afternoon at the met

I started trying to copy Velázquez's portrait of Juan de Pareja, his moorish assistant. (that scan looks brighter and washed out compared to the original)





I was really unhappy with how the lips were coming out. I eventually decided this was because of the paintings use of color that I just couldn't catch with pencil. So I then retreated to the Rembrandt section, where the faces were reliably monochromatic.




Not an actual Rembrandt, but someone from this studio. One of his grad students, as it were. For some reason, I just couldn't get this old woman's nose. On close inspection, the bulb of her nose featured the tiniest daub of red, which I believe defeated me. Damn you, color, damn you.