Sketchbook drawing

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

When the days are short and the television is on, I often see this time as an opportunity to sketch a face or even my foot in front of me. I find drawing hands and feet the most challenging, as getting the proper perspective of all the individual toes and fingers can be quite complicated.

As we have become bombarded with presidential debates, political ads, and the constant election news, I find it fascinating to observe the candidates' faces and expressions. The face above was drawn from one found in a collection of magazines we have accumulating on our coffee table. I feel like I have done okay if I capture the individual's age and expression with some degree of accuracy or likeness. I like to force myself to draw larger, which requires the addition of greater detail that conveys more about the person.

This drawing was done with Cretacolor pencils, my favorite art pencils. I have been experimenting with the use of softer leads, which mark the surface more readily than a pencil with a harder lead. While I often use an HB pencil, like students do in school, this was done with a 2B lead. Thus, the feel was a bit greasier, and the lead smears more easily. It seems to me that with the softer leads I can achieve greater depth in the areas of the eyes, mouth, and shadows under the chin.