Portraits in Pencil

As much as I love photography, there's also a profound satisfaction in the simplicity of putting pencil to paper, especially in today's digital age, where screens dominate our interactions and the click of a mouse is the primary tool of creation.

These are some of my drawings from photo references. I prefer using graphite pencils over charcoal, although for most of these, I am using a Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black pencil. The Black  series has a smooth matte finish, thanks to its high carbon content which gives it a deep and intense black. Please note also that these digital scans have made the drawings higher in contrast to view on monitors.