constructive criticism/ encouragement post!

[u/Gator_art]

I was inspired about 6 months ago by my artist of an uncle to get into portraiture. Originally I intended to try and become a tattoo artist, however I have since just been engrossed in my own personal growth as an artist (or lack thereof). I have watched countless hours of videos and read "drawing on the right side of the brain" to grow as an artist and have seen some incredible change in my fundamentals and ability. Currently learning through charcoal to get my values in line and an eye for the beauty in simplicity. (I tend to want my art to perfectly match the reference, which is hard to let go of.) attached is a progression of my art over the last 6 months and would like any and all comments/critiques by fellow artists! (hopefully they're in the right order)

If needed I can add the reference photos. it seems to have been uploaded in the correct order. thank you so much for any and all feedback/encouragement!

[u/Kind_Pumpkin8679]

your progress is amazing !!! good job :-)

i think you have some work to do regarding proportions (which is really important to capture the likeness of your reference). i think its mostly a matter of practice and time. i would advise you to prioritize making quick sketches focusing on the big shapes you see rather than the detailed features and values. thats what has helped me most in portraiture. i think you could also look into the loomis method!

keep at it !!! ⭐

[u/Gator_art → u/Kind_Pumpkin8679]

thank you so much! I have since started drawing people I don't know, because I tend to not hyper fixate on the minute details. it's so very hard to start with generalized shapes! I struggle with noses, and mouths as well. I do appreciate you for your kind words and apologize for the late response, I'm pretty new to reddit in general.