Today we started working on drawing the human head.

We continued using the same process as before, first choosing a height for our drawing, then figuring out an appropriate width by visually measuring the model’s width relative to its height.

This is always very difficult for me and takes a long time, though it seems that I’m at least getting better in my final choices. My analysis photo at the bottom below shows that I made my base a little too wide and face both too tall and too wide (neck too short and forehead too tall).

The feedback I got during class, however, centered around my process and failure to effectively apply shading. As always, some of the “correct” looking lines on my sketch were applied by the instructor attempting to explain.

It seems to me that, whenever I attempt to follow her instructions after she gives a critique, the next time she comes around she complains that I’ve done whatever she suggested wrong (again) or I’ve done something else wrong, although often it’s in an area that I don’t really feel that I’ve given my full attention yet.

This is, of course, quite discouraging. I usually leave class in the evening dragging my heart behind me, because I don’t feel like I’ve done anything right.

Sigh.

The worst is that I do sense that she’s teaching valuable lessons. I’m just failing to learn them.