A while ago I found the picture of a young Yemenite woman or girl on Pinterest. For some reason I found it captivating - the way she looked at the camera, her eyes, her way of attempting a smile that didn't quite work out and speaks more of hard and difficult times. I came to this picture again and again until I finally tried to draw her.
My attempt, of course, turned into something completely different. From the start it was clear that I didn't have hope that this would be any good because I drew on copy paper. At that time I didn't even finish it, but shoved it in my folder - I only found it a few days ago. Nicole's Friday Face Off was the motivation to keep on working on the drawing and be more serious this time. I used my graphite pencils (those lovely ones from Staedtler) and some charcoal (Derwent) and since I couldn't just let it stand with its shades of black, I added a touch of sanguine which you almost can't see in the photo. As you will see, my woman doesn't carry any similarities to the woman/girl that inspired the drawing. She is pensive, there is just a hint of a smile (if at all) - but I came to like her. I probably could have done much better, but I decided to let it be the way it is now.
You can find the original picture here.
Since Nicole was my motivation, I'm linking to her Friday Face Off.
