Nhu Hidden Smile drawing process

These photos were taken after each day's drawing session(s).  The sessions lasted from perhaps half an hour or so, up to around two hours. On a couple of occasions I drew in two sessions on a day.  I cannot work for more than a couple of hours at a time as it hurts my eyes.

1    Initial sketch on smooth Bristol board with a 0.3mm/2B mechanical pencil, very lightly, after marking key positions and some rehearsed lines using the 'Slip and Slide' method.

2    Base shading and smoothing of the tooth of the paper by circular shading and blending with a tissue using a 0.3mm/2B mechanical and an HB wood-cased pencil.

3    Some darkening of the shading using 0.5/4B and 0.3/2B mechanical pencils and blending with a tissue.

4    Further darkening as in 3 (above) and also using a 6B wood-cased pencil.  Start of base shading of the hair, making the hair direction, with the side of the point of a 4B wood-cased pencil then blended with a tissue.  A trial area of hair darkened with a 6B pencil.

5    Very little more done for this session.  Some darkening of hair on right with 4B; additional hair below chin on left with 6B and 8B; some 8B darkening under chin on right.

6    Darken hair on right with 4B. Darken and add dark detail in hair on left with 6B and 8B; add single strands towards the eye with 0.2 and 0.3mm mechanical pencils. Highlights in hair on left added with kneadable eraser and Tonbow Mono Zero eraser.

7    Some further work darkening the shading on the face (0.3mm/2B, 0.5mm/4B, 6B) but main work done on hair using 6B and 8B pencils, kneadable and Tonbow erasers.

8    Another session where I did very little.  Corrected the shape of her right arm and increased the shading where it crosses her chest.  Deepened the shading on her fingers and back of her hands and on her face, especially the teeth, mouth and her cheek.

9    Deepened the shading around her left eye, on this cheek and on her left forefinger.  Made some refinements to her hair - shadows and highlights.  Refined the straggly hair hanging down on her left side. Eye lashes and shading to the scelera (using a 'dirty' blending stump). Added a halo of stray hairs on the left of her head.

10    Final touches.  Highlights on irises and in the corner of her left eye (Jakar eraser with sharpened tip). Improved hair shadows and highlights, especially on the long hair on her left.  Deepened the shadows under her hair on her left shoulder and above her left eye.  Darkened the shading above the corner of her upper lip near her left forefinger.  Added the longer individual hairs over her left eye.  Lightened and corrected the shape of the bright area on the side of her nose below the corner of her left eye. Slightly corrected the shape of her right cheek against her hair. 

Could have gone on, but must stop somewhere!

For information about the photograph by  Réhahn Photography that I used as the reference see the finished drawing: