When you define your self as an artist or a drafstman, people usualy ask you to draw their portrait. And they are eager to see the result.
Does'nt really matter how good your techique is, or which medium do you use. People are seeking for likeness. It's the big prize.
I have been struggling with likeness for years. Likeness puts a lot of pressure cause If you don't get it, you are automatically downgraded as an artist.
As an anecdote, Picasso tooks 105 poses to paint Gertrude Stein's portrait. When he finally finished it, Getrude Stein exclaimed:
-Ah! This is not me...
and Picasso answered:
-It will be you.
Today when you google Gertrude Stein, the first image that appears is her portrait by Picasso.
When I was starting at drawing, my portraits were really bad. I was slowy trying to contour every single feature, treating them independently. The result was catastrophic.
So, I moved into landscape or urban skecths, where does not really matter if you move a tree or yo miss a row of windosws in a facade.
Then I discover Non Verbal technique.
I came back to protraits, and, an inner voice whispered to me:
Faces are like landscapes
Then. free of pressure, I begin to hatch faces like just like I was treating landscapes and foliage. Letting my hatchs come free, exagerating values or reintrepreting them.
Results came suddenly, and likeness was there.
Have a nice week, and if you have a good day, frame it!
regards,
Javier
