Eyes Full Of Life

I’m really enjoying the 10 minute head sketches from photos I’ve been doing recently. As well as helping me to practice accurate speed sketching, my chosen subject, elderly women, is fascinating. I look forward each evening to exploring the heads I find on Google, they are so full of character and experience. This elder woman has extraordinary eyes, so full of life. She is beautiful.

I drew her with graphite, white and black conté crayon into my hardbacked A4 sketchbook that I prepared with ripped brown parcel paper, stuck in with Pritt stick. I always use Pritt because it doesn’t buckle the paper and it stays stuck. Cheaper versions don’t. The brown paper gives me a mid-tone ground over which I apply highlights and lowlights which is quite dramatic. It also gives a good texture when I rub my conté over it.