Making a Masterpiece Anonymous

Smooth Strathmore bristol board, Prismacolor colored pencils and brush tip markers, and most importantly, a Sakura Pen-Touch white paint marker. These are some of the materials that were scattered around my bed as I was creating what was bound to be my magnum opus, or so I thought.

For as long as I can remember, my favorite thing to draw has been portraits. Whether it is an attempt to prove my admiration of Ariana Grande, or a last minute gift for one of my teachers, I have been captivated by the ability to capture one's likeness, and as a result, have created dozens of portraits in my preferred medium - graphite. However, after persistent encouragement from the few art teachers I have had to branch out of my comfort zone, I decided to experiment with other mediums.

Being the dedicated person I am, I chose to experiment with not one, but two mediums I was unfamiliar with: colored pencil and marker. Further, I decided I would not use a reference, and instead draw a portrait from scratch.

I started on safe ground, sketching a chaotic graphite outline of a nonexistent woman with long fringe adorned with ribbons and gazanias. To ensure the woman’s proportions were correct, I started off with a circle and then used a series of idiot...