Birth of a Portrait

The following series of photos (apologies for amateur quality) demonstrate the progression of a portrait from its inception to completion, in this case, Pablo Picasso. Click pictures to enlarge.

1.) A light burning over the general pencil guides

2.) Erasing those guides, reinforcing the initial burn, and the beginning of facial details, such as an ear and an eye

3.) The addition of background and more facial details

4.) More facial details, texture, and contrast

5.) The final image. This process usually takes about 2 weeks.