A portrait of John Lennon.
I started with this.
and I used a grid to map the space - sometimes we need rules and order to keep us from swaying off track!
I then used both the pencil and the rubber as a mark to find the character in the face. Working back and forth, relating the shapes, space and distance and correcting mistakes.
It might seem like cheating, is it cheating?
What it did allow is for me to get a bit closer in without loosing track of the bigger picture.
I personally find it helpful to work within the borders, at least as a point of reference. Like a map. Perhaps rules are what we need at times. The process became a meditative one, back and forth finding light and shade -
its easier to find character and juxtapositions within framework.
The image is built up from mistakes and worked gradually.
This is the final result. What is your secret?