A Sketch For My Friend

Hey there, creative souls!

I know I’m writing about my first experiences a lot, but that’s because this is where my journey began. Firsts are always special, right? Today, I want to share my first experience of making a portrait for someone I know. This experience was definitely a big moment for me.

I had never made a portrait for someone else before, so this felt like a challenge. I mean, I had tried to draw a self-portrait in the past, but let me tell you, it didn’t turn out great (as you can see for yourself below). Honestly, I never thought I’d share that with anyone, but here I am sharing the good, the bad, and everything in between—because this journey is all about growth. I’ll also include some of my older work to show how far I’ve come in the upcoming blogs. 

This all started during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, towards the end of my 12th standard. My school friend Shikshanshi asked me to make a portrait of her. At first, I wasn’t sure, but then I thought, why not give it a shot? Between preparing for my board exams, I decided to sketch her portrait whenever I had free time. Once I started, I got so engrossed in it that I finished the sketch in just 2–3 days.

At that time, I was terrified. Drawing faces has always been tricky for me. One wrong line, and it feels like the whole thing is ruined. Plus, this wasn’t just for me—it was for someone else! What if she didn’t like it? These thoughts kept running through my mind, but I pushed them aside and got started.

I used an A3-sized drawing file from school and taped the paper down to create an A4-sized boundary. I only had Apsara shading pencils back then, which I wouldn’t recommend because they’re too hard and don’t give dark shades easily. I struggled to add deeper tones, and the hardest parts for me were her nose and lips. Even now, when I look at it, I think, “Could’ve done that better!”

I used the grid method to sketch and worked directly from a cropped reference image. When I finally finished the portrait, I was honestly impressed—it was so much better than anything I’d made before. I showed it to my mom, and she was impressed too!

Excitedly, I clicked a photo and sent it to Shikshanshi. Her reaction made my day! She liked it so much that she even asked me to frame it. I started the sketch on June 4th and finished it on June 6th, 2020, and it’s been four years since then. 

What's even better is that the portrait was still on her wall when I last visited!  She’s been asking me to make a new one now, saying, “You’ve improved so much—please make me another!” Unfortunately, I’m busy with my studies and don’t have my tools with me, but I promise to make one for her whenever I can.

To anyone starting out, I want to say this: keep practicing. Your growth might not be instant, but with time, you’ll see amazing results.

And to Shikshanshi, if you’re reading this—thank you for believing in me and encouraging me. You’re one of the reasons I am where I am today.