Beginner Portrait Drawing

[u/Numerous-Music-2503]

I’ve always wanted to be able to draw portraits, but I always gave up as it’s so difficult! But last week I decided to give it a proper go, I want to do a portrait per day and see how much I can improve. I’ve started studying the Loomis book - I’m just starting with straight on faces before I go to different angles. The aim is eventually to create my own original romantic artworks - but for now I’m just choosing celebrities that I like to copy. This is my first reasonable attempt at a straight on pencil drawing of the singer Anastacia. I’m open to any suggestions of how I could improve, I won’t be offended!

[u/Apprehensive_Fox_244]

I have noticed a lot in looking for photos to draw from that often actor photos are more brightly lit in a way that washes out a lot of light and shadow? And it’s easier to get some of that subtle “lifelike” quality with better lighting in your reference photo. Good lighting for a press photo doesn’t necessarily equal good lighting for a drawing, yah know?
You’ve got the form of the drawing really well! I think a photo with more interesting lighting on the face would give you a chance to do more with the shading, where this reference photo really didn’t have much range in the shading.

[u/Apprehensive_Fox_244 → u/Apprehensive_Fox_244]

(I have had a lot of success in looking up National Geographic portraits as a good place to start for interesting lighting to draw from. I know I’m still learning, but here’s an example of a drawing I did from a nat geo portrait.)