A face of course

There were lots of nice suggestions for what to go in the frame over on Instagram. I'd fancied doing a self portrait, but I work in this book mainly in the evenings and when I looked in the mirror, I looked like death, which, while it could have been quite fitting with the symbolism of the poppies, I decided was too grim.

So I worked from an old photo of Amelie. The photo doesn't look like her face now, they change so fast, and my drawing looks neither like the photo or the child. Likeness is such an evasive thing. A few tiny mistakes, and in the cold light of day I can see plenty, throw a likeness out completely. I'm not using an eraser and trying to work quite quickly. Anyway, it's a pretty face, even if it verges on being a bit twee.

Anyway, the main lesson learned is not to do the frame first. I think it made me be a bit tight with the drawing.

Much prefer the second drawing I did of her which is from a more recent photo. 

More on this page next time.

Back soon,

Laura

xx