Painting people, learning portraiture 3

Self drawing - focus on tones

I have completed my pre-course assignment by going back to a more tonal approach for this self portrait drawing.  In a sense it feels more like a painting, made with a 2B pencil, rather than a drawing, because of the coverage of the paper and the sculptural quality of the head.

I like the strength and even drama of the image along with the intensity of gaze that comes over loud and clear.  What I have not got right is the balance between the strength of the image and the sensitivity of drawing.  Whilst that balance feels reasonable across the picture as a whole, it seems slightly less balanced in some places, giving a slightly uneven finish.

I realise, after the fact, that the line work on the left and right sides of the face is not always consistent, giving the impression of more distortion than might have been.  This is an interesting to take on board because of the choices it offers; mirroring the marking will increase the impression of harmony while breaking that similarity of treatment that can create more tension.

I really enjoy this type of drawing because of the energy that goes into the mark making,  I suppose putting oneself in the image, in a much more direct way than in the line drawings.  Having said that I do like the spacious and open quality that comes with the purely linear drawings and the implication of little or no difference between object and surroundings.