This week’s SketchAwesome challenge took me through the Loomis method for sketching heads, which I’ve always found fascinating because I love drawing portraits. The structured approach makes the process informative and gave me a good refresher on head proportions. But something felt off.
The Loomis method for faces
The Loomis method is a great way to simplify head structure, making it easy to break down complex forms into digestible steps. I appreciated the clarity in drawing faces, starting from a circle and building the rest, which helped me understand proportions more deeply.
Using this method, you don’t have to strive to get a likeness in order to have good results. In that respect, the exercise was a positive skill booster.
It's useful, but...
Despite the technique’s usefulness, I felt like something was missing. When I look at the sketches, I see precision but no feeling—no emotion, no action, no life. The faces I drew lack expressiveness, which left me unsatisfied. I realized that my practice in illustration, especially working with gesture and contour drawing, is sharpening my judgment in a way that makes these technically-correct-but-emotionless sketches feel incomplete.
This lack of connection to the drawings tells me something important: my recent focus on expressive illustration is paying off. My practice sessions have been all about capturing energy and emotion, which has made me more critical of work that doesn’t carry that same vitality. It’s a sign that I’m growing as an artist, learning to prioritize not just technical skill but emotional resonance in my work.
The Loomis method is a good approach to drawing faces. This week’s practice has strengthened my technical skills, but I learned something more valuable: art isn’t just about getting the proportions right; it’s about communicating something deeper. Has anyone else felt this tension between technique and expression in their own work? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
