The bakery owner who taught me a better way to sketch faces

I was sitting at a little bakery downtown called The Sour Spot, doodling while I waited for my coffee. The owner came over and glanced at my sketch, then told me I was starting with the eyes and that was making everything lopsided. She said to block out the whole head shape first, then place features like puzzle pieces. I tried her method on a napkin right there and the person actually looked like a person for once. Been doing it that way for a week now and my quick doodles come out way better. Has anyone else had a random stranger give you a tip that totally changed your drawing?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscar74311d ago

That's a solid tip. Random advice from strangers can be gold when it clicks like that.

cameronf8811d ago

Wait, you actually like getting unsolicited advice from strangers? Half the time when some random person at a bus stop starts giving me "tips" I'm just trying to ignore them and get where I'm going. @oscar743 you must have way more patience than me because I'd be too busy wondering if they're about to ask for money to actually listen to their drawing suggestions.

the_anthony11d ago

3 buses and a train later I still think about the time a guy at a bus stop told me to stop trying to draw perfect lines and just let my hand be loose. I was doing those tight little controlled strokes and everything looked stiff and dead. He showed me his own sketchbook where every line was kind of wobbly and relaxed but the whole thing had way more life than anything I ever made. Took me months to really unlearn that tight grip but now my sketches actually have some energy to them.