Graphite Self Portrait

The assignment for this project was to draw a self-portrait as realistically as possible just using graphite pencils.

I used various graphite pencils, the pencil I used most was a 2H pencil. I also used blending tools.

My process for this piece was quite straightforward, I started with the hair pretty much using the same process for each square and using an eraser for highlights, and using darker pencils for shadows. I went through many challenges with this work, the first one was I had to figure out how to use blending materials to blend different shades within my portrait. Another challenge I had with this project was the facial features, mostly the eyes and nose, this is because I was never very good at drawing facial features, and matching the values and shapes of these features was difficult for me.