# Portrait of my GF (birthday present)



## JohnIce

So I got a really nice pencil set for Christmas, and I've never really had anything nicer than an HB to work with before... I spend my money on guitar gear, normally  But I barely ever draw anymore, so I never got around to trying them out.

So my girlfriends birthday is coming up, I'm dirt poor, and I figured I'd get back in the game and give these guys a try  It's a bit different adjusting to using different pencils for different purposes, as opposed to using just one for everything, but it was fun! I'll have to practice more though 

Anyway, here's the result, what do you guys think?







Based on this photo:






Constructive criticism is very welcome, like I said I'm a total hobbyist and I barely ever draw at all anymore. I'm open to any tips and hints I can get 

Cheers! 





- edit -

I later ended up colouring it too


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## CooleyJr

Holy shit dude! That's pretty amazing! I've tried on numerous occasions to draw portraits and stuff but NEVER got anywhere near that good. She's gona love it bro.


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## Rommel

Nice work John. That's a great gift.


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## jam3v

I think you nailed it man. Nice work.


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## Prydogga

Jesus John! That is fucking sweet, not only that but your girlfriend is beautiful!


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## BrainArt

John, I am even more jealous of you now.


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## darren

Well done!


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## JohnIce

Thanks guys!  I'll spread some rep around 



Prydogga said:


> Jesus John! That is fucking sweet, not only that but your girlfriend is beautiful!


 
 Thanks man! I kinda think so too!


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## jymellis

very nice. i suggest rubbing the hair with another piece of paper. it will blend all the hair in and get rid of the "sharp" look. without darkening it in anymore. it will also match the GREAT shading you did on the face better! awesome work!


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## playstopause

Very well done and very good lookin' girlfriend. You win at life!


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## ralphy1976

that's pretty sick!!!

Have you ever considered painting it or making a "pop art" paint of it?

For my gf 30th i commissioned a painter to make 4 pieces pop art based on 4 pictures of her when she was uber young.

It is pretty cool.

Either way, the drawing and the lady are really nice, keep both of them in the "family"!!!!


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## JohnIce

jymellis said:


> very nice. i suggest rubbing the hair with another piece of paper. it will blend all the hair in and get rid of the "sharp" look. without darkening it in anymore. it will also match the GREAT shading you did on the face better! awesome work!


 
Thanks, I'll try that! I would never have thought of that  Some of that sharpness comes from the scanner though, which isn't the best, but I'm definately going to give it a try! I'm not really satisfied with the hair, but it's also a patience thing I guess 



playstopause said:


> Very well done and very good lookin' girlfriend. You win at life!


 
Haha cheers, man! 



ralphy1976 said:


> that's pretty sick!!!
> 
> Have you ever considered painting it or making a "pop art" paint of it?
> 
> For my gf 30th i commissioned a painter to make 4 pieces pop art based on 4 pictures of her when she was uber young.
> 
> It is pretty cool.
> 
> Either way, the drawing and the lady are really nice, keep both of them in the "family"!!!!


 
That's not a bad idea! Her birthday is tomorrow though and I don't have a colour printer myself... but it'll keep it in mind for another time  Have you got a photo of that picture?

And yeah, I'll do my best to keep her!  Thanks man!


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## Elysian

Looks great, but you forgot the boobs


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## JohnIce

Elysian said:


> Looks great, but you forgot the boobs


 
Haha good point... if I were to keep it for myself, they'd definately be there


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## ralphy1976

I'll take some pics of the paintings and PM them to you later on, not sure if my miss would like to see herself as a kid blasted all over a forum full of dudes!!!


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## Guitarwizard

Hahaha, I thinky we still haven't paid enough attention to the *BOOOOBS!!*

Concratulations dude, she's smoking hot! 








And youre pictures is really nice, too.


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## Xiphos68

Fantastic!


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## Fred the Shred

Very nicely done, man!  I particularly like the way you got that sort of piercing liveliness she has in her eyes.


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## Scar Symmetry

Dear John, 

Fuck you for being so talented 

Sincerely,

Dave.


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## Jem7RB

Nice work John, just get used to drawing again and i am sure your end result will be amazing


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## JohnIce

Scar Symmetry said:


> Dear John,
> 
> Fuck you for being so talented
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Dave.


