Prove yourself as the best artist this week

Hello wonderful members of this community, it's a pleasure to be here, and I hope you all are doing alright. Today I’m excited to share one of my recent pencil portrait works with you all in this contest titled "Prove yourself as the best artist this week," organized by @dequeen, and I hope you all like it. When I decided to create the pencil portrait of the elderly man above, I wasn’t just aiming to reproduce his features; I wanted to capture the life that rested gently within his smile. The calm expression, the softened wrinkles, and the wisdom in his eyes immediately drew me in. My goal was not just to copy what I saw, but to translate that quiet presence onto paper in a way that felt honest and alive. Below are the steps I took in bringing this portrait to life.

Drawing materials

• A4 paper

• graphite pencil

• charcoal pencil

• 4B and 6B pencil

• HB and 2B pencil

• mechanical pencil

• black pen

• eraser

• sharpener

Step 1

The eyes were the soul of the portrait, and I spent the most time there. They held a quiet brightness, as though they had seen both hardship and joy and learned to rest peacefully in between. I layered light shading around them, carefully placing wrinkles where they felt earned rather than exaggerated.

Step 2

Next I drew the mouth and smile. I worked slowly on the mouth, adjusting the curve of the lips and the placement of the teeth until the expression felt genuine. Then I added the beards to it.

Step 3

After doing that, I then worked on shading the face. I worked in layers, slowly building tones across the face. I avoided harsh contrasts, focusing instead on smooth transitions that give the portrait a soft, lifelike appearance.

Step 4

Next was his hair. The hair was slightly wild, flowing freely, which gave the man a youthful energy despite his age. I used varied pencil strokes to suggest texture and movement, letting some strands remain loose to avoid stiffness. The facial hair was shaded more softly, blending smoothly into the skin to maintain realism and balance.

Step 5

Next I focused on the neck and shoulder. Using my 4B and 6B pencils, I carefully shaded the neck and the shoulder to complete the portrait.

Step 6

Finally, I refined the entire drawing, added contrast where necessary, and applied more shading to make the portrait more realistic. Below is my final result.

My selfie with my drawing

In conclusion, this pencil portrait was more than a drawing exercise for me—it was a study of character, time, and restraint. Through patience and careful observation, I was able to turn simple pencil strokes into a quiet story of age and dignity. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to view my work. I appreciate your support and feedback.

Inviting

@rumanaafroz

@iamguchidanart

@elsa-queen

@mohammad1076

Cc @dequeen

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.