Pen & Ink Portrait Lessons

[Blah]

Your work is amazing!!! There is so much of character and expression in each of your portraits. And, I admire the way you are able to express the age of the subjects.
Thank you for sharing.

[Studio-1-F]

Sherry, this is GREAT stuff and super tips. I love sketching people on my morning bus commute and trying to get a likeness in a few moments with just a few strokes. I spend a few seconds looking really really closely for whatever it is about that face that makes me want to draw it. What's the unique feature, shape, contour, relationship, or detail that makes that face unique. Then I try to get it down. Not easy! Not easy at all! Practice practice practice is the whole thing.

Thank you for your tips and your examples. Very inspiring! Very useful!

Jan

[Sherry Pettey]

To both Blah and Jan: Thank you, first of all, for the high-fives! One thing that I have strived for is to capture the personality of the sitter, in the shortest amount of time and still produce a portrait that they are happy with. It is really an odd thing that I have some ability to "sense" out the person's basic personality, even as I direct them to sit in the chair to pose for me. Jan: You are certainly dedicated in achieving that goal, and I am sure that you are already well on your way to finding that "spark" that makes the difference between a good or excellent portrait. I would certainly invite you or anyone else to post examples of your work here on this thread, or start posting on your own. There are many accomplished portrait artists on the pen & ink forum, and I always enjoy seeing other people's technique and skill level. I'm not saying that I would possess any more ability then anyone else. I am just clarifying to everyone that I always consider myself a student throughout life, and will always learn something new with each individual so inclined to share their work here. We can inspire each other!

Sherry

[Studio-1-F]

Originally Posted by Sherry Pettey

. . . It is really an odd thing that I have some ability to "sense" out the person's basic personality, even as I direct them to sit in the chair to pose for me.

This is a really handy skill. It's a skill that I persist in believing is not magical or "god-given" but is obtainable/trainable with practice practice practice. Observing and concentrating and observing again.

Originally Posted by Sherry Pettey

Jan: You are certainly dedicated in achieving that goal, and I am sure that you are already well on your way to finding that "spark" that makes the difference between a good or excellent portrait.

No, I'd not use the term "excellent", but I am enjoying the practice.

Originally Posted by Sherry Pettey

I would certainly invite you or anyone else to post examples of your work here on this thread, . . .

Sure, I'll do that. See below. Sketched very quickly in the audience, in the few minutes just prior to a lecture at the Smithsonian. The "sense" of the man on the left was he was kind of not wanting to be there and but was resigned to it. (Loved his crepe-paper neck.) The "sense" of the guy on the right was that he couldn't wait for the event to start, so he could tut-tut the lecturer's conclusions. (Liked the determined proud ramrod of a neck.) I see those stories (that I made up) in each of these heads. So I like them.

Jan

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2-page spread in the "Kraft" notebook, inside the Midori Traveler, about 8" x 8" overall, pen, ink, gouache after the fact