Mike

Wow. What a challenge. This is something very different for me.

Back in summer of 2010, Mike challenged me to draw his portrait. I laid down the grid and started the sketch then, but didn't get any further than that. The original plan was to complete this with colored pencils, but I just couldn't motivate myself. I was intimidated and didn't really want to move out of my comfort zone. Recently, I discovered Sabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils. I decided that it might be fun to finish the portrait with these. And it was a lot of fun. But it was also a huge challenge. Finishing this portrait has done a lot for my confidence and shown me that I am capable of working in various mediums and accurately portraying different subjects.

As far as the outcome goes...I'm quite pleased. There are a lot of things I really like and a lot of things that I'm not happy with. But I think much of that has to do with experience. I wish I had settled on the background before starting with his face and hair. I was unable to darken it completely when I decided that I didn't like how light it was. I think the skin tone and shirt could use more contrast. The eyes are shiny enough. On the other hand, I really love how his hair and ears turned out. I'm fairly happy with his mouth and teeth, and the overall shape of the shirt turned out alright.

I welcome any comments, constructive critiques, and advice that pertains to portraits and pastels/pastel pencils. My hope is to become more adept with this medium and perhaps with portrait drawing as well. It would be fun to draw some of my favorite Penguins players.

And, you can visit Mike's account and read some of his poetry here: ~iPenguin67
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Image copyright Ashley Mutek.
Sabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils and Faber-Castell pastel sticks on Bristol board (8" x 10").
January 25, 2012.