I'd finished working on the brow and forehead for the time being, and moved onto the bottom of the face. Carl has a very distinct smile, with a mustache and a beard so there's a lot to do here! As well as that, he's being lit by bright sunshine, so I have to pay close attention to texture, form and light.
I'm using a variety of pencil marks to create the smoothness of the skin and the roughness of the mustache. By gently laying down light, soft pencil marks and blending with the Q-tip I create the tones of the skin. The mustache is created by stronger, darker lines which are applied quite firmly in bold strokes, largely in the direction of the hairs which make up the overall mustache.
Trying to suggest the darkness of the mustache in very bright sunlight is a bit of a challenge and I do this by laying down the dark pencil lines and then using a putty rubber to lift of the majority of the pencil. It helps create some texture, a hint of what's there, but allows the lightness of the paper to show through, suggesting the sunlight. So far, so good but time's run out and I'll have to grab another hour tomorrow.
