Drawing Faces

Drawing Faces

 

 

So I've been trying hard to keep up with my 29 Days of Faces Challenge.  I remember when I made my Very First Attempt at a face in Christy Tomilson's She Art Class-  I was so relieved that she let us make Girls with no Faces!  I was terrified of even trying!

 

 

How did I get over it?  I drew Lots and Lots and Lots of Faces....most of them pretty bad!:)   I really had to force myself to do it.  But, after I gave myself permission to do it badly I relaxed a bit and was able to play and just try things out. 

 

 

I decided I definitely needed Professional Help after trying to draw my Sons several times only to find that they not only couldn't recognize themselves...but weren't quite sure they were in fact Human...Ha!

 

 

I don't know if you can see them here- the Top one is supposed to be my Oldest...the Bottom one second Oldest:)  Ya- they couldn't tell either!  Pretty bad!

 

 

 So, here are 2 of my Favorites Books- Both of them are more Cartoon or Anime style, but these books were great about showing Proportion and Scale and told you specifics like "Make the Eyes This Big..." or "Start the Nose here..."  That's exactly what I needed.

 

 

"Making Faces: Drawing Expressions for Comics and Cartoons" by 8fish,  Impact Books

 

And because we are HUGE Manga fans in our House:

"Manga, Learn to Draw Step by Step" by Jeannie Lee

 

Although I am a Long Way Away from finding my own 'Style', I have gotton more comfortable with at least creating 'Humanoid Lifeforms':)  Although I am very Partial to Stylized, 'Anime style' Faces with very Big Eyes:)

 

 

One of my Greatest Discoveries about Drawing Faces?  If you draw Imaginary People- there is no way anyone can tell if it's "Right" or not!  Unless of course they are more Alien or Catlike than Human:)

 

Ya, One day I gave up trying to make them look Human:)

 

This was my first "Hey- I don't have to draw a REAL person- she can look however I want! Drawing"... And it looks just Like "Her"!

 

 

And from there I Chronical my Obsession with all things 'Big Eyed' and 'Fairy Like':)

 

 

This one is for my Neice...I call it "Seriously...?"

 

 

 

 I was doing so many Cartoon-y ones I really wanted to try a more Realistic Sketch.  I Decided I could sketch Faces at night while sitting out with the Family.  I just grabbed my Hello Kitty 'Art-Kit-full-of-much-goodies'...

 

 

I just used Colored Pencils on this one...the background is an Old Book Page. 

 

  She is from a Maybeline Mascara Magazine Page- thus the Ridiculous Eyelashes!

So my Biggest Advice?   Just do it....and let yourself be bad at it for a while!  Anything worth doing is worth doing Badly!

 

  Share your progress and your Bloopers- it really helps people like me keep going when I see that not everyone picks up a pen and draws the Mona Lisa on their first shot!

 

I feel like I have finally reach my goal of being able to draw "Recognizably Human, Obviously male or Female, Perhaps Fictionary" Faces:)   

 

Come Join me at 29 Faces...It's just such a wonderful way to eaze into the "Shallow End" of the Scary Pool of Faces.  It's OK!  You can wear Floaties!  Just Jump In!