EDM #17: Musical instrument

Okay, I can already tell this blogging every day thing is going to be a tough one when I'm only at day 2 and am just hours away from missing it.   But in the interest of keeping up with Blogtoberfest and starting a habit, I'm submitting a EDM sketch of a pseudo-musical instrument.  It's not really a musical instrument, it's just a little brass ornament, but it was the closest thing I had available that fit the bill.  I hope to come back to this very primitive sketch in the future and work on capturing the shape better as well as the metallic coloring. 

Another face

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Learning to love the pencil...

Okay, I have to admit that I'm starting to appreciate the pencil a bit more, if only for the fact that it allows me to do SOOOO much erasing and reworking (as can be seen from all the little erasure marks that I neglected to brush off the page before scanning). 

Someone recently noted (I apologize for forgetting who) that the difference of a millimeter changes a face from beautiful to... not as beautiful in terms of proportion.  Drawing these portraits has made me a true believer of that.  Unbelievably, I have found that erasing from one side v. the other of a bold line makes all the difference in the world between making someone identifiable v. not.  It's painstaking for someone who has not done this type of work before, but I love the fact that it's made me really tune into details.  So, onward and upward, as the saying goes.

Oh, I also realized that I need to stick with floating heads for awhile. I tried filling in a neckine and jacket and it again just completely changed the look of it.  I continue to be in awe of those people who can sit down and quickly sketch a completely recognizable character.  Maybe one day...

Hmmm... I should upload things more often. It's amazing how seeing them on the screen allows me to see EVEN MORE of the imperfections.  A slightly revised version below.

I can still see a lot of things I want to change...  I'm going to walk away for a little while and come back to it with clearer eyes. 

okay, okay, okay, okay, okay... my hubby is about ready to have me committed because I can't keep away... I keep tweaking and adjusting things that he says only I can see, which is probably true.  But now I'm obsessed (as usual) and I can't stop fiddling with this.

One more time...

Yet another pencil portrait...  I spent a litle more time with this one but I am struggling with making them feel alive. I know I need to work on the mechanics of proportion and features, etc... but I also wish that I could better capture the life behind the face.  Ah well, back to the drawing board...

Portrait in pencil

This time I attempted a portrait in pencil.  I'm not sure I had any better luck but it definitely felt like a very different process.  For whatever reason, I think I feel freer with a pen than with a pencil... which makes no sense since the pencil obviously allows a lot more room for corrections and working and reworking a sketch.  Despite that, it feels confining to me.  Maybe I just need to get more used to it. 

The good news is that my hubby and daughter both recognized who I was trying to capture right away.  Despite that, it still looks very cock-eyed and amateurish to me. I need to keep reminding myself that all those who make it look so effortlessly brilliant probably spent some time early on learning how to get past the pin it to the refrigerator/kindergarten look.  :-)