Portraits test our observational skills to the limit, so to familiarise yourself with proportion, shapes and contours, it is essential to practise drawing regularly. Using pencil or charcoal to obtain the likeness of a person can be incredibly rewarding and provide a positive learning experience. From my own practice, a model rarely looks familiar when drawn in an outline only, because an outline misses the depth and shapes that are recognisable features of the face. This may account for any struggles you may have had with portraiture in the past. You must push beyond an outline. I use a couple of drawing methods when sketching people; one is a loose
