Alright, so today I figured I’d actually sit down and try something I’ve been putting off: drawing a recognizable face. And who better than Paul Newman, right? Classic look, great features. I thought, “Yeah, Paul Newman, that you can draw… or at least, that I can try to draw.” So, this is kinda my log of how that went.
Getting Started – The Setup
First things first, I needed a good reference. Scrolled through a bunch of photos online. You know how it is, you find one, then another, then an hour’s gone. Finally settled on a black and white shot, one of those intense but cool looks he had. Figured black and white might be a bit easier, less to worry about with colors. Famous last words, maybe.
My tools? Nothing fancy. Just a couple of pencils, an eraser that’s seen better days, and some plain paper. I’m not one for all the pro gear, just like to get on with it. So, I sketched out a basic head shape, trying to get the angle right. That part felt okay, like “Hey, I might actually pull this off.”
The Tricky Bits – Where It Got Real
Then came the features. And boy, oh boy. Those eyes. Everyone talks about Paul Newman’s eyes. Trying to get that look, that depth, even without the blue, was tough. I must have drawn and erased his left eye about ten times. It either looked too cartoony, or just dead. Frustrating, to say the least. I actually had to get up and walk away for a bit. Grabbed a drink, stared out the window, told myself it’s just a drawing.
The nose wasn’t too bad, surprisingly. But then the mouth. He often had this very subtle expression, not quite a full smile, not quite a frown. Capturing that fine line? Woah. My first few attempts, he looked either angry or like he was about to tell a bad joke. More erasing. My poor paper.
- Getting the eye shape and intensity.
- Nailing that unique mouth curve.
- Making sure the proportions didn’t go all wonky after staring at it for too long.
Pushing Through – Shading and Details
Shading was the next mountain to climb. His face has such great structure, but if you get the shadows wrong, he starts looking like someone else entirely, or just a lumpy potato. I tried to be light-handed, build it up slowly. The cheekbones, the shadows around the eyes, under the nose. It’s a slow process. You put a line down, smudge it a bit, squint, decide it’s wrong, and try to fix it without making a muddy mess.
The hair wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Just focused on the general shape and some of the darker areas to give it a bit of volume. By this point, I was kind of in the zone, you know? Not thinking too much, just looking and drawing, looking and drawing.
The “Is That Him?” Moment
After a good couple of hours, maybe more – I lose track of time when I’m focused – I leaned back. Looked at the paper. And you know what? It wasn’t perfect. Not by a long shot. If you’re a pro artist, you’d probably find a million things wrong with it.
But for me, just messing around? It actually kinda looked like him! There was a hint of that Paul Newman coolness. The general vibe was there. I was pretty chuffed, not gonna lie. That feeling when you struggle with something and then it clicks, even a little bit, is pretty great.
So yeah, that was my adventure drawing Paul Newman. A bit of a battle, lots of erasing, but I got there in the end, sort of. It’s definitely a face that makes you work for it. But hey, that’s the fun of it, right? Trying, messing up, and then, finally, getting something that makes you nod and say, “Okay, not bad.”
