have captured the expression of the subjects. There are some aspects of the drawings which may be strengthened perhaps: 1. tonal values are very similar across the drawing, if you study the subjects with light and shadow (and midtones) you could create a drawing with more contrast. In most drawings you have employed hatching or smooth shading, while in some like the portrait of a child you have used cross-hatching but I am not certain whether that's pen and ink or graphite. I feel that the cross hatching to create values is great but in the forehead area it stops rather abruptly. 2. The vertical lines (hatching) in the background is an interesting idea, but I wonder if it leads the eye away from the subject (focal point). I am not certain about that.
But really your drawings are really very good. I could be wrong about the small issue with the tonal values as it maybe the lighting conditions when you took the photos (maybe you could retake the photos in daylight). I am still studying some books by Bridgman, Civardi and Richer to get grips with the anatomical aspects (I didn't get along with books by Loomis). Your drawings are motivating me to carry on with my learning process. Good luck with your drawings.

 

[GustavBrodin]

Hello, I am still learning to draw portraits (I am an inexperienced newbie so please take my comments lightly). I think your portrait and animal drawings are really good. Are these from observation or using a photo reference or both? I particularly like how you have captured the expression of the subjects. There are some aspects of the drawings which may be strengthened perhaps: 1. tonal values are very similar across the drawing, if you study the subjects with light and shadow (and midtones) you could create a drawing with more contrast. In most drawings you have employed hatching or smooth shading, while in some like the portrait of a child you have used cross-hatching but I am not certain whether that's pen and ink or graphite. I feel that the cross hatching to create values is great but in the forehead area it stops rather abruptly. 2. The vertical lines (hatching) in the background is an interesting idea, but I wonder if it leads the eye away from the subject (focal point). I am not certain about that.
But really your drawings are really very good. I could be wrong about the small issue with the tonal values as it maybe the lighting conditions when you took the photos (maybe you could retake the photos in daylight). I am still studying some books by Bridgman, Civardi and Richer to get grips with the anatomical aspects (I didn't get along with books by Loomis). Your drawings are motivating me to carry on with my learning process. Good luck with your drawings.

Thank you sincerly for taking your time commenting my thread! I take all you advices with me !

 

[GustavBrodin]

Have anyone experience with colour penciles? I got some this christmas from my wife. Very tricky medium I must say, but very fun! Although Im have a problem blending the colors. Anyone who has any tips ?

 

[Micky Wagmo]

After viewing almost all your drawings, my predominate impression concerns how your mouths appear stiff. Some of this is relative of course to the subject. Other images (are similarly stiff-in-the-lip) appear less natural.
About the pencil color blending: My mother used pencils on portraits that appeared extremely life-like. She also employed the use of Q-tips, and relied on minimal color from the pencil medium. I think the term she used was, "Represent rather than force the reality."

 

[prburkhardt]

Micky, Nice comment. Me, I find drawing with grahite most satisfying. I don't usually care what others think but I do grade each against previous and future drawing. I find drawing very relaxing.

 

[Micky Wagmo]

Yes, it's a relaxation and a progressive learning experience always worthwhile . Charcoal is a Marvelous medium . It forces us to pay attention, to evaluate as our individual drawings progress into the finished product . The more we draw, the better we draw. I encourage everyone to keep a photo-image record of each completed work, and then carefully store the original.