Teach Yourself Visually Drawing

The Portrait chapter 11

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Portrait of Jorge, by Frank Bruckmann, courtesy of the artist

When a drawing is cropped this closely to the face, you can create a very immediate and personal portrait. It’s as if you are 1 0
inches away from the subject, which is a closeness that only occurs with family and the closest of friends. When this format is
chosen, it gives the viewer a chance to really explore the face, and ideally the internal world of someone previously unknown.

The closeness of this portrait is further intensified by the very direct gaze of the model. Another form of immediacy comes
through the asymmetry of the mouth, as if the little girl were biting her lip.