Is my husband a good sport? Um, yes he is. For one week he let me completely mangle his face on paper. This is definitely one of the hardest weeks to post.  I think my husband is pretty handsome in real life, but then I look at my interpretations of him and I’m like, “Yuck, is that what I really think of him?”  I’ll give them to you in chronological order so that you can understand my frustration.

Lying-in-Uncomplimentary-Position-Matt:

March 5, 4B Pencil in Sketchbook

This was taken from Matt as a live model.  Can I help it if he decided to prop his head up with a pillow and give himself a double chin?

Weird, Sad Primate Matt:

March 6

This was my first earnest effort, drawn from a picture of a very tired Matt in Gibraltar after a day of hard core touring.  I worked and reworked and reworked this one, then got to the point where I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what.  So I stopped there in hopes that my next try would be better.  It was.  Slightly.

Way-Too-Big-Eyes Matt:

March 7

To draw this, I used the same photo as the sketch above, but this time, I used the straighten feature in Mac to cast a grid over the photo.  I then sketched a grid on my paper to use as a guide and help me with proportions.  It wasn’t until after I finished it that I realized the grid on my computer was rectangular and the grid on my paper was square.  Thus, the slightly scrunched face.

12-Year-Old-Cartoon Matt:

March 8

This was my best attempt I think.  Can’t figure out why it looks to cartoony though.  And why does he look so young?  Matt’s comment, “You got William’s eyebrows right!”

Awkward Teenage And Slightly Cross-Eyed Matt:

March 10

I abandoned the grid method this round and sorely regretted it.

Teeth-Are-Impossible Matt:

March 11

I wanted to go out this week with a bang, so I re-employed the grid method and chose a smiling photo.  So as you can imagine, I am a little disappointed.  Teeth are harder to draw than fingernails.  I don’t get it.  They should be completely uncomplicated.  And I think I made Matt’s eyes too big again.  Why is this so hard?

To make me feel better about life, I painted a watercolor of tulips in my kitchen.  It didn’t make me feel better, but I think I’ll be moving on from sketching portraits at the moment.  I need a win under my belt, so be on the lookout for that.

March 10