Charcoal and value study do the magic, but they take time. For this one, I used AI as a value-study mirror: my own drawing went in, a realistic pencil-art reference came out, and I placed it underneath at low opacity while rebuilding the values by hand with a charcoal brush.
They can pull depth out of a flat face, turn hair into mass, and make the whole portrait feel more alive. But they also take time — a lot more than the usual one-hour practice rule.
So this one is a rule-bender.
The rule still matters. The project has to stay light enough to continue. But if a piece starts working and I’m enjoying the experiment, I think it’s okay to follow it a little further.
The real rule is not “stop exactly at one hour.”
The real rule is:
Keep drawing.
Keep the touch alive.
And if it makes you happy, go ahead and do it.
Oh, and that “value does the magic” part? Yes, it really does.
On the flip side, if you get it wrong, it can ruin the whole thing.
So far, this style of Pippa is totally my vibe. 👍