A couple more attempts after watching the demo. Stan’s tips on simplifying and deconstructing did help a lot

Hoping it's not too late to be in the critics video. the other fruit is from my friend Alex (apple and pear2)

I don’t have 5 clear values and I definitely got a little lost along the way but I finished!

second try after watching proko demo. More mindful of proportions and values

I think i might be a level one person, even so ill give this portrait a try, you make it just look so simple... its like i already feel an artist with my pear! oh and i honestly don't mind at all if you don't speed up the video, i literally find this kind of videos hypnotic! i cant wait for the next video!... but at the same time i feel i would like to have so much more time to do this again an again before the next video. just loving it. Thanks!

I'm always surprised about how much I can learn in just one video. I haven't been drawing with hard shapes/brushes until a week ago. That clarity is way more rewarding than shading with a air/soft brush. Clarity goes a long way.

Stan, I love your format for the class…giving us a chance to draw with minimal instruction and then giving us the full teaching and demo after we have had a go. This is a very eye and mind opening process that I am fully embracing. Thank you for your wisdom as a learner and an instructor; a powerful combo.

Simply seeing all the tinkering, erasing, redrawing, remeasuring has been incredibly helpful. I have always had the misconception that the lay-in should be quick, simple, or "easy". Far from the truth. This has been a very valuable exercise. Thank you, Stan.

As a beginner, it was important for me to hear you took your time on the lay in of this portrait. You stated 90 mins. My accuracy is so lacking that I get lost in minutiae of the composition and miss out on simplifying because I feel I have to complete a rendering in an hour or so. I am relieved to see you erasing, adjusting and measuring. Thanks

Here we go, now I can watch the video.

Before watching the videos. Really struggling. How do I get it clear and clean?

Kinda rushed this one to get it in before the due date.

It looks more like a grumpy old man. Well, that's an attempt... It tooks me 30 min... I dropped my eraser early and didn't bother pick it up, thus commiting to the flaws and imperfections. Cheers. -Max

I now see how my pencil strokes are crude (need more patience and maybe smoother paper), but Stan’s demo showed me how to really look for the planes and then use pencil stroke direction to describe the planes. Melodie

Pear after watching Proko’s demo. Melodie

I've been painting professionally for years. No one ever taught me to draw. This is fabulous and Exciting - Its taking me a minute to wrap my head around, but you make it clear and entertaining. I can't wait for the next lesson - but am practicing daily. Thank you so much Stan!

What a great demo. I got useful advice and many valuable tips from this. I watched this after doing the excercise, so I could really compare how it was done here to how I did it. The most significant lesson for me, in that comparison, is that I'm simply not simplifying enough. I add way too many details and so make it more complicated than I need to, in hope to make the final drawing look fine. Separate classroom excercise from portfolio drawings - will check that box on my next attempt on the portrait :). Thank you stan, I really enjoyed this lesson! You have a gift of simplifying complicated answers, and make things very easy to understand and apply.

Thank you for the eyebrow. Might have been yelling at screen ;)

Stan, your teaching approach is awsome. Probably you should do mankind a favor and instead of teaching how to draw start teaching how to teach.

My biggest take away here is that I need to take more time to do this properly. I thought I took too much time on my attempt at this until Stan mentioned that the lay-in alone took him 1.5 hr . I loved that he showed that he also makes proportion mistakes and fixes them. Maybe he did it on purpose to show that it is ok to make mistakes? On youtube we usually see people throwing down these amazing drawings instantly without a need for erasers and this gives me the impression I just suck since I redraw every line at least 3 times :-). I am just a beginner so I assume my time can easily double to get the same accuracy. I usually draw illustrations/cartoons as 1.5hr is alot of time for me with full time job and 2 baby's. I will redo the exercise during the weekend.