5 Days, 5 Drawings
Would drawing portraits everyday make me a better artist?
For me, drawing is a cycle. I get influenced by art professionals, I try to imitate them, I compare my rough sketch, I rip it apart, feeling unsatisfied. Because of this unhealthy cycle, I never finish my artwork and it leaves me feeling burnt out. To fix this issue, I set out on a challenge where I would draw a portrait (almost) every day for a week.
My goal by the end of this challenge was to improve in drawing faces and most of all, become confident in drawing.
Day 1
Overthinking is what I did the most on day 1 of drawing. This is the day that sets the bar of how simple/realistic or good/bad my drawings would be. It’s also the day that should theoretically be the worst. After detangling my mind, I decided to try my best and go for it.
On this day, I drew the portrait of a girl I found on Pinterest. She has long hair, fierce eyes, thin eyebrows, and a gorgeous image overall.
Day 2
When I first started this challenge, I completely underestimated the time and dedication needed for drawing these portraits everyday. After forgetting this challenge for 3 whole days, I got splashed with motivation and the thought that I should stop procrastinating. To make up for the missing days, I decided to put more time and effort into the drawing and focus on shading. This time, I drew a girl with short hair, almond eyes, and a grim face.
Day 3
Day 3 rolled up and this time, I wanted to try something different. After seeing that people use Q-tips for better blending, I was instantly hooked and wanted to try it out myself. Excited, I roughly sketched out the man (decided not to draw 3 girls in a row), and tried to mimic the reference the best I could. Then, I pulled out my Q-tip and smudged away. Weirdly, the darker bits were getting lighter and were making the lighter bits messier. What could I be doing wrong? I thought as I smeared chaotically. As I rewatched the video, I realized you had to blend in one spot at a time while changing the tips so that it doesn’t get too stained. When it was time I noticed my mistake, it was too late as I already blurred it too far. However, I decided to make a promise to myself that I’d try smudging again but the right way.
Day 4
Before talking about day 4, I have something to confess. Just the other day, I showed this drawing to my friend and I put it on my desk (at least that’s where I thought I put it). Then, after my friend was gone, I went to my desk and the drawing was…missing?! At first I was really shocked. I ran around my house, looking through drawers and desks. Where could it possibly be?
Since I can’t show it to you, I’ll draw the picture with my words. This drawing was of a woman’s side profile and she had a soft resting-smiling face.This day felt like the day to push myself to explore a new angle. It was especially challenging because of the symmetry, the shadows, and even the proportions.
Day 5
After drawing a series of serious faces, I wanted to draw someone with more emotion. I pondered whether I should draw sad, nervous, or mad faces but ultimately landed on happy. I also decided to zoom out a little to show some of the clothing as well. In this drawing, there's a girl with long luscious hair, laughing brightly. I like to think she’s smiling because she’s daydreaming of someone she enjoys spending time with. Usually, when I think of someone I have fun with, I tend to smile unconsciously, just like the girl in the drawing.
Conclusion
This project was not only a challenge but also a learning experience where I got to try out new techniques and grow as an artist. Something I realized is that my drawing style is mine and I shouldn’t compare it to others because everyone has a unique way to draw. Did I perfect every drawing? No. But did I fulfill my goal? Absolutely.
