Any artists out there?

[GirlsHuntToo]

Thank you! And yes please!!! Suggestions are so welcome! She has blonde hair, not light bleach blonde but not really dark blonde, kind of a strawberry blonde shade that looks gold in the sun, I think I could definitely darken it though to add some contrast!

I used a 2H graphite pencil for the entire drawing except for a few shaded areas with an HB. I'm sometimes hesitant to use a softer B pencil for drawings as they aren't as forgiving if you need to erase anything, but I'm definitely going to bring out my B pencils for this! I agree on the neck lines, as it would give it a more natural shadow. (I'm used to hard shadows on cartoon characters so my blending is not the best! ) And softer shading makes sense for realism.

I thought something looked off with her nose, and I think your advice will fix it! I'll add a shadow above her nostrils to contour it. Thanks! The eyes are my favorite part to draw. I was worried the placement of the hair highlights were off, as I sometimes struggle with the placement of highlights and shadows, as my friend is no longer sitting in front of me as a reference.

I truly appreciate the constructive criticism! Here are most of the pencils I use for my drawings, the Faber-Castells are my favorites and I have a few more not included in the photo.

Try blending the lines before erasing them.
Try Fabre Castells goldfaber collection.
And I use that white thing - it feels like tissue paper rapped up for blending and smudging .

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Yes! That's Jason Aldean alright! He's from Macon GA, and my brother and sister-in-law live in Alan Jackson's hometown of Newnan! It's truly a wonderful state with a beautiful countryside and I love living here! It's definitely worth visiting. I hope you hear something back!

So it looks like Jason to u? I’m going to his concert in January, and I cant wait.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

I used a 2H graphite pencil for the entire drawing except for a few shaded areas with an HB. I'm sometimes hesitant to use a softer B pencil for drawings as they aren't as forgiving if you need to erase anything, but I'm definitely going to bring out my B pencils for this!

The darker you can go with some shadows the more it makes your highlights stand out, which can really improve your picture.
Honestly if you're "scared" of the softer pencils. Try only using them for a bit! I actually rarely go harder than a HB unless I'm working on highlights or something. The more you use them the more comfortable you'll get and you'll also figure out how you use them best too.
This is a drawing I did recently that if I remember correctly was mostly only one pencil, I'm not sure what number it is because it's only labelled "soft".

 

[DaisyBuff]

Try blending the lines before erasing them.
Try Fabre Castells goldfaber collection.
And I use that white thing - it feels like tissue paper rapped up for blending and smudging .

Thanks for the advice! And I love blending stumps and tortillons, these are the ones I used for my drawing. And also- I applied your feedback! It looks much better!

 

[DaisyBuff]

So it looks like Jason to u? I’m going to his concert in January, and I cant wait.

It does! Excellent depiction, and that sounds fun!

The darker you can go with some shadows the more it makes your highlights stand out, which can really improve your picture.
Honestly if you're "scared" of the softer pencils. Try only using them for a bit! I actually rarely go harder than a HB unless I'm working on highlights or something. The more you use them the more comfortable you'll get and you'll also figure out how you use them best too.
This is a drawing I did recently that if I remember correctly was mostly only one pencil, I'm not sure what number it is because it's only labelled "soft".
View attachment 4250281

Thanks so much for the tips. What a beautiful owl! I experimented with some blending techniques today, and I feel like I am on the road to improvement. The darker tones of the softer B pencils do contrast more with light paper to emphasize the highlights as I've begun to notice! It's funny, I went from mostly painting to now mostly drawing (both traditional and digital). My boyfriend bought me an art set to experiment with and I'm loving it! Quick and much less messy than bringing out the acrylic paints and brushes, water, and numerous mixing palettes.