I continue my challenge to draw realistic portraits.....This one is of SAMUEL L. JACKSON

[realitycartoon]

The challenge to myself to draw better portraits is maybe the best thing I've done. I love to see my development and how I get better and better for every portrait I make. Sometimes you have to be critical with yourself and know what you are good at and what you are not so good at. I would lie if I said that I am bad at drawing portraits but it's a big difference from when I started.
For all you steemit artists out there, link your art in the comments and tell me how you have developed :)

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This is my portrait of Samuel L. Jackson. Scroll down to see the process

First I start to draw a rough sketch of the basic shapes of his face. I like to draw it by freehand but the grid method is very useful for beginners. For the sketch I use a graphite pen like 2H and press gently. I don't want any marks in the paper if I have to erase something.
I may have a different method than most artists, I draw some rough lines and measure the distance between different spots with a ruler to get the proportions right.

In this drawing I started with shading the face in a light shade before I started with details. In this way I get a better feel of how to shade because the reference photo is kind of dark. For this I alter between 4B and 6B graphite pencil.
Then I started to draw his eyes and they were kind of hard to place right. I tried to draw them more straight but apparently his eyes are a little bit off. I measured with a ruler and this is how it should be to look like him.

I continue shading and also start drawing his mouth, teeth and beard. In this portrait I jump between different areas to try to "build" up the face adding more and more shade. It's fun to try different methods and I also develop as an artist.
I also add some white spots in his eyes to create the reflection that eyes usually have. For this I use a white pallpoint pen.

I add more and more shade to get the right contrast of his face. When I shade I use the 4B pen and blend out the graphite with a paper stick in the details and some toiletpaper on the bigger areas. If you don't have a paper stick you can use a ear swab, it works just the same.

When I'm satisfied with the shading I start drawing his jacket which is black so it's easy. For this I use a 8B graphite pen to get it as black as possible. I also shade his neck that is very dark because of the shadow from his head. For this I use the 6B pen and blend it out with the toiletpaper.

Before I finish I go over everything and add some detail using a mechanic pen with thin pins, the one I use is 0,5mm and it works well to add some skin texture and the really small details. I also use it for his beard to draw those thin hairs.

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You can see the finished drawing below. Let me know what you think of it in the comments :)

I hope you like this post, feel free to upvote and resteem if you like it
Follow me for more artposts from me @realitycartoon
And remember to always be creative in what you do :)

Comments

[trisolaran]

this thing looks easy but it's really hard for me.

[realitycartoon]

It takes patience

[vivekkori]

Looks like really

[realitycartoon]

Thanks!

[pjaymc]

Kudos for your challange

[realitycartoon]

Thank you :) didn't know what kudos was but now I know;)

[sparrowbernard]

Wow... You are god with pencil... your highlighting is perfect...
Here is one of my drawings.
![29389281_1427808304012324_6781043943455850496_o.jpg]
And here is the link to one of my latest 30 minutes sketch ()https://steemit.com/newbieresteemday/@sparrowbernard/a-modern-japanese-samurai-with-katana

[realitycartoon]

Thank you :) You are very good aswell, I upvoted your post!

[sparrowbernard]

I just checked your blog... You're kinda underrated but its all good... Keep on making connections

[realitycartoon]

Yeah true, and I don't know why! But I will keep drawing :)

[sparrowbernard]

Have you heard about curies? Chat me up on discord sparrowbernard#4349 i might know somebody that can help out

[realitycartoon]

Yeah? I will write you tomorrow on discord :)

[stephceecee12]

Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! You re so good, can't help but admire this talent, aww really loving this. I ve upvoted you and have started following too, i will really appreciate if you do the same for me

[realitycartoon]

Thank you for your kind comment. I will have a look at your blog :)

[stephceecee12]

Aww you are welcome

[veruccia]

I actually thought at first it was a printed photo :) you did a good job, it’s amazing

[realitycartoon]

Thank you :) today I was looking for this drawing to put it where i have my finished drawings. I soon realized that It was right in front of me, I thought it was the reference photo haha

[aimeeewhe]

Wonderful,this is a master piece

[realitycartoon]

Thank you :)

[discoversteem]

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We are Discover Steem, if you like our work consider giving us an upvote. :) If you don't wish to receive recommendations under your posts and to be recommended, reply with STOP.

[realitycartoon]

STOP

[artzone]

Hello! I find your post valuable for the art community! Thanks for the great post! ARTzone is now following you! ALWAYs follow @artzone and the artzone tag, and support our artists!

[realitycartoon]

Thank you :) I really appreciate it!

[creativecrypto]

Hello @realitycartoon, thank you for sharing this creative work! If you're interested, take a look at our magazine @creativecrypto. We are all about art on the blockchain, and learning from creatives like you. Swing by and say hello!