Sunday, May 30, 2010

Sunday Sketching


I sketched today again at church. I find it helps me to stay awake (not that our preacher is boring - I just have a hard time staying awake, probably due to my sleep apnea problems.) Plus I can listen just as well with a pencil in hand.

Here's Mandy. For those of you who know her, don't judge me too harshly! I know it's not exact but yet I can still see her in this drawing. I redid the profile of her face at least 6 times. Her nose is unique and the slope of forehead and shape of her lips and chin all were hard to capture. It didn't help that she fidgets a LOT! I'm finding that while drawing people it's not just the shapes you have to get correct, but the distance/ratio of nose to ear to mouth and the length of forehead, chin, and upper lip. It all has to be right on for it to be a good sketch. I'm working more on being accurate in the placement of features, not just the features themselves.

Does that make any sense? It does to me. I'm not just drawing to catalog my church family, I'm doing it to improve my drawing skills. At church is one of the easier places to sketch people without them knowing and they keep relatively still and in the same position.

I've been having a hard time getting into any sort of routine since we had the carpets redone and my daughter and family were here to visit. It just seems like every day is new and the old routines don't work anymore. I need to get organized again. I kind of like having routines - without them I get behind.

4 comments:

Lynn Cohen said...

Terrific sketch. I don't know her but I feel her by looking at the picture you have so carefully drawn. Well done.

Becky from Alaska said...

I still see Mandy. Travis and I knew it was her before we read the blog :) And the ratio thing totally makes sense by the way!

Kellie said...

Nice picture PAK. Her nose is unique.

I know what you mean by having routines (ruts). Sounds good to get out of them, then we miss them.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I like this sketch. Of course I don't know this lady. It feels like you have captured her essence. The ratio thing is something good to learn.