The Art of Emotions.

The Beginning.

Several months back, I started working to improve my realistic portraits through taking some online classes and practicing weekly on new face-drawing endeavors. Over the last couple of years I started focusing on faces because my ability to draw people was a zero on a scale of one to ten! Unless you count stick figures. That might have brought me up to a one. Below are sections of each portrait. Continue to my Etsy shop for more information on each.

Emotions. Number One. reminds me of anytime I have tried something new. It takes determination and grit to continue working on something, especially as it might bring out the worst in me. It is humbling to be called out, but it is also empowering to look back later and see that the work that I have consistently pursued is not in vain.

Emotions. Number Two. is the second of two portraits that I originally posted on my Etsy shop. I have updated and reposted, with the purpose of using for digital prints or the option of ordering a canvas for a wall in someone's house. So many times we hope that something will happen without any evidence that it actually will take place. This is where I am much of the time, and I hope someone who runs across this portrait can be equally encouraged to continue hoping.

The Concept.

Throughout the past several months, I wanted to expand on this portrait concept, still focusing on the idea of using faces of strangers-turned-familiar. In spending hours on one face, I have learned that there is so much to gather in the eyes or the tilt of a head. I mulled over creating an entire Emotions Series of nine portraits which can be used in a professional office setting or as an added focus wall in a home.

Emotions. Number Three. is something that we often fail to take the time to enjoy. Laughter is an emotion that has proven to improve mood and even thought function. Shout out to my friends who allowed me to take their pictures to get this angle just right! Often, laughter helps increase endorphins not only in that person, but those around them as well! When was the last time you took time to laugh over a joke or watched a favorite comedy?

Emotions. Number Four. Everyone has felt loneliness at one point or another, and this actually took me several moments of erasing the entire picture and starting over to get the exact style I wanted. It might be that this is one of the emotions that is the hardest to convey in a look because it can be so well-hidden within each person.

The Work.

It hasn’t been easy to find time to sketch, with the additional writing that I’ve been involved in through November (NaNoWriMo is in the Air for more), but I’ve dabbled at more portraits over the last couple weeks. My initial idea was to put these artworks out little by little, taking a span of time to unveil two or three at a time, but I’ve decided to put all nine up on my Etsy shop at once. They will be ready by the first of December.

Emotions. Number Five. This portrait might have been the hardest one to envision, but this turned out to be one of my favorites in the collection. It reminds me to never take things at face value and to always try new things. Curiosity is something that must be re-learned, as we tend to grow out of it after becoming adults.

Emotions. Number Six. Everyone has been here. Especially in the past couple years, it has been easy to consider giving up, to throw in the towel and to not continue pushing forward. Here’s hoping that you find encouragement to help you weather through the frustration.

Emotions. Number Seven. Never lose the wonder! We can take life so seriously sometimes and we need to take time out to be amazed. It was fun to put together this emotion, and I think the dreds were my favorite to draw.

The Inclusion.

The idea behind each of these portraits is to develop a series of emotions that covers a range of diversity. My dream is that anyone looking into the faces of these people might be able to find something that resonates within themselves.

Emotions. Number Eight. Is it bad that this angry person was my favorite overall to create? When I finished sketching the initial outline, it reminded me of a character in a graphic novel, one of which I’m currently working on for another project. I am so quick to point my finger at others when I'm upset. It’s a good reminder to stop and breathe.

Emotions. Number Nine. evokes the feeling of embarrassment. We’ve all been there, when we put our foot in our mouth or just want to take words back. Sometimes embarrassment is of our own making, and sometimes it is not. It leaves the person feeling vulnerable and open to attack or criticism.

The Dream.

Initially I put a couple pieces up on my Etsy site, but each time I looked at them, I felt like I hadn’t done the art justice. I wanted to draw the subject as a realistic piece, which was hard to do as I was developing each in my head, instead of creating from a single model. I went back and sketched out my ideas for all nine and then worked from those portraits to develop what is currently offered on the site. The idea is to create something that is perfect as an individual piece in a hallway or bedroom, or as a collective set of nine squares, more of a focal piece of art.

I also like to dabble in techniques and put other works on my website, IllustrationsHannahMarie.com, which includes a link to my Etsy shop.