Life Drawing Face

Looking Down, pastel, copyright 2011

As the kid's school activities are winding down, there has been time to get to a few Life Drawing sessions at the Preble Fine Arts Center.  I've been missing these, I really feel like I get a lot out of them.   It is both easier and more challenging to work from life, and definitely easier than looking in the mirror.

This is the first time I decided to focus solely on the model's face.  It was a difficult angle to capture well, but it was a challenge that couldn't go unanswered.  It seemed to be working pretty well, but when I got it home my husband pointed out that she looked like a much older woman.  He was right, and the problem lay in my making the face, and therefore the nose, far too long.  I needed to compensate for the angle by shortening the face.  After a lot of reworking, I think the angle is about right, although it needs additional work in other areas.  

And I might as well admit, I had to "cheat" by looking in the mirror.  So while it looks like neither the model nor me, at least it looks like it could be someone.