I’m back, baby.

I haven’t drawn seriously in a really long time. But I started a few weeks ago, while sitting around watching TV. Then I got a bit more serious, and set up this rad desk I got from my neighbor and cleared out a space in the playroom for myself. And now I work here, too.

And I’m not a portraitist by training or aptitude, or at least that’s what I’ve just always felt. I get very, very nervous drawing people I know. It doesn’t really turn out, then I feel guilty.

But I was feeling at loose ends because I began sleeping a little bit better, and I felt like I had a bit more time in each day. And I got super jealous of my friend’s amazing skill at watercolor, and I thought, “if I want to catch up, I better get back on the horse!”

I watched some videos online on portraiture, and that kind of got me feeling excited about drawing more. I was looking for a picture with very strong shadow, and I would have preferred a three-quarter view (fewer ears), but when I got to this one, I knew it was that one. It’s one I really love of Bob and Grant. And yes, it has a lot of ears. And noses – I’m not good at noses. They’re exceptionally hard. And Grant’s face has a big shadow on it. And lots of random facial hair on Bob (which did not make it to the final cut, sorry babe).

Grant had just had a bath, so he had wet hair – which I do not have experience with, particularly. Also, I really prefer to paint, but I’m not quite there yet. I do like drawing, don’t get me wrong. I just always felt like my strength was in painting. But I think that is probably a limiting belief I’ve held unnecessarily.

I lightened up the shadows considerably, which I always kind of do and probably something I need to be more aware of. I can always go back in and darken the whole thing up a few degrees, but I am pretty proud of it.

I must be really rusty, because I did Bob’s eyes first, and Grant’s eyes last in their respective faces, and wow. Scared myself a little.

Also, let the record show that Bob has two different ears. I didn’t fuck them up – they look like that. And Grant inherited having cockeyed ears (and so did Henry, not pictured).

So maybe I do portraits now! It was certainly a lot of fun.