Plumbing in Pencil: Draw a 'Wacky and Wild' Graphite Portrait with Alex Cooper

In this lesson (82 mins), artist Alex Cooper guides us through a pencil portrait whose subject's "mad hair" and direct, piercing gaze offer the perfect playground for exploring how to balance bold character with accurate anatomy.

The true heart of this lesson isn't just about capturing a likeness—it’s about the interplay between loose, expressive energy and the grounding precision of measurement.

Alex’s approach reminds us that art is a process of constant refinement rather than a search for instant perfection. You’ll learn how to navigate the "landscape of the face," treating shadows and highlights like peaks and valleys that slowly reveal the person behind the pencil.

What You’ll Discover:

• The Power of "Plumb Lines": Alex demonstrates how to use your pencil as a manual measuring tool to accurately place the length of the nose and the corners of the mouth relative to the eyes.
• Embracing the "Wacky and Wild": Instead of getting bogged down in individual strands, you’ll practice keeping a loose wrist to capture the movement of hair being blown back from the face.

• The Courage to Go Dark: One of the biggest hurdles in portraiture is fear of the page. Alex encourages you to be brave with softer leads—from 2B up to 9B—to create the deep, heavy shadows that make a portrait truly "pop".
• The Versatility of the Putty Rubber: Learn to treat your eraser as a drawing tool, using it to knead sharp points for highlights or to dab away "mistakes" that are actually just steps in the right direction.

As Alex notes, "it is a drawing... nothing more, nothing less." This lesson is an invitation to wiggle your lines, smudge your shadows, and enjoy the joyful, messy process of building a face from scratch. Let's get started!