 




Fred the Shred said:


> Very nicely done, man!  I particularly like the way you got that sort of piercing liveliness she has in her eyes.


 
Thanks man! Glad to hear that, her eyes are probably her most characteristic trait so I really had to get them right 



Jem7RB said:


> Nice work John, just get used to drawing again and i am sure your end result will be amazing


 
Thanks, yeah I'll have to get back on it  I play my guitar too much


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## K-Roll

ehm if that photo worked as a template, you failed - CAUSE you forgot to draw those boobs! 
amazing artwork John, really! she'll love it (and then she will love you - at least 3 times in a row) 
someone's gonna get laid pretty damn sure and it's not me this time  or any other times


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## BigPhi84

Man, I need to cut my hair emo-style so I can get a hot girlfriend too. 

Good job on the drawing. Are those fake or natural with a push-up bra?


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## JohnIce

BigPhi84 said:


> Man, I need to cut my hair emo-style so I can get a hot girlfriend too.
> 
> Good job on the drawing. Are those fake or natural with a push-up bra?


 
 It's gone now though, fortunately!  They are very much natural, believe me  As much as I shouldn't discuss my GF's boobs on an internet forum full of dudes ugh, I think she's not wearing a bra at all in that pic, just a very snug fitting shirt.

@K-Roll:  Here's to hoping!


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## BigPhi84

Wait, were you the dude that had some violent shithead stalking your girlfriend?


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## JohnIce

Yep, that's me.


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## BigPhi84

I can see why! ROFL. You, sir, are a lucky man.


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## JohnIce

BigPhi84 said:


> I can see why! ROFL. You, sir, are a lucky man.


 
Hehe thanks man  That dude later got into some drug-related crap both with the police and his dealer appearently and had to flee the area, so he's keeping himself busy someplace else these days


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## troyguitar

Wow. You made her look better in the drawing than she does in real life, which is to say that you did a perfect job. That looks like pro quality work to me, very impressive.


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## Brendan G

Excellent job, if that's the work you do as a hobbyist then I would love to see your work if/when you practice a lot!


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## loktide

that turned out really good man 

she's gonna love it!


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## Mattmc74

Damn man! awesome drawing! You did a really nice job! Better than I could ever do. I draw stick people!  
BTW - You are a very lucky guy to have such a beautiful girl! I think she will love the drawing!


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## vampiregenocide

playstopause said:


> Very well done and very good lookin' girlfriend. You win at life!



This.


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## Randy

Great portrait, John. You're definitely very talented.


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## synrgy

You did a great job. 

What I was expecting was something like this:


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## Arminius

Goddamn...That is stunning. Of course you had a wonderful model to work off of but your drawing skills are still absolutely amazing . Great job man, it takes talent to draw people without looking like the below picture . Any drawing tips?




synrgy said:


> You did a great job.
> 
> What I was expecting was something like this:



 Oh god my sides


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## JohnIce

Cheers for all the positive feedback, guys! 

@Synrgy:  She's a beaut! Her eyes really draw you in! 

@Aysakh: I'm really the worst person to ask, because I don't practice at all and have no clue what I'm doing most of the time, but I guess the best thing to do is just to look at a lot of pictures and try to analyze and learn from them, just as a musician would by listening to music and learning songs. Get a feel for how a pen feels in your hand and how different amounts of pressure and hitting the paper from different angles create different results. And just draw a lot. Before I started playing guitar I was all about drawing and I'd do it for hours every day. I'd write short stories and draw the characters, I'd make comics, and I copied a lot of characters from comics and movies and TV etc.

I never analyzed my drawing or practiced any technique, I know a lot of artists spend time practicing straight lines, symmetry, drawing without turning the paper etc. but I could never be bothered with any of that, I just drew for the fun of it 

I guess it's similar to playing guitar. There's a technical aspect, an artistic aspect, and a creative aspect, and you kind of get out of it what you put into it  So draw as much as you can and the results will follow!


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## Arsis

Good looking woman. Great drawing as well.


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## All_¥our_Bass

CooleyJr said:


> Holy shit dude! That's pretty amazing! I've tried on numerous occasions to draw portraits and stuff but NEVER got anywhere near that good. She's gona love it bro.


