Studying faces

One thing leads to another. As I was sketching in pencil and three-dimensionally in clay, trying to develop a small but clear Madonna and Child image suitable for a ring or pendant, I felt I needed to better understand the structure of faces. Looking for quick help online I came upon some very good free how-to-draw videos  at Proko.com. Lucy and I have been going through them together, and I've been surprised at how much I've forgotten and how much more I never learned. The videos are very well-produced and professional, unlike other free drawing videos I looked at. The material is presented in an "entertaining" way I could do without, though. The real content is interesting enough for me.

I've also been collecting reference pictures to practice sketching. Here are some of my favorites.

This silverpoint drawing by Leonardo da Vinci is possibly the most beautiful drawing of a woman's head ever. (from WikiArt.org)

Another Leonardo head, this time in charcoal and chalk. (from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.)

I really love these sketches by John Singer Sargent.

They were studies for this painting. I read once that he worked on it for a few minutes every day. He would play croquet with the girls and their family in the late afternoon, but as soon as the early evening light was just right he would hurry to to the painting. (from The Tate Museum).

I'm having trouble with my camera. When I (or, more likely, my older son) solves the problem I'll share some of my own sketches. I'm trying to draw heads, faces and figures every evening not long before going to bed because I heard that makes you learn more quickly--something about the way the brain consolidates information while sleeping.