I have been watching a lot of portrait artist of the year recently. Despite being terrible at painting and not ever being particularly skilled at art I really enjoy watching the paintings coming into form.
Anyways, I was wandering round the shops yesterday and I just got this overwhelming urge to draw. So I bought myself an inexpensive sketch book and a set of charcoal pencils. And off I went.
I decided at first to start the journey by doing a self portrait just as it came out. Here is what I managed.

And here is the photo it is based on.

I am actually really pleased for a first attempt. I was expecting it to be a lot more juvenile and haphazard. I was never terribly good at art and havent tried to draw anything in a good decade at least. Granted its not perfect but its certainly looks like me and without prompting my other half was able to recognise that it was me.
I found a real joy in creating this picture. It made me really happy to see it come together.
Now I have this in the first page of my notebook as a start mark I think I would like to start learning the finer details of portraiture and learning the finer details of drawing eyes and mouths and ears and such. Then maybe I can move on to different mediums.
Exciting plans for the future.