A Turning Moment

Hi everyone! I'm here again with a little work of art. It's titled 'Focus'.

Life can be frustrating in many ways. Having the edge to run through this cranked up world without falling at some point is quite impossible, but the winners are those who fell over and over and never stopped moving.

Sometimes it's terribly difficult to keep your head in the game, sometimes you can't get a picture of where you're going or where you are all the same, it's like sailing through the deep blue sea with your eyes closed.
Sometimes it feels like the world's shutting you out, or you're falling really fast, faster than you can figure out.

Life gives us it's tolls, but we're bound only by our choices and decisions to move forward, take the risk and the route, to succeed. No one sows by talking, and no one gathers by sitting.
There's an important skill we must acquire if we must soar high above this noisy world, it's focus. It's our turning moment.

We must learn to bend all our concentration to achieving a particular set goal, without falling for the voices and screams clamouring for attention. If one must move higher in the right direction, then one must learn to be focused.
It is pointless, moving from point to point without adding any point or having any point to show for!

The drawing below is aimed at depicting the aura and tranquility focus can bring to the soul.
The reference is a picture of the great Mohammed Ali (RIP).

Materials Used

Graphite pencils (4h-6b), charcoal pencils, cardboard, erasers, tissue paper and pencil sharpener.

Procedures

Stage 1:

At this stage, not much is done, the drawing is sketched on paper, and layers of shades are added to build a little skin texture using graphite and charcoal.
I like to start shading from the eyes, it helps me envision where i'm actually heading with the drawing.

Stage 2:

This might seem like a huge leap but it's actually a simple progression. Here the skin textures are built by adding layers of shades upon shades, and I used erasers and harder pencil grades (3h-4h) to add details to the face and enhance the skin texture.

Stage 3:

Here, I worked on the face again, adding tiny details and more shades.

Stage 4:

At this stage, the hair is shaded using charcoal pencils and a little of graphite pencils(6b). Some skin layers are added to the finger too.
Working with charcoal can be difficult and really messy, but when you get the hang of it, it becomes really easy.

Stage 5:

Here, I worked on the hands, using graphite and layering a little charcoal pencils. I also used erasers along with hard graphite to make some details on the hands. It's been tough but fun!

Stage 6:

And here's the final stage!
I worked on the hands more, completed it and shaded in the background using graphite pencils. The shirt was shaded with charcoal( I was particular about the darkness), graphite doesn't get as dark as charcoal does.

And that's all there is to it!

I hope this drawing inspires you in one way or another. I hope you acquire the skill to focus, and I hope you achieve more!

Thanks for stopping by to glance through, I'll be posting my drawings here frequently.

Yours truly.