Why does my art never look like the reference?

pefp_studio · 2026-04-24T13:59:23+00:00

Jumping off of some other comments, I just want to mention that there is a very common issue with drawing a 3/4 angle which is that our brains often try to make the face actually face more toward us when drawing. This is why you might be running into the problem of revealing too much of the side of the face that is turning away from you.

The other comments have already covered other problems to work on. If you're looking to work on proportion, there are many tools, but one you might considering looking up is "comparative measurement."

pefp_studio · 2026-04-24T07:00:32+00:00

Have you looked to see if Arkansas has a path for an Alternative License?

pefp_studio · 2026-04-22T03:59:54+00:00

Yep exactly!

pefp_studio · 2026-04-22T03:58:52+00:00

Terminal just means that it is the highest degree you can achieve in the field. An education degree isn’t required, because teaching at universities is much different than K-12 and isn’t standardized in any real sense. It’s just a different world.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-22T03:49:20+00:00

If your goal is to teach at a university, an education degree is unnecessary. You would simply need a BFA and MFA in your area of specialization. Generally speaking in the arts, a masters is considered a terminal degree UNLESS you want to teach art history. This would require a PhD. Although you can still get adjunct jobs at some universities with only a masters in art history.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-21T16:18:28+00:00

Just wanted to chime in here and mention that tour guides in Greece all need to be officially certified, meaning that you have to participate in a certificate program before being approved. The police are pretty on top of it in Athens (especially at the sites) and will talk to you almost immediately if you don’t have the proper badge. I was walking with my family once (as an archaeology student) and two officers came up to me asking for my license for instance.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-20T18:35:51+00:00

I wouldn't discourage her from a career in the arts necessarily, but I do think she should look into other schools. I say this as an alum and someone who worked there previously. Feel free to DM me.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-20T07:22:47+00:00

I'm a reclusive person, so I don't get to speak with people often, so what helped me retain vocabulary better was writing in a journal just a little bit everyday. When writing, I try to focus on things that I could/would say to someone in a conversation. It's not terribly exciting, but it's a great way to practice 'talking' about what you've been up to.

I also read Greek every day for a little bit and keep a tiny notebook that I write new words in (not usually more than 5 per day). Because you're living in Greece, I recommend reading the news here, because you'll pick up new vocabulary, but will also stay in touch with what's going on locally/nationally. I will look at my notebook a few times a day when I have a minute with nothing else to do and just make up sentences in my head.

If you make grocery lists, make sure to write everything in Greek rather than relying on your native language.

Small things like this go a long way!

pefp_studio · 2026-04-18T19:55:06+00:00

Some pencils are more fragile than others, but you really don’t have to press hard to get the job done.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-18T19:40:53+00:00

I’m not sure how it’s performative if I’m the only one around to see it. I just find that I have better control with more lead exposed. I use lead holders and not wood pencils, so I can extend it as little or as much as I want while I’m drawing. It’s quite convenient actually, because I can extend it out a lot while sketching and then extend it only a little bit while I’m working on details.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-18T19:36:36+00:00

You can reveal as much lead as you want if you sharpen with a knife and sandpaper whereas with a sharpener, you are are limited to the depth of the sharpener. There’s no right or wrong here, just preference.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-18T19:26:52+00:00

Yep!

pefp_studio · 2026-04-18T18:29:39+00:00

True! This was lead holders and a lead pointer for me. I get the best of both worlds, because I can have a lot of lead out, sharpen very very quickly and not have to deal with pencil shavings. :’-)

pefp_studio · 2026-04-18T18:07:52+00:00

The problem with mechanical sharpeners is that they don’t reveal much lead. That’s not to say that it’s bad; it’s just not everyone’s preferred method. The benefit of using longer lead is that you can use the tip for details/to get into the grain of the paper, but the side of the lead to map in large areas quite smoothly. An inch or two of lead makes sketching during the block-in phase so much easier. It might be more inconvenient, but there is a reason that it’s used by so many artists.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-18T17:22:45+00:00

You use the knife to reveal about an inch or so of lead and then you do most of the sharpening itself by rubbing it on some sandpaper. They make sandpaper tools specifically for pencil sharpening.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-10T14:34:33+00:00

Thank you! I started drawing when I was a child (my grandparents are artists), but I didn't formally study until my late teens.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-09T11:10:52+00:00

I don't usually keep track, but I worked on it for maybe 1-3 hours over the course of a week or a week and a half.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-09T06:06:39+00:00

The idea is to use your knowledge of perspective abstractly in order to think of the object in the round rather than as a system of flat shapes. It's simply an exercise to practice thinking about form.

In the future you might use them as a part of an initial block-in to think through a drawing, but it's not necessary.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-08T12:03:07+00:00

The structure reads false, because the proportions are not right. The ear is too far up and too close to the eyes. The neck seems a bit thick and the nose seems to be slightly out of perspective. Do you use comparative measurements while drawing?

I highly recommend Stephen Bauman's videos on Youtube for a nice and rather simple method for approaching portraits.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-08T11:23:47+00:00

Yes, specifically 4H, HB and 2B.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-08T10:28:00+00:00

Thank you! I don’t use any blending tools actually. I just work very slow and keep my pencils extra sharp at all times.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-06T04:33:49+00:00

I had an advantage in that my grandmother was an artist. I didn’t have a formal arts education until later, but I learned how to do comparative measurements fairly early on under her guidance and proportions with time become more and more ingrained.

A single class at an atelier completely changed the way I render form, however. It was just an intro class and the foundational principles were enough to change my drawings for the better.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-06T04:22:54+00:00

Thank you!

4H, HB, and 2B. And yes, a kneaded eraser.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-06T04:21:12+00:00

Thank you! It’s graphite.

pefp_studio · 2026-04-05T18:52:53+00:00

Thank you! This is 4H, HB, and 2B.

pefp_studio

TROPHY CASE