Proportions matter

Pay attention to how the adjustments to his facial proportions change the overall feel of not just his face, but his entire appearance.

Smaller facial proportions (size of the eyes, nose and mouth) vs the overall size of the head gives the impression of a larger skull and ultimately a bigger figure.

A baby has a bigger eye to skull ratio for example, but a tiny nose and mouth.

This is JUST ONE of many artistic principles that can be studied for months, years, or even a lifetime.

When people ask me to teach them how to draw, it’s of course an honor. I’m humbled that they see my work as strong enough to be able to educate them.

But often times they don’t really want to learn. They just want to get a couple tips that they think will enable them to be way better without much effort.

When I tell them to draw the same arm 100 times in a week, their eyes glaze over. When I tell them to practice drawing their basic shapes in 3 dimensions, they quickly ask, “but how do I get better at poses?”. When I tell them to study light and shadow, they ask, “can you just tell me where to put the lines?”

I CAN’T count how many people have asked me how to get better at drawing.

I CAN count how many have actually listened.