Japanese Model Half Real

I typically only draw people I know.
If I don’t, there is a pretty strong reason.
Last time I drew someone I did not know was because I was paid for it.
This time I am doing it for 3 reasons:
#1: She is just that beautiful.
#2: This is a challenge in microscopic drawing. The source image is tiny, and my drawing area here is tiny (though roughly 3 times larger than the source). Her entire head nearly fits within a square inch. So if I make a mistake the width of my pencil lead, it becomes a mistake half as wide as her eyebrows.
So the challenge is to maximize the detail within that tiny space while staying as accurate as possible, since any tiny deviation from the original will be amplified proportionally.
#3: Since I do not actually enjoy drawing much, I wanted to do something that doesn’t actually cover the whole paper. This should be a lot easier on my sanity, as Panda 3 is really driving me crazy.


This work reveals a lot about my style.
Like a lot of artists, I trace the entire outline roughly first.
Then I blot down the basic shades that go in any given area. I do this in two ways depending on something even I don’t know.
The first way is a solid clean coating of graphite, as you can see on her bras. Smooth shading all along. The bra will be very detailed in the final drawing, but for the early stages I have just laid down some smooth general-idea shading.
The second way is with scribbles. You can see these under her belly button. I have no idea what factors are involved in making me decide which way to go.

Then of course I add the actual detail and erase the outline as I go.



I also start with the face and go out. The reason is because I do not have much patience for art, so I need to do the detailed areas first or else I will simply get tired of the drawing and never finish.



Her right arm is not shown in the source image, so I will give her a right arm of my own creation once I get to that part.


Enough people liked the way it looks half-sketched and half-real so I decided to release this in both forms. This is the half-real/half-sketch release and a full-real release will come later.



As always, there is no smudging in any part of this picture.
My style is plain and simple without relying on many (any) techniques.


Pencils: 2B-4H.
Paper: Art Paper.
Smudging: None.
Eraser: Kneaded.


L. Spiro