I’m posting this wonky 5-value sketch in the same spirit as the social media personalities who post photos of their cellulite, wobbly bits, and wrinkles. It’s so out of proportion.

Have I done better value studies? Yes. Have I learned something from this one? Also yes.

I’m fairly new to acrylic gouache, so I learned more about how the medium behaves (Dries obnoxiously fast! Blending colors is nearly impossible). I also learned that when you’re working off a reference photo, even if your drawing matches, you still need to get it to get it to a point where you like it. (I did not do that here.) Most importantly, I learned to take my own advice— that this sketch is a stepping stone to better sketches.

Onward! Time for some coffee.