Making Faces

Hello All -

Hope you are all well, wearing masks, washing hands, and getting your vaccine jabs, etc., so that we can all actually meet face-to-face when it is safe for us all.  It is times like these when I wish I could be standing in front of a classroom full of a couple hundred students. I understand that the young and uneducated are refusing to get vaccinated. So I could say "OK, you are mostly young, and your presence here indicates at least the intention to become educated. So for those of you who are thinking about refusing to be vaccinated let me quote one of my favorite grad school professors - 'Have you checked your brain at the door?' You are at a university, one known primarily for science and research. Believe the overwhelming research, roll up your sleeve and get jabbed. That is the shortest route to the bars on Hillsborough street without endangering your friends."

But for the most part y'all on the wall aren't so much as in a college classroom as you are trying to remember what it was like to be in college classroom (- : !  So let us get on to today's real topic: Making Faces!  You have seen some of the current versions, so I thought I would give you a "Behind the Scenes" look at the most recent version of the Faces, as I may be shifting gears soon.

Like the majority of my drawings that are not based on photographs, Faces start with a blank sheet of paper - in this case 14x17 98 lb. I usually start with the eyes since that is where my own eyes are drawn when I look at faces. As you may have noticed the eyes on my recent face seem somehow angry. That is not intentional, nor is it the only kind of face I draw.  Here is an example of a friendlier face:

However, this version did start out with some more of those more angry faces:

Which led to the “in progress” images

And the final image below:

What I am interested in right know is experimenting with a series of eyes that can express more positive emotions!