This class is amazing. Jerney guided the class in a very relaxing, go with the flow and fun manner. I could really see the progress as we moved through the exercises. The most challenging part was letting go of my left brain trying to take control, but since “uglies” were welcome, I kept practicing and stayed open. It made the whole process feel freeing and fun.

In the first exercises from the class, I experimented with graphite pencil and powder for the very first time. After that, I moved on to colored pencils, and for the “ugly” piece, I used mixed media—colored pencils, paint, and acrylics. I’ve included my progress below: the Superman actor portrait, the Joker’s girlfriend time‑lapse, profile studies, clothing and accent additions, the double profile, color‑form practice, storytelling, and the final “ugly made pretty.”

My favorites were the ugly made pretty and Betty Davis rendittion with color accent.

1 - Tight vs. loose and speed: Spending less time made the drawing looser, and somehow it caught the essence even more. This was my attempt to draw the Jocker's girlfriend.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 1 - student project

2 -Adding emotion: I started with Jack Nicholson’s iconic expression, and later in the “form” lesson I developed it further. I created three practice versions before reaching the final one.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 2 - student project

3 - Evaluate little mistakes and practice, practice, repeat: Below are the after‑and‑before progress shots. I referenced Henry Cavill, the actor who plays Superman. I was heavy‑handed with the pencil at first, but I took breaks and restarted with very light strokes following Jerney's steps. IStill need more practice.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 3 - student project

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 4 - student project

4 - Give them some clothes. I used a Pexels reference, added my own twist.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 5 - student project

5 - Storytelling: From memory

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 6 - student project

6 - Drawing the profile: I used a Pexels reference, added my own twist, and took inspiration from Pinterest for the inner silhouette.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 7 - student project

7 - Unusual faces: In the waiting room, I noticed a woman reading, and her expression stayed with me. I sketched her from memory, even if it doesn’t quite do her justice.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 8 - student project

8 – Double the fun: I drew from a snowboarding photo of my friend and me, using color gel pens. It came out a bit wonky, but I had so much fun and didn’t care about making it perfect. I’m amazed at how much I achieved without any grids.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 9 - student project

9 - Single accent: This is my rendition of Bette Davis. She’s known for her iconic eyes, but I chose to give a second accent to her lips.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 10 - student project

10 - Exploring form: This was a great learning experience, following the shadow areas to build the portrait’s form. I used Jack Nicholson from The Shining as a reference for both the emotion step and the form study. My husband loves the moment when he yells through the broken door, “Here’s Johnny!”

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 11 - student project

11 - Dynamic portrait, four colors: It started great, I over‑shaded, and I still like both outcomes. Below are the before and after.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 12 - student project

12 - Bless the uglies: This was my favorite. I began with colored pencils, drawing freely and not worrying about the outcome, and it definitely went ugly. Then I layered watercolor and acrylics. The paper wrinkled, so I dampened the back and ironed it smooth again. One half of the face worked, so on the other half I went fully abstract, scraping in gold, blue, orange, red, and white. Below are the pretty abstract result and the blessed ugly.

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 13 - student project

Small Portraits, Big Progress - image 14 - student project

Naidu Maldonato

22

29