29 Faces Art Challenge Faces # 1 & 2

When I look through my sketch books, there seem to be two things that I unconsciously draw most often: trees and faces.

In my search to find inspiration for sketching, I came across the "29 Faces Art Challenge" hosted by Ayala Art. In honor of leap year, you are challenged to draw 29 faces during the month of February. The rules are simple: you draw any kind of face or facial feature, be it animal or human, and with any type of medium. Exactly the kind of challenge that I need.: )  While I have no illusions that I will actually be able to draw 29 faces, I'll have fun trying and stretch myself in the process.

Face # 1

For those interested in the creative process, I'll share how I ended up with this lovely lady. This is a mixed media work with watercolor, charcoal and chalk pastels. I seem unable to work with just one medium.: ) 

First, I started with a watercolor wash of red and yellow. Then, I add some sea salt in various places to create a crystal sort of effect.

Then, I sketched a woman from an internet photo, which I modified to avoid any potential copyright issues.

Next, I transferred the basic outline of my sketch into my spiral-bound sketchbook using a simple technique that I will share in a later post. I then began to fill in face, neck and shoulders with a brown watercolor wash. I added skin tones, hair and details with a charcoal pencil and chalk pastels. 

My 10-year-old son, who participated in "Sketchy Sunday" with me, also got excited about the project and made a quick self-portrait. It was awesome to see him looking in the mirror at himself and then sketching. Maybe between the two of us, we'll get 29 faces!

Face #2