pencil drawings, portraits

tmccool

hey guys

I did these 4 portraits in pencil, all of them drawn from random image sources. i'm pretty much done with most of them except for the last, but i want to hear some thoughts about them:

paulwind

not bad, actually. i'll edit this post a little later when i have time to fully flesh out my critique, but here's the general idea.

your portraits are a little flat, and kind of cartoony. it seems like you would benefit from looking at the model more often. you could also solve that problem by amping up the contrast, like you did in the last one (which is really great, by the way).

draw faces!! yes, bodies are interesting, but faces are the window to the human body. don't include half-faces, like the top one. if it means JUST drawing faces, do it. get your friends to sit still, or sit in front of a mirror.

finally, i think you might benefit from checking out charcoal, if you've never drawn with it before. it's a little messier, and a little more expensive, but you're going to get the results that i think you're leaning towards (or at least what i gather from looking at these projects). it's also a little more professional, and it'll look much better in terms of your collective portfolio.

Sublimus

I do not agree that charcoal is better for a portfolio. Pencil, when done right, can be really impressive. Its just depends on what you are going for. Because charcoal is all about quickness and capturing the essence of things, typically.

For, you I would suggest getting a set or artist pencils. Because it looks like you are putting down the darks, and using a smudger to push them into the white and bland.

The result: a smudgy looking image.

At least buy a lighter pencil like a 2h. It will look a lot cleaner, and smother.

DementedToyShop

i think these are really great and you should definitely keep doing what you're doing.

vrempire

I think the last one is the good one among the four.
The emotion is captured in the face with the glimmering eyes.
The third one, the hands and the face looks a little bit out of proportion.
Way to go buddy.

tmccool

two more sketches in progress. thoughts?

tmccool

finished?





im really satisfied with this one although i dont think the photo does it justice, as the blacks on the left side look washed out. i played around with it for a little in iphoto, but still.... yeah

in progress:



this one feels really cartoony like, but im not sure what it is. i want to say its the eyes.

The_Glad_Hatter

Your latest drawings don't suffer from this as much, but your first ones do: as noted, they look kinda flat. You can avoid this by using a live model instead of a picture. Sure it's more embarrassing if you fuck up then but it teaches you way more.

also: to really get better at portraiting in general; try to do your drawings as a whole. You should be able to stop at any random moment and be left with a "complete" drawing, instead of "super-detailed eyes and a bit of face". Quickly go over the entire thing, then go over the entire thing a bit more slowly, then again but slower...

I like your drawings, but it's a shame some look like they're done part by part..