Week 4

This was a tough week — I’ve never felt particularly confident when it comes to drawing faces. But I leaned in, applied myself, and surprised myself with the results. In Studio Exercise 1, I sketched four imaginary heads using proportional guidelines — discovering how structure and creativity could co-exist. Then, working large with charcoal in Exercise 2, I let intuition guide me. Standing as I drew, the marks felt alive — smudges, shadows, and strong lines began to form something both believable and expressive. What once felt daunting slowly became empowering, and with each face, I found not just form, but a little more confidence too.

Learning to draw faces through proportion helped me see that structure is not the opposite of expression — it’s the beginning of it. These guidelines give us a way in, but the real work is in how we interpret, imagine, and honour the person we’re drawing. Whether it’s a quiet charcoal portrait or a conceptual protest like Vernon Ah Kee’s, every face we draw is a chance to look more closely, and more kindly.

Please read "An Artist Focus below..."

Foundations of portraiture

An Artist Focus - Vernon Ah Kee: Portraiture as Protest and Presence

Watching Vernon Ah Kee’s video was powerful. His portraits aren’t just drawings — they’re declarations. His technique is masterful, but it’s his intention that strikes deepest: to rewrite how First Nations people are seen and represented in Australia. Ah Kee’s use of charcoal creates both presence and resistance — each gaze holds a challenge. As he says, “drawing is political,” and this week I felt that truth. Every face carries more than features — it holds history, dignity, and voice.

Paraphrased from the YouTube video: "My work is a reaction to the invisibility of Aboriginal people in Australian culture.” – Vernon Ah Kee