As is probably evident for those reading this little blog, I love drawing and painting people's portraits. I've been fascinated with them since I was a little girl, and I've only become more so since then. I love the tiny intricate differences between any two people. When I am drawing a portrait, I'm fascinated by how the most minute difference in scale and size of a nose or an eye can make someone nearly unrecognizable. Almost indiscernable differences in line and shadow will bring a portrait from being just a face to actually capturing the essence of that person. Portrait painting and drawing goes far beyond line and shadow though. To really delve into capturing someone on canvas or paper, intense attention must be paid to the "invisible" traits of that person. What I mean is, those parts of someone's expression and demeanor that are difficult to define. When someone thinks and feels something, usually it inevitably comes across on their face, if we pay attention. What is it that makes a portrait come alive, to the point that the viewer sees it and exclaims, "Yes, that's soooo him. You've captured Him!" It's not the colors chosen or the skill with which we draw a line. While those elements are incredibly important, the magic "x" factor is in the minute details. A thin line strategically placed will change someone's expression entirely. A slightly darkend shadow on the lips can show slight tension, and turn a "camera" smile into a nervous smile, thus illustrating the subject more accurately and allowing the portrait to come alive. I've found it's not the big elements, but the tiniest that make the difference. I've spent years pursuing this, and expect to spend many many more developing and refining the skills I have. I encourage anyone who takes on the task of illustrating another person to go for it with everything you've got. Too often the fear of failure keeps us from doing something new or different or trying a new technique. Please try, do, experiment, fail, succeed. It doesn't matter. It's all a part of the process. Experiment with those tiny differences. Intentially draw someone's eyes just a little too big. Round off their chin a little more than it actually is. See the differences. Learn how to interpret what you see, and correct the mistakes you make. But by all means, just put pencil to paper and do it. Paper is cheap and time is never wasted when we're learning. It's win, win no matter what you do, as long as you do it.
These two portraits are of my sweet cousin Jenni, taken from a photo shoot I did of her when she got married. I chose the two shots because of the simplicity and lack of distracting elements. The first was drawn with just regular artist pencils and the second is drawn with student quality oil pastels. Both were done as exercises in trusting my instincts. I determined I wasn't going to second guess myself, or take a long time to dwell on it. So I worked quickly and finished both in one sitting. Are they perfect? Clearly, not. Neither is intensely detailed and the oil pastel especially is a bit crude in both color and blending. But, did I learn from them? Absolutely! I moved quickly and didn't do my typical second guessing and internal criticism from the "peanut gallery" in my brain. No matter how long any of us pursue our creative fields there will always be boxes and molds for us to break out of, usually self-impossed. Bust those boxes open and challenge yourself to pursue what it is you really want. As long as we keep doing what we're doing, we're just going to keep getting what we've already got.
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