I find that drawing models is boring. When you got a normal person with an expressive face, now it’s suddenly interesting. The reason is that expressive faces are universally interesting while models are universally perfect. Drawing perfection is much much harder; too much at stake man!

This is how I draw expressive faces:

Observe life

My favorite way of noticing people is when i’m stuck in traffic. You see all sorts of interesting moods as drivers and passengers pick their nose to and fro past yourself. Ask yourself why is it disgusting that the mare gesture of nose picking is disgusting. How minimal does that face need to move in order for you to convey itchy nose?

How I use Reference Photos

When I want to draw these days, I basically live on Pinterest.com . The search capabilities are so nuanced for photography that I think it beats google and instagram any day (fuck hashtags). google big nostrils and you’ll get a great compilation of every expression you’ll ever need!

My favorite body part: Eyes

I think eyes tell everything. Eye shapes will even tell you who you’re looking at. If you can learn to draw a good pair of eyes, worst case scenario you’ll have a great job at the custom-sleep-masks factory!

Most important concept: Contrast

To be expressive involves the face, the body language, and the lighting that articulates the face and the body language. Look at good photography and you’ll see that artist contrast mostly makes the art. I know you want to fight me on composition, compositions are taught to beginners and then often broken in good art. Contrast, however, has to be good always.

Overwork your stuff

I believe that if you don’t break something, you’ll never know where the true edge is. You have to push things to the limits and that’s life! Make your good art to decent art to overworked art and you’ll learn a few things along the way about how and why it became overworked. Next time, it will be less likely that you’ll accidentally overwork an art, because you have a clearer understanding of what does and does not work for you.

As kim Jun gi said, keep drawing and you’ll eventually get great. You just have to pay attention when you draw, every time; mindless drawing is a waste of your time.

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When I look at Joe Pesci I think mmm. I’d love to be that happy in life; hope he’s not secretly hiding some dark dark sadness. Then I think man… i wonder if he’s Devito’s secret brother! I digress

This ink sketch is pretty good in terms of likeness. That cherubic cheek with pearl like expressive eyes. The famous side hair thing and the outstanding trip chin. It’s got a lot going for it!

However, when you put it side by side, the portrait suddenly falls short. Suddenly, it looks like there’s not enough contrast; the ink drawing looks like a white washed photo. the nose and mouth both needs to be more grandiose! I think the head could have been even more calabash gourd shaped than it is. In many ways Devito looks like a real life caricature because he has such strong features, as actors should. It behoves the artist to lean in all the way on them.

Here are the pros and cons of this artwork:

Pro

• Looks like the guys from a mile away!
• Very effectively captured the expressive nature of the person

Con

• Not enough contrast, the dark areas need to be way darker
• The mouth and nose are too small
• Devito’s strong features are toned down; maybe the artist was afraid of caricaturizing the portrait

Rating: 6.5/10

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1. Technical Skill: Assess the artist’s mastery of the medium used compared to other artists you like, who uses the same mediums. Does it feel right and have a sense of balance and accuracy? It may SOUND qualitative, but if you look at enough art work, you’ll soon get a very objective understanding of precision, color preference, composition, and perspective.
2. Originality: Consider the uniqueness of the artwork. Obviously, originality contributes to the value of art, but few thinks about what that actually means. Does the art in front of you feel like a good copy of another famous artist? If the answer is yes, then you likely haven’t found your way yet.
3. Emotional Impact: how does the artwork makes you feel? What emotions it evokes. Powerful art can provoke strong emotional responses in viewers; it’s your job, as the artist, to create it with intention. If your articulated emotions are a fluke, how are you going to create a fan base who expect consistency from you!? Same can be considered around your art’s meaning, symbolism, or intrinsic messaging.

Remember, these aspects are guidelines rather than strict rules. Personal interpretation and subjective feelings also play a significant role in appreciating art. Different people might value different aspects more heavily.

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When drawing a portrait that is neither caricature nor photo-realism, the key is for the artist to capture what makes the subject stand out and articulate them in lines that is congruent to the artist’s style. This is what make portrait art worthwhile and yet not comical. Otherwise, you might as well just frame your photograph!

Here is what went well in this rendition and what didn’t so much:

Pro

• what stands out are the sharp features of the eyebrow-framed eyes, nose, and cheekbones. The art captured it pretty accurately, giving you the right “feel”.
• The artist changed the angle of the head ever-so-slightly, with his eyes gazing directly at you. I think that is a more emotional choice.

Con

• The shape of the eye is just every so slightly different than the real ones, thus giving the viewer a sense that it lacks accuracy. The eyes, mouth, and shape of head are the most important to get accurate.
• Since the drawing is black and white, contrast is very important. there is a lack of contrast, which makes the art one dimensional looking.
• The ears look like an afterthought. It is correct to not put much details into it so as to not distract the face, but if you choose to do that then make lean all the way in.

Rating: 6/10

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The love of the Big Mac is an enduring affair that transcends generations and borders. This artist decided to pursue said passion of this iconic burger with a watercolor of how his perception of the perfect sandwich. Its secret sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions are what makes a Big Mac great, but the author added tomatoes and removed sesame seeds so it’s more to her liking!

Here are the pros and cons of this artwork:

Pro

• This art depicts good depth and color choice, creating focus.
• The slight caricature nature of this piece of art makes it unique and more interesting than hyperrealism.

Con

• The watercolor shading on the tomoato is too gray. Shading needs to look more like a shading whereas this “shading” looks more like the tomato is rotting. I highly doubt the artist did this on purpose.

Rating: 7/10

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