SPQR BLUES Chapter V

Today’s exercise was drawing a character ~without~ photo references. I managed all right until it came to crouching.

My people don’t smile.

They hardly ever smile, that is. Not big toothy grins.

Because of a childhood accident (think Raina Telgemeier’s Smile comic, only more dramatic and traumatic), I quite literally can’t smile one of those big, wide, all-teeth end-to-end grins people are supposed to use to show they’re friendly and good and worth interaction. I’m not used to seeing it in a mirror, and not used to drawing it. My crop of Romans just don’t think grinning fits in with proper gravitas. Although, from time to time, Felix has given a snarky grin. Sure, there are grinning satyrs capering about, but, really, think about it: How often have you seen a bust of a Caesar or Alexander the Great with a grin?

I used photo references, but this photo set didn’t have enough variety in angles, so I did another head study more like the one for Iusta.