This week was Hair Week. My family preferred the Friday sketch (on the right above)—and they’re right, it was the best hair of the week—but I sorta liked Monday best overall (on the left). It got her expression and vibe right. Also, the glasses were fun. I hadn’t recalled that this was actually my third hair week in the last twelve months. Nice to have the chance to look back and see that, if nothing else, I’ve gotten better at capturing value and volume, not just line.
I spent the tail end of 2025 trying to bridge the gap between sketching and portraiture—little of which I shared, because every inch of progress uncovered miles and miles of deficit. Get a lip right, and realize you have no idea how to communicate the junction of nose and eyes; get the features right, and you realize you’re clueless on how to capture hair. Maybe you nail the expression and hair, but ferfucksake your little girl looks like a 50-year-old man!
…and so on.
Anyway, here are two sketches from the first week of the year that my son thought came out nicely. I agree that I got what I wanted with the hair with both, and that the tiniest victory is still a victory. 🏆
