Drawing a Beauty

Drawing women has always been what I enjoyed most about drawing in the first place, and when I think about it, in the last place too. Unlike drawing any other form, drawing a woman is most rewarding and intriguing. There are many all too known curves yet each woman has her own unique curve which is what I take great pleasure from drawing women. It is often said as Plato once said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, I believe that all women are beautiful, it is just that many do not see the beauty that lies in perhaps the delicate structure of their hands or the more recognized and acclaimed tilt of her eyes. Whether it be a perfectly sculpted head or the mischievous canine tooth that peeks out every time she begins to smile, beauty is abundant in all female form, whether it is noted or not.

Since my early teen years I have been enthralled with the female body and have been scrutinized on many occasions for taking such an odd interest in the female form. Nevertheless, I never let my desire to draw women in particular die, as I believe them to be the truest form of beauty if any ever existed.

In the beginning, I used to struggle to capture on paper what I could visually see but did not quite make it as you will be able to judge for yourself if you look at My Sketch Collection. However, I continued to pursue my hobby and believe that I have somewhat improved. I believe that the key to drawing women, is not the control over one’s hand, rather one’s observance power. Observing the subject of the drawing is the most important thing in order to get anywhere near the end result you desire. In order to draw a woman, let go of your inhibitions and your own idea of where the eye should be located or the lips should be given a curve since each and every woman is different though they all share the same features like eyes, nose, ears, etc.

Recently I have finished drawing a picture of Eva Green from the movie Casino Royale and learnt an already learnt lesson (but of course forgotten) of observing and letting go of my own idea of the positioning of certain features of a female form. If you observe the first photograph of my drawing in progress you will see that the woman looks rather like a Disney princess and although there seems to be nothing wrong with the face of the girl, she does not resemble Eva Green in any way. At this stage I made the mistake of presuming that the position of her visible eye and ear should be where I drew them. But of course, after much observation of the original photograph of miss Green I realized that the flaw laid with ears as I had placed them too high and the eye too close to the nose.

Lesson to be learnt and remembered in drawing is to be patient when observing the position of each and every tiny detail, letting the eyes and mind absorb the subject of the drawing before letting it out through the smooth strokes of the pencil. Be patient and the drawing is likely to come out just wonderful!