Mithrandir is a moleskine sketchbook of people posing for Hallmark artists. We do two 20 minute sketches every Wednesday, around lunchtime.

I initially struggled with both the time constraint, and with getting a likeness of the person I was drawing. It was quite frustrating, and I was totally out of my comfort zone.

Over the years, I’ve learned to love those constraints, and I even get a likeness, sometimes.

 I love experimenting with an off-center composition. It’s so much more interesting to me than the classic, centered portrait.

 Portraiture is such an “on/off” thing for me. Sometimes the lines glide out of my hand, and I get a powerful likeness.

Other times I can struggle for the whole session, and I get a powerful mess.

 I love how I drew those random lines in the eyes, and it still looks great. I’ll take a happy accident every day of the week.

 I got to the session late on this one. It was probably only a five minute sketch.

Even after a couple of years of practice, I still draw slower than I like.

I hate 11;00 meetings. They always make me late for the first session.

 I very much enjoy profile drawings, especially when the model has beautiful or pronounced features. I love drawing wrinkles, too.

 I didn’t plan this one out very well. I definitely could have used the space better.

Live and learn.

 I got so focused on the eyes that I distorted the rest of her face. I’m such a rank amateur at times, but still.

She had beautiful eyes.

 Way too much focus on the head. This one really needs some compositional work.

 I found this woman simply breathtaking, and it made me very nervous. I couldn’t get a likeness, and I really, really wanted to.

 It’s not often we get a model who can hold a natural smile for 20 minutes. This girl did great.

 One of my favorite sketches ever. I love how her hair fell during this session.

 This is absolutely my favorite 20 minute portrait I’ve ever done. I love the composition, the overall values, that fabulous hair, and damned if I didn’t get a likeness.

Everyone who knows Melissa recognizes her in this drawing.

It is such a kick in the pants when I get it right. I just wished it happened more often.

 When the model strikes an unorthodox pose, I rejoice. It’s hard to hold a pose like this for twenty minutes, but it makes for a terrific drawing.