Eleanor

The final drawing of Supermalade-stock's [link]

I've used pencils (HB, 3B, and 6B). For blending, I used tissues and tortillions.
My scanner sucks, so I upped the contrast and darkened the exposure.

This is one of my first portraits, so any constructive criticism would be welcome as I'm still developing technique.
Here are the WIPs 1: [link] 2: [link]



Entry for ‘Tragedy Contest’ of : #Danmei-For-Life.
This drawing means a lot to me. I really like to be able to identify with art and as someone who has struggled with depression and anxiety, I have found different parts of myself in this drawing. I see the idea of innocence and joy being overpowered by destruction, whether it's anxiety, depression, or some other unfortunate happening.
Eyes are the windows to the souls, and these are very clear windows. You can see her potential for happiness in the highlights of the eye. Although, there is an ever-present blackness representing the truths of life this girl has had to face. For me, it was becoming aware of my grandma's struggle with depression as well as dealing with a highly stressful first year of high-school.
In therapy, I identified different parts of myself: the perfectionist, the emotional/sad, the child, and the wise one. In this drawing, the child part of me has been pushed away as criticism and sadness have arisen from the perfectionist and emotional parts of me. Although, the light shining through, the hope, represents the wise part of me.
Depression and anxiety aren't your typical tragedies. After being medicated and having therapy, I'm dealing with them really well. But they are things that took all of my energy, my motivation, my interactions. They truly consumed all of me.
Although this girl is in the dark because of all the issues she is facing, there is still light being shone upon her that can help her get out of the dark.