Last year I started a pencil portrait class, and since have continued with it when offered. It used to be through the local adult school, but with Pandemia, that was quickly shut down. Thus, the teacher offered it to us outdoors at a local park, and I jumped on it, as did others.
The above portrait is the first one I did this year. I was determined to do it within the two hours we have for the outdoor class, rather than the 10 hours I took for the little boy below last summer. The style is rough and quick, but important in the sense of working to get proportions and shadings correct.
This little boy is from a photograph from the mid 1950s. He is really sweet and I think I managed to catch his character. He looks older in the drawing than he did in the photograph.
I think I may have posted this drawing here or on another blog, but this one I was determined to catch a different position of the head. Proportions change when the head position changes, and I was rather pleased with this one!
This profile I completed last week. The photo I used as reference came from Pixabay, a great resource for royalty-free photos. I decided to print out the photo on my laser, forcing black and white, and then using it taped upside down on my drawing board, as suggested by Betty Edwards in her book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”. It worked! At the end, I turned it right side up to put in the eyelashes . . .
This is my current WIP. I started it last Wednesday. As with its predecessor, this one is also being done with the portrait upside down, and from a photo on Pixabay. It’s about 75% done I think. I need to work on the lights / darks and shadows a bit more, as well as make the hair more distinctive.
I got a few others in my class turning their reference photos upside down! The one thing they noticed, as did I, is that the shadows and shapes become dominant – you aren’t drawing a person any longer, but you are copying light and dark, shape and shadow. It’s amazing how well it works.
Well, time to wander off. The day has been spent reorganizing my life, meaning the garage, the closet, the studio, and the bedroom. Cocktail or whisky, anyone?
Ink, Yarn & Beer 
Wow these are amazing Naomi, I hope you keep doing them, I think this is your fortè!
Excellent work. Even I understand that turning the picture upside down would give it a different reference. Oh -N- you are educating me!
Beautiful drawings.
Nice work. Pencil is tough. Let the lights command and the darks will do the work. I always had to keep a wax paper for my hand to rest–or I’d end up with a smudgy mess. I like the upside down trick, forcing you to draw what you see…not what you ‘know’ is there.
Thanks, Fraggy. These are actually pretty hard to do, but like with everything, practice makes it easier. Our teacher is absolutely lovely and he never lays a finger on your drawing, which is something I appreciate. Instead, he takes out a little pad of paper and demonstrates what he means. Others in the class, too, add inspiration. I am really happy in the class and look forward to it. This Wednesday it will also be in the low 70s F, and that makes it even better!
Thanks, Laura Kate!
Upside down is good, AV. It works far better than I ever anticipated. My set up is such that I don’t touch the paper at all with my hand, except rarely, as I have a 21 h x 26 w easel that is upright at about 75-80 degrees. It really helps.