A friend commented only a few days on how much I progressed in the past few years. Which is rather apparent in my rendering of the same subject from when I first began working seriously to only a short while ago.
Typical Problems
1. The base of the iris rest on the lower lid, instead of being partially covered. The eyes are set wide. Contour lines completely surround eyes, as though he were wearing eyeliner.
2. Mouth is drawn by contour lines, Facial hair does not reach lip. Upper and lower lip have identical shading
3. Hair is indicated by individual lines where tonal mass is suitable, as a result highlights are lost.
4. Nose is shaded incorrectly under nostrils and at the tip cause it to lose its shape and appear flat.
5. Forehead appears to large due to hair being place directly on top of head rather than overlapping part of the head and not having any deep shading or highlights.
6. Lack of shading causes eyes to lose depth. for all shadows tonal values are not pushed.
Solutions
1 Avoid contour lines by changing the skin tone of the lid around the eye as shadows require. The iris is partially covered by the upper and lower lids. The eyes are set correctly (most eyes are set approximately one eye length apart.)
2. Mouth is shaped without contour lines. Facial hair reaches all the way to the lip. The individual shapes of the upper and lower lips can be seen due to differences in shading.
3. Shape of the hair is indicated by masses of dark or light tone with a few visible strands of flyaway hairs.
4. More shading under the nose gives it depth, Because of the very smooth nature of the nose, more detailed shines the presence of reflected lights and deeper shadows are called for to give it a three dimensional appearance.
5. Forehead is correctly sized due to hair mass overlapping the length of the head. Forehead is better rounded due to receiving more attention in shading having both low lights and highlights.
6. Eyes appear set in head rather the placed on top of the face. Deeper shadows indicate sockets and curvature of eyes.
Lastly Practice Practice Practice, the more frequently you draw the easier it will be for your hands to interpret what you see.
Best wishes
-Frances