Help on drawing heads and photos

[rappdg]

So lately I have been trying to draw heads and I have been reading Loomi's book about heads and how to construct them. My problem is that if I use hi construction method, It really won't look anything like the photo I am copying.

If you will view my sketchbook, you will see that all of the drawings (the ones that I did not apply loomi's technique) are better in terms of likeness compared to the last sketch (the one that I tried to apply his techniques).

So what did I do wrong? Did I misunderstood anything? I'm really tearing my hair apart right now and I'm really desperate since things are not making sense.

[Benedikt]

Constructive approaches like Loomis, Bridgeman and so on teach are only one part of the equation. The other is observation. Most likely you have problems on both fronts; it takes a fair amount of time to get proficient with even the simplest abstractions like Loomis uses. It takes a lot of time and dedication to hone your observational skills as well.
The idea is to use both at the same time, with constructions helping you to really see and understand the form and keep proportions correct and observation for achieving a likeness (which even seasoned artists find difficult sometimes I might add).

Long story short: Practice Lommis's methods more and draw more from life to train your observational skills.

[bjoern3000]

Construction methods don't serve you for beeing able to see what's in front of you. It lets you construct something out of your head. There are some rules for constructing things but if you want to be able to see individual aspects of someone's face, you need to practise this.

So when you ask what your misunderstanding is, the answer is that you think being able to construct a head lets you see angles, distances, widths and shades. So working from life will improve your seeing skills and learning to construct will improve your ability to draw from your mind.

And both together work synergistic, meaning 1+1=1000

[rappdg]

Thanks Guys!! I think I'm getting it now judging by my latest head drawing attempt. I suck at hair though lol.