Amen, I can't draw people to save my life, plus I prefer to draw abstract stuff anyway.
This is badass though.


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## zeal0us

playstopause said:


> Very well done and very good lookin' girlfriend. You win at life!



He said it best.


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## BrainArt

JohnIce said:


> Cheers for all the positive feedback, guys!
> 
> @Synrgy:  She's a beaut! Her eyes really draw you in!
> 
> @Aysakh: I'm really the worst person to ask, because I don't practice at all and have no clue what I'm doing most of the time, but I guess the best thing to do is just to look at a lot of pictures and try to analyze and learn from them, just as a musician would by listening to music and learning songs. Get a feel for how a pen feels in your hand and how different amounts of pressure and hitting the paper from different angles create different results. And just draw a lot. Before I started playing guitar I was all about drawing and I'd do it for hours every day. I'd write short stories and draw the characters, I'd make comics, and I copied a lot of characters from comics and movies and TV etc.
> 
> I never analyzed my drawing or practiced any technique, I know a lot of artists spend time practicing straight lines, symmetry, drawing without turning the paper etc. but I could never be bothered with any of that, I just drew for the fun of it
> 
> I guess it's similar to playing guitar. There's a technical aspect, an artistic aspect, and a creative aspect, and you kind of get out of it what you put into it  So draw as much as you can and the results will follow!




Are all Swedes as full of insight and knowledge, or is it just you, John?


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## Ram150023

Dude, i studied art in school... never could get actual portraits down so i went the way of cartoonist. Awesome job! im very envious!!!


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## Bloody_Inferno

Great stuff dude!


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## JohnIce

IbanezShredderB said:


> Are all Swedes as full of insight and knowledge, or is it just you, John?


 
I wouldn't know, I live alone in the forest, pretty much


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## Daiephir

I hate you!
You have an amazing girl (although I do have a girlfriend too now), you can draw like a god (I'm talking Odin level here) you can play guitar pretty much like a god and you has an Axe-Fx.
Thus,
I hate you!


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## JohnIce

Daiephir said:


> I hate you!
> You have an amazing girl (although I do have a girlfriend too now), you can draw like a god (I'm talking Odin level here) you can play guitar pretty much like a god and you has an Axe-Fx.
> Thus,
> I hate you!


 
 I like you too man!  Have some rep!


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## Prydogga

Daiephir said:


> I hate you!
> You have an amazing girl (although I do have a girlfriend too now), you can draw like a god (I'm talking Odin level here) you can play guitar pretty much like a god and you has an Axe-Fx.
> Thus,
> I hate you!


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## Dark Aegis

Wow. Just wow. Fantastic job.


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## Fzau

Daiephir said:


> I hate you!
> You have an amazing girl (although I do have a girlfriend too now), you can draw like a god (I'm talking Odin level here) you can play guitar pretty much like a god and you has an Axe-Fx.
> Thus,
> I hate you!


 
It's true sadly enough 

Great drawing man! Real classy! 


Sidenote: she can change strings on a Floyd too


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## JohnIce

Fzau said:


> It's true sadly enough
> 
> Great drawing man! Real classy!
> 
> 
> Sidenote: she can change strings on a Floyd too


 
Indeed she can! 

Thanks, mate!


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## Sang-Drax

John,

Have you considered doing that for a living in the future? I mean, it's great as it is... if you're just a hobbyist, it means you could improve your skills a whole lot moar!


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## s_k_mullins

Great drawing John.. you've really got some skills! 
And beautiful GF, you're a lucky guy


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## jymellis

did you do the paper rub i was telling you about? they actually make paper pencils just for that purpose. i used to be an artist for macys department stores lol.


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## Origin

Why didn't you draw the bo-

But in all seriousness, you have a shitload of talent. Most people can't shade to save their lives.


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## Chelseadevil21

So did she like the Portrait?


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## JohnIce

jymellis said:


> did you do the paper rub i was telling you about? they actually make paper pencils just for that purpose. i used to be an artist for macys department stores lol.


 
I did, and it helped a lot! I hope you got my rep! 

