Drawing the Face......

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Since the New Year I have been reading all sorts of books on anatomy and the proportions of the human body. I feel like I have made real progress for the most part, even though there is a ways to go. By spring I hope to make significant strides in portraying the body and it's various postures. However, on occasion, I struggle on a drawing with this the most recent example.

Capturing an individuals likeness is not easy, even though it is not necessarily hard, either. 
I started this drawing of my wife from a photograph taken several years ago. The frontal viewpoint nearly tells you it was taken from a photograph. 

Basically, I wanted to sketch her face so I could quickly move on to a watercolor. However, I feel like it does not truly look like her. When I stepped away and looked at the photograph it really was not off in any significant way. In person, her face is a little more full than depicted and the glasses cover her high cheek bones further down the face. Her expression is genuine. 

Oh, but to add color and atmosphere makes the face come to life.