Welcome to part two of this reckless “drawing two things at once” series. Basically, I was so pumped up from feeling like I’ve actually been improving, I decided to sketch two scenes concurrently. This was not my best idea, as I felt compelled to finish too much too quickly. The smaller sketch suffered in quality partially because of that. The larger drawing, though, I think actually turned out well!
As I mentioned in the other post, things started out fine. I appreciated having some variety, and being able to switch back and forth. As I started layering color, I could pretty quickly see that this one was working out better. Because the facial features were larger, it was much easier to capture accurate finer points. Although I didn’t like my self-imposed and sort of neurotic need to rush, which increased the further along I got, I think this sketch had a good result. In fact, I think this one is one of my best efforts so far. So, even though the companion piece didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped, the end results overall were worth it.
What do I think went right? Well, I think the skin shading was solid, and the blending in everyone’s hair turned out well. In fact, I think it’s the best depiction I’ve done on my oldest daughter’s bright hair. Facial features and resemblances were also pretty much on target; this definitely looks like all three of us. I don’t see any features or areas that have significant mistakes or problems. I’m even pleased I was able to get the detail of my youngest munching on a piece of cake…although it does almost look more like a pizza roll or something.
Even though I think a lot went well, there is always room for critique in my view. So, what could be improved here? Well, as usual you can see some laziness shining through, particularly when it comes to my shirt; I never wear white t-shirts, so it would have been much more realistic to make that one navy or black. And, I was able to fix it in this drawing, but I need to work on my pupil positioning. In early versions of this sketch, my oldest had some major googly eyes happening. Pupil positioning can be really challenging, especially when you’re trying to make a subject look at something specific.
On this sketch, and in its companion drawing, I actually remembered to take more progression photos. So, this one has a few more frames than usual, which might help see how it developed. Here’s the progression:
What’s next for me? I’ve still got the art itch, so I’d imagine I’ll need to come up with something by the weekend. I could always do more family stuff…my dad would be a new subject. I’d really like to try something a bit different, though. No, it will still be people! But maybe some fictional people, or people I don’t know. I should brainstorm on things I love, more characters from novels or movies that are my favorites. Or musicians, actors, other noteworthy famous people.
Another thought; there are actually a couple of online forums that have threads for portrait/drawing requests, which is sort of enticing (ResetERA and NeoGAF). Of course, that’s risky because you never know if you’ll get destroyed by criticism; the anonymity of certain portions of the internet can make people a bit rough. And you never know; maybe I’ll get a request or something.