I didn't re-scan the picture, but she did take a picture of it when she got it to her apartment:







I don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but in any case, it did help and I was surprised it made such a difference  Cheers again, mate! 



Sang-Drax said:


> John,
> 
> Have you considered doing that for a living in the future? I mean, it's great as it is... if you're just a hobbyist, it means you could improve your skills a whole lot moar!


 
I've thought about studying graphic design of some sort, but I always end up wanting to take a 3-year sound engineering and recording program. It would be nice to be able to fall back on a day-job doing layouts and whatnot but at the same time, betting everything on the music card might also be the best motivation to get me somewhere with the music instead. And working with music, regardless of whether it's as a musician or songwriter or recording engineer or teacher, is what I strive for 



Chelseadevil21 said:


> So did she like the Portrait?


 
Yeah, she was really happy! She said it was the most thoughtful gift she'd ever got from a guy, which was nice to hear


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## Lakeflower

Nice work, John.


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## JohnIce

Thanks, guys! 

Got a bit bored just now and decided to add some colour to it... I've tried this before but never got the results I wanted, now I tried a new method and it finally worked


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## Daiephir

Fzau said:


> Sidenote: she can change strings on a Floyd too



What!?! OK, thats just unfair John, I wish I had a Floyd so my girlfriend could learn to change the stirngs on it 

Great coloring right there, I like it alot


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## Isan

I loathe you  

Very nice sir


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## BrainArt

So John, when can I some to Sweden to have you as my wingman?


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## JohnIce

IbanezShredderB said:


> So John, when can I some to Sweden to have you as my wingman?


 
Anytime, bro!


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## quasarwaves

nice work man, and a beautiful catch!


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## ivancic1al

man i don't know what to say. great job bro. wish i had half the talent you did. congrats on a very thoughtful gift!


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## Cheesebuiscut

I'ma go kill myself now.


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## Malacoda

I love the color of the hair in the one you did; awesome creative liberty.


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## Sebastian

Awesome work !


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## JohnIce

Thanks a bunch, all of you!


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## kmanick

wow that 's pretty impressive.
You've got a real talent there.
Your GF is quite the looker.
JohnIce is living large!


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## Daemoniac

So at some point John has to die so the world balances out for the rest of us, right?

... Right?!?


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## JohnIce

...


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## Daemoniac

JohnIce said:


> ...



Yeah, well, here's something *I* did earlier:




























...  I kid, i kid dude, you know we'd never kill you and harvest your organs


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## JohnIce

Demoniac said:


> ...  I kid, i kid dude, you know we'd never kill you and harvest your organs


 
Phew, that's reassuring  If you really must harvest organs, uhhmm, the keyboard player in my band just got this one which is much nicer than mine:


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## 777timesgod

Amazing art.


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## ralphy1976

really nice colouring there. i like the addition of red in her hair (i guess to give a bit more depth?)...as a side note, red highlights will do her justice (although she might have already tried it, being a woman?!!! )

by the way : does Grattis means free? if so, nice touch!!! "free for your 20th b'day"!!!!


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## JohnIce

ralphy1976 said:


> really nice colouring there. i like the addition of red in her hair (i guess to give a bit more depth?)...as a side note, red highlights will do her justice (although she might have already tried it, being a woman?!!! )
> 
> by the way : does Grattis means free? if so, nice touch!!! "free for your 20th b'day"!!!!


 
Haha thanks, she actually has red highlights now  She figures she finally has her makeup style down now, so she'll focus on the hair from now on  She's thinking of getting extensions too, which could be awesome 

"Grattis" means congratulations, but you're not far off, as "Gratis" means free  But you're right, it would've been a nice touch


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## ralphy1976

well, i guess "grattis" for your girlfriend having finally found her make-up style!!!


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## JohnIce

ralphy1976 said:


> well, i guess "grattis" for your girlfriend having finally found her make-up style!!!


 
 I'll send her your regards! 

I re-did the colours a bit and smudged out some of the harschness from the scanner. I also have very low contrast on my laptop screen, so when I viewed the coloured version on other computers it was way too saturated. So here's the updated version:


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## ralphy1976

does she know that most of us are perving over her portrait??!!!!


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## JohnIce