I continue my challenge to draw realistic portraits.....This one is of SAMUEL L. JACKSON

First I start to draw a rough sketch of the basic shapes of his face. I like to draw it by freehand but the grid method is very useful for beginners. For the sketch I use a graphite pen like 2H and press gently. I don't want any marks in the paper if I have to erase something.
I may have a different method than most artists, I draw some rough lines and measure the distance between different spots with a ruler to get the proportions right.

In this drawing I started with shading the face in a light shade before I started with details. In this way I get a better feel of how to shade because the reference photo is kind of dark. For this I alter between 4B and 6B graphite pencil.
Then I started to draw his eyes and they were kind of hard to place right. I tried to draw them more straight but apparently his eyes are a little bit off. I measured with a ruler and this is how it should be to look like him.

I continue shading and also start drawing his mouth, teeth and beard. In this portrait I jump between different areas to try to "build" up the face adding more and more shade. It's fun to try different methods and I also develop as an artist.
I also add some white spots in his eyes to create the reflection that eyes usually have. For this I use a white pallpoint pen.

I add more and more shade to get the right contrast of his face. When I shade I use the 4B pen and blend out the graphite with a paper stick in the details and some toiletpaper on the bigger areas. If you don't have a paper stick you can use a ear swab, it works just the same.

When I'm satisfied with the shading I start drawing his jacket which is black so it's easy. For this I use a 8B graphite pen to get it as black as possible. I also shade his neck that is very dark because of the shadow from his head. For this I use the 6B pen and blend it out with the toiletpaper.

Before I finish I go over everything and add some detail using a mechanic pen with thin pins, the one I use is 0,5mm and it works well to add some skin texture and the really small details. I also use it for his beard to draw those thin hairs.

You can see the finished drawing below. Let me know what you think of it in the comments :)