Hmm the more I look at that sketch of Nikola, the more I see that is wrong with it /facepalm. You see this is why at the end of the day I prefer digital.

I get a kick out of doing art with pencils these days because I never thought I could. Producing something by hand, just from making marks on paper, blows my mind. I was the kid that always failed art class. I didn’t get on with a single art teacher I ever had. I found the entire experience frustrating and humiliating. So I like trying to draw by hand, feels a little bit like looking back a couple of decades and sticking my tongue out at all the teachers who didn’t think I had it in me.

Anyway, digital has some major advantages. With digital if there are lines that aren’t quite right you can move them, without having to rub everything out and start again. So looking at that drawing I’m thinking I need to shorten the nose and move it slightly to the left, maybe warp it slightly. The hairline on the right needs to drop down a bit etc. etc.

It’s not terrible but it’s not perfect either. When I draw I still see the lines and try and copy those. From googling I know I should break it down into basic shapes. Apparently that’s better for getting proportions more accurate.

I need to work on my pencil control. I don’t get very good highlights as I overly smudge. I think I also need to do some studies of specific elements like hair. How to draw different materials is still a mystery to me. I need to investigate that and practice so I know how to render metal, fabric, skin etc. I have a lot to learn.