I’m working hard trying to finish up some artwork before the virtual Emerging Artist exhibit this upcoming Thursday! For this blog, I wanted to share some pencil portrait studies I did in my sketchbook in preparation for one of these artworks. These are for a piece about hope in suffering. All of these were based on reference photos of friends and family. Each participant was sent a different image of a pose and instructed in how to set up the lighting. I typically draw from life, but because of the expressive nature of the portraits (not to mention the pandemic), I had to make due. I hope you enjoy these studies, and I am looking forward to the exhibit on Thursday, the 14th!