Drawing ELVIS...a quick peek at a WIP (Work in Progress)

I am no pro! How I draw is by no means the RIGHT way! But I do often get folks asking me how I do it. So here's a quick look at my most recent drawing of Elvis and how I did it, right or wrong!

I start with the facial features. I don't always start left and work right as we are often told we should. I want to do the eyes, nose, and mouth first. If, after doing those, they don't look like who I'm trying to draw...I'm gonna bail on it!

I use an HB pencil for skin tones. I've been told I should only use 3B or higher but I don't wanna! And I do it in layers; lay down graphite, blend, repeat.

Here...I have completed the features and they DO resemble The King..so at this point I move on to the HAIR.

Once I'm sure my face is looking like it should, I start on the dark areas. I'm funny about the darks. I want it DARK. I tend to be heavy handed on the black areas and have to make myself slow down and get it solid without indenting the paper by applying too much pressure. I was also told to use 3B for darks and layer it, but I don't do that either! I use an 8B for them. I TRY to keep the strokes even and consistent. I don't always accomplish that though..I get impatient just coloring and coloring a dark area. I'm getting better though!

No really, I am.

I also never blend the darks. It removes too much graphite and lightens my area so what I lay down on that paper for a black area stays there just as it is!

When I think I'm just about finished with my Elvis drawing, I will prop the drawing up across the room and sit on the couch and check if anything looks funny to me.

I always find SOMETHING.

So I hop up, grab the drawing and fix it...then set the drawing back across the room to look at some more...and repeat the "hop & fix" process over and over until my son or mom or someone tells me to stop it!

And then my ELVIS portrait is finished!