Whichever approach you choose, careful observation is the key. Observing the tiny details of light and shade in the eyes will bring the subject to life. This is true whether you are doing a detailed portrait, or a quick sketch. Often, you may 'abbreviate' or suggest the details that you've observed, but the visual information that you've gathered will make your sketched 'abbreviations' accurate ones that make sense, so the drawing will be much stronger than when you've only guessed at what it should look like.


