Ok first off this is the first I have ever done, so please if you dont understand the way I explain things then let me know and I will try to be clearer

This is how I work.

These are the things that you will need:


The paper that I am using for this picture is very smooth bristol board, your paper needs to be quite heavy and smooth because of the blending you will be doing.

First off find a photo that you like this one that I have chosen is my daughters friends daughter, she is such a cutie pie.

here she is :


Sketch out a copy of your chosen photo on paper. If you think you wont be able to get a likeness then print off a copy of your chosen photo and trace it onto your paper with a pale brown coloured pencil. I use a window to do this, simply put the copy behind your good paper and rest it on the window and very lightly trace around the outlines only.
I look at the picture and decide where the shadows are and with a light brown (sorry not using a well know brand using Steadler Ergosoft chalky leaded pencils). Very very lightly colour the darker parts of the face (you need to be really light here, no pressure just barely touching the surface of the paper, if you press too hard you will leave indents in the paper and this you will never get out later). Once you have done this take a tissue and gently in circular movements blend this very soft pencil.

here is an example:

I usually repeat this step with just a light brown several times again very lightly.

Now I want to add a little colour and build up the depth of the contours of her face. I have used a little purple and light blue for the shadows, a little orange red and rose for the cheeks, nose and forhead area and a little yellow that will bring out the highlights later.

Here is a pic with the colours that I have used so far:


The face is really lots and lots of very thin layers of colour gently blended with a tissue, you need to repeat over and over again until you have the desired depth.

I have now decided that I need to colour her eye's, again its the same process of very light pencil strokes, take alot of time over this because they need to look like your subject, keep your pencil leads sharp for this, and try to keep a small bit of white free for the light refelection.


Once I am happy with they eye, I begin to lift some of the blended colour with my kneadable rubber, you just have to dab at the paper in the areas you want to be light:

Keep working like this, add the other features and keep building colour for depth and removing it for the highlights.


Oh and before I forget, I have taken the hairline further back than it is in the photo, the reason for this is that small children have all that lovely fine downy hair that frames their faces and it is easier to draw the hair in after rather than try to get the skin tone to match up after.
This is the picture after about 8 hours (you really need to take your time to slowly and lightly build up colour)


OK, I have been busy trying to get this finished and I have just done it so here is the last section to this WIP:

So I have done the face and want to start colouring the hair. I always colour the hair in strokes that usually follow the wave of the hair starting from the root and working down to the tip. I lay several layers of dark brown, black, red brown and a golden yellow.

I also use my pencil rubber quite alot in the hair to add the highlights


I continue the same way and start to add and build colour to the sweater:
Now I have to add real depth to her clothing, you need lots of elbow grease here and lots of tissue, for every layer of blue I add I blend it quite hard :


And the finished result: