Hi Pollypopcorn - apologies for "ghosting" your thread but I wanted to point out some of the good aspects of your drawing. I think the proportions of your drawing is not far off and I feel that you captured a likeness (which in my limited experience is two thirds of the battle, right!) I agree with the others: pencil is not ideal BUT there is some gorgeous work being done in pencil. For example if you look at Raymond Briggs' work, especially the animation based upon his books, you can get a good idea of what you can do with pencils. However, if you want to learn a tried and tested way of colour theory I reckon you shouldn't fight it you have to take the plunge and use paint (if it is too much of a jump just yet then may be start with some water soluble pencils). Yet you can still learn the fundamentals using pencil, ie, tonal values and form. BUT for me the main aspect of your drawing is you seem to have a developing sense drawing edges and thus a growing sense of the planes of the face. Do you know about these already? Were you thinking of these whilst drawing the image? I believe with a bit more experience you can exploit that. For example, along the bridge of the nose and around the arch of the eyebrows and sockets needed the same kind of attention as you used on the cheek and chin. My advise is to think about how light "flows" over the surface of an object and how it creates form as it flows across the different planes of an object/face. You don't have to do this only when drawing. Next time when it is a really sunny day or when you are in a single lit room look at how the light behaves and ask yourself how would draw the phenomena you are perceiving. I reckon you will start a habit of looking for clues that will help your drawing. Any way enough of me preaching good hunting and draw!

I can really see your growing confidence. I am going to start the gesture course soon - do you have any tips?

I think the rendering is really good. How did you do that? what materials did you use? The mood you have created is very evocative. I can imagine it from a Cindy Sherman image. The only thing that jars with me is the proportion on the forehead, is it too long? Any way really good effort. I really like it!

Good effort Elson. It is really hard to get everything convincing but I think you have had a good "innings" and had fun doing it. I have nothing different to say other than give you encouragement that I think you are on the right track. I say this coz I like your chunky manner to the drawing presented here and may be it could be something you could exploit. If I could be so bold and may be check the proportions in between the nose and chin? I only say this as this is also an area I have to practise with.