Reflection on My Drawing Journey

Drawing has been something that I have been working on since I was a very little child. I have always loved to draw people, and it was something that I could use to take my stress out on and expand upon on my ever-developing creativity. But ever since school became a bigger and bigger priority in my academic life, the time dedicated to my drawing became smaller and smaller, until all that it consisted of became simple doodles on the side of by notes I took in class. I was glad to take advantage of this project to rediscover my passion in art after setting it aside for several years. Although my portraits were freestyle and simple, I still found joy and improvement in drawing for those few minutes I spent on sketching across my notebook (instead of writing physics equation on there for a change.) This blog made me realize that even though I don't have as much time of the day as I used to, I should still take a short break every once in a while to find my inner peace and illustrate the thoughts on my mind into art. Although the project has come to an end, my love for doodling will stay with me. Perhaps I will start another blog to keep track of my artistic progress over the years in the future. :) 

Grace Kelly

Portrait #9

      I'm really into vintage Hollywood themes. It is so elegant and timeless. When I was little, I used to dream about wearing a big hat and oversized sunglasses, strutting down the street as the paparazzi shout my name (I still think about it at times, haha.) I think this is my first cartoony entry in my blog. Drawing realistically is fun, but sometimes I like to just sketch something quick and effortless. I think the fashion of the 1920's is something that will never go away. The trend nowadays is cool, but the old times just have a higher sense of class and mysteriousness. 

Marilyn Monroe

Portrait #8

      I like to draw women with glamour, and Marilyn Monroe was one of the most celebrated figures in 19th-cemtury American cinema. She has such an iconic look, like her sleepy-looking eyes and thin, arched brows (not to mention the infamous beauty mark). As always, the nose was a struggle. Her eyes were challenging as well, but I think they turned out okay in the end (the emphasis in the crevices of her eyelids paid off). I always find it the hardest to proportion the facial features out evenly, but I'm glad that my portrait is recognizable as Marilyn at least.  

Marie Antoinette

Portrait #6

      I've always been fascinated by the style of the French noblewomen, especially that of Marie Antoinette. I also missed drawing freestyle after drawing five reference portraits in a row. I haven't drawn a sideview portrait in a while, and I also wanted to draw something antique and fancy (with lots of laces and frills). I think I did a pretty good job with her nose. I think that next time, I have to focus on proportions, since I couldn't even fit her whole head on the paper.  

Steve Jobs

Portrait #5

      Last night, my mom and I went to the movie theater to watch "Steve Jobs." I was really touched by the movie, and I read all about his life that night. The movie inspired me to draw his portrait. This is the best hand that I have realistically drawn so far, and I hope I improve even more. Even though my portrait makes him look much older (almost like Santa Claus) and angrier, I'm still proud of that hand I drew. 

Sharbat

Portrait #4

      I think this one is my favorite out of the four portraits I've drawn so far. This is a portrait of the the infamous "Afghan Girl" (her name was later revealed to be Sharbat, over a decade after the photograph was taken) from the 1985 National Geographic cover. Her striking green eyes captivated my heart, and I think that's why I chose to draw her face. My drawing makes her look a lot older than her face in the photograph (and her lips do not line up with her nose, I noticed), but I still had fun drawing her because I had never drawn an Afghan girl before, not to mention the blemished skin and tattered clothing. It amazed me how a girl could look so beautiful in imperfect skin and ragged fabric. 

   

John Tyler

Portrait #3

      This is awkward because I actually tried to draw Dylan O'Brien, but he ended up looking more like John Tyler. He doesn't even seem too close to John Tyler since I was initially drawing Dylan O'Brien's brows, nose, and lips. This was interesting since I don't normally draw anything other than white females. I feel that if I ever end up drawing men, I make very thick brows. And I've never drawn any pictures from the 1800's, so this was all very new to me.