Address
304 North Cardinal
St. Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Work Hours
Monday to Friday: 7AM - 7PM
Weekend: 10AM - 5PM
Face Sketching Practice – Girl with Glasses
An artist's spontaneous portrait sketching process, from capturing proportions to digital comparison techniques. A real-world example of practicing observational drawing skills.
While watching YouTube yesterday, I noticed something captivating about one of the content creators’ faces. Without thinking twice, I grabbed my sketchbook and started drawing. It was one of those magical moments that make me understand why artists love people-watching – sometimes a face just speaks to us and demands to be drawn.
I paused the video and began sketching freehand, deliberately avoiding measurements to practice my eye for proportions. Starting with the basic face shape, I focused on width-to-height ratio before mapping out the key features – eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips. The glasses and hair came next. Though I noticed the right side of the glasses ended up slightly smaller than the left, even after adjustments.
One of my favorite techniques is comparing the sketch to the reference photo digitally. I snap a photo of my drawing, open it in Photoshop, and overlay it on the original. Using blue guides to check vertical spacing, I was pleased to find the proportions matched well!
While my version shows a rounder face and the subject appears older than in the reference, I’m satisfied with capturing some likeness. There’s always something to learn from each sketch.
As a side note, the video I was watching: how (& why) to start a commonplace book.