What makes a drawing look real?

 

I’m preparing for a drawing class. What to show and what to tell. And I’m going through my own drawings of the past two years, especially the ones from the Year of Daily Creating. I love seeing the series of faces of September 2015. I drew from 3D objects and from photos.

I drew from a wooden Buddha head at my sister’s house. I didn’t make a photo, so you’ll just have to imagine what it may have looked like. I drew three times. Looking and seeing, looking again, simplifying more and more, getting it into my system.

I drew in pencil, getting to know the shapes and planes of the head. I remember struggling with all the curls, how to put those in, loosing patience, moving on.

Then I drew the most important contours plus some lines in the face (below). I hadn’t planned a drawing session, I just pulled out my book and drew and tried several things. Didn’t think before starting. Again struggling, what to do with the curls?

Then I drew it a third time, making a quick drawing using a single line. I had to move on, at the same speed. Somehow I found a way to move on and simplify the curls, finally.

I think it’s interesting to see that the expression changed from a friendly face in the first to a rather stern one in the last drawing. Same statue, different interpretation. I hadn’t noticed that earlier.

I rather like the last one. Not perfect, but the lines are confident. It’s not particularly close to the original which was probably more rounded. The pencil one is more round, and probably more like the original, but tentative. It’s clear that I’m searching still. Ah, I like that about it after all.

What do you think?