In my previous two posts, I shared paintings inspired by movie scenes and some real-life scenarios. But one day, it suddenly hit me—sketching is the foundation of everything. I honestly felt a bit silly for overlooking that before. So I decided to embark on a 10-day journey into portrait sketching.
This process unfolded in several stages. It started when I stumbled upon a book at a bookstore: 人体结构原理与绘画教学 (Human Anatomy for Artists) by 肖玮春. That discovery completely blew my mind—it felt like an overdose of knowledge. The book was packed with structural analyses of limbs, movement, head shapes, and facial expressions. It almost read like a medical textbook. But it also made me realize something crucial: structure is the core of everything in drawing.
From there, I dove deeper and picked up a few more books, including 人体结构与动态绘制高效练习法：蒙小洛编著, 素描之道：高宗英著, The Eye of the Painter by Andrew Loomis. I also came across some podcasts and videos i found very interesting, including the draftsman podcast by Stan Prokopenko and Marshall Vandruff, a video series 局部: 陈丹青, these gave me inspiration and creative energy before i painted.
Here are a few key takeaways from the materials I explored:
From 素描之道: The content is genuinely helpful, though I found the author’s tone a bit overly didactic. (I’m not here to judge, but some parts felt a bit like propaganda.) Still, the book is filled with valuable advice.
From 局部 : One of the most moving moments was the unfinished painting of Vincent van Gogh. Later, while reading Van Gogh’s letters, I was struck by the raw sincerity in his words and his art. That kind of authenticity is something I deeply crave in life.
From Draftsman podcast: One powerful insight was that real practice isn’t just copying photos. We should observe carefully, then try to imagine and draw from memory or create variations—same character, same expression, different angles. That shook me—it completely changed how I think about practice.
From The Eye of the Painter: “Nature has no contours.” Accidental or random elements can make a painting more dynamic. Painters can dramatize, simplify, beautify, or reinterpret what they see, based on their personal vision.
My Sketching Journey:
Stage 1: I got overwhelmed by all the books—where should I begin? Should I dive into anatomy studies right away? At first, I just wanted to sketch some portraits from albums I love, starting with Joey Yung’s concert N6 album. I wasn’t paying much attention to light-shadow harmony, and facial perspective was definitely something I needed to work on.
Stage 2: I realized I didn’t actually know how to observe. My eyes weren’t “honest,” and I often got proportions, lines, and angles wrong. It reminded me to focus more on seeing before drawing.
Stage 3: After a few album sketches, I moved on to drawing characters. I realized that painting is deeply personal—I prefer sketching people I empathize with or can understand emotionally through their expressions. I finished two sketches of “Broken Ken.” Figure 6 was a turning point—from then on, I paid more attention to anatomy and muscle structure. I liked this one especially because part of it came from my imagination. It held meaning for me, beyond just technical practice.
Stage 4: I sketched more characters from Succession. Figure 8 was a complete failure—I lost patience with the hair and skipped the details. The lighting was a mess too. Honestly, it turned out so bad I didn’t even feel like revising it.
Stage 5: In the last two days, I focused more on emotional expression. Figure 9 is my favorite scene from Succession, Season 1 Episode 1—on the helicopter, where the eye contact speaks volumes. The final sketch was a real challenge—trying to capture what I consider the most moving eyes in cinema. The result wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t terrible either.
Maybe next time, I’ll go back to the basics. I’ve realized I was too eager to “finish” something, but building a strong foundation is what truly matters. Be patient, spend enough time to polish each step, and stay comfortable in solitude. That’s where real growth begins.
Titles (Left to Right, Top to Bottom):
Figure 1: Album Cover – Joey Yung Concert Number 6
Figure 2: Album Cover – SABINA之淚 – by My Little Airport
Figure 3: Album Cover – 19 – by Adele
Figure 4: Album Cover – Ten Days in the Madhouse – by Denise Ho
Figure 5: Kendall Roy – from Succession
Figure 6: Kendall Roy – from Succession
Figure 7: Shiv Roy – from Succession
Figure 8: Naomi Pierce – from Succession
Figure 9: Marcia Roy – from Succession
Figure 10: 周慕云 – from In the Mood for Love
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