A Sketch Blog Recording my Attempts to Render Pretty Feminine Faces in Pencil with Occasional Use of Charcoal, Crayon, and other Artistic Media

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• [September, 2006]
• August, 2006
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• January, 2006

Short on time for sketch viewing? See the first 272 (or so) sketches I've posted in a 34 second music video!

Sketch #143: "Woman in Flower-fringed Gown"

She's not wearing an especially practical outfit, but perhaps it is a fitting sketch for the end of "Fashion Week".

Ted

Sketch #142: "Happy Child"

The subject of this sketch ended up looking younger than I had originally intended, hence the "happy child" title.

Ted

Sketch #141

I think I drew the neck and shoulders in good proportion to the head in this sketch (something at which I have not always succeeded). Her expression looks a little sad though.

Ted

Sketch #140

Since it is "Fashion Week", I thought it only appropriate to adorn the young woman in this sketch with a flower in her hair :)

Ted

Sketch #139

In contrast to the peaceful, somewhat reserved expression of the woman in the previous sketch, I think this one looks like she might be a bit more fun-loving and mischievous.

Ted

Sketch #138: "Peaceful Smile"

I thought the woman in this sketch had a rather contented expression, hence the title. I think I still drew the nose a little longer than optimal, but not as bad as in the previous sketch.

Ted

Sketch #137

I like this sketch, but as I make this post I see that her nose is too long and I drew the eye on the right side of the page a bit lower than the one on the left. I will have to be more diligent in both areas. That's the good thing, however, about mistakes - one can learn from them. (or relearn in this case, as I've made both errors and noticed them in the past).

Ted

Sketch #136

I see this sketch makes three in a row for "front view" with long straight hair. At least I drew this one with a slightly parted smile for a little variety. I think she seems the happiest of the three as well.

Ted

Sketch #135

I think the woman in this sketch looks alot like the one in my previous post. Maybe they are sisters.

Ted

Sketch #134

I used the last page from my Mead "Acade'mie" Sketch Diary (11 x 8.5 inch), so this sketch is the first I've posted from the Strathmore Drawing "Papier a' dessin" (9 x 12 inch) I purchased to replace it. So far I strongly prefer the Strathmore product. It seems to smear a lot less and erase as good or better. I like the texture of the paper too.

The Mead product, however, was more economical (70 sheets for $3.78 versus 40 sheets at $3.99 for the Strathmore product). Also, the Mead product is spiral bound with perforated sheets, which I find somewhat preferable to the Strathmore product's "fold it over the top" design.

Overall though, I definitely prefer the Strathmore product. I think I might like it even better than the Strathmore "Papier a' croquis" I used prior to the Mead, although at $4.99 for 100 sheets if I recall correctly, the "Papier a' croquis was the mose economical of the three. I think it was the best in terms of easy erasing too. (Both somewhat moot points currently since I haven't been able to find the it available for sale anymore).

Ted

Sketch #133

Having applied the graphite rather liberally (perhaps even excessively) in the sketch of the previous post, I went with a lighter touch for this one.

Ted

Sketch #132

In contrast to yesterday's more orderly, precise sketch, I went with the "wild hair look" today. Her expression looks a little blank, but I like the hair.

Ted

Sketch #131

For this sketch, I drew the woman's hair differently than I usually do, going with a more cartoonish look. I'd guess she uses a lot of hair spray :)

Ted

Sketch #130

The woman in this sketch strikes me as someone with a kind heart. I enjoyed creating the abstract pattern in her dress.

Ted

Sketch #129: "Proserpine"

I based this sketch (rather loosely) on the 1874 oil painting "Proserpine" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. To see a picture of the original painting, click here. If you would like to see a higher resolution image of the original painting and/or other paintings by Rossetti and many other great artists, I recommend visiting the excellent online gallery of The Art Renewal Center.

Ted

Sketch #128

I've drawn almost all of my sketches with "Notebound" pencils by the Carolina Pad company. Initially I used a pack of "color washed" which were fine, but a few days ago I tried their "100% cedar pencils". I don't know that there is supposed to be any difference between them (According to the packages, both conform to ASTM standard D4236), but it seems to me that the cedars give somewhat better performance (fewer lead breakages, cleaner lines, etc.) It may just be that the cedars are new and at their full length whereas I've worn the color washed down with multiple sharpenings. Anyway, the price is the same, so I plan to buy cedars from now on unless I find some new reason to do otherwise.

Ted

Sketch #127

I believe this woman has a smaller chin than those in most of my sketches, but it seems to work for her. I'll have to experiment with chin size a bit more.

Ted

Sketch #126 "No Peeking!"

With her eyes closed and a smile on her face, I picture her anticipating a present, a special desert or some other pleasant surprise :)

Ted

Sketch #125

I thought I'd try try a new pose with this one. I believe this is the first sketch I've posted where a hand is visible.

Ted

Sketch #124

Here's the first sketch I've posted in September with teeth showing. I definitely seem to have I've developed a preference for the closed mouth look lately, but I like to mix it up occasionally to keep in practice.

Ted

Sketch #123: "Hair Experiments"

At the forehead in this sketch I drew the hair swept to the side more than I've usually done. I thought that turned out quite well, but I was less happy with where it went from there. In retrospect, I think splitting it the way I did produced a somewhat unnatural result. I should have had it all coming around to the front or kept it all in back. Live and learn :)

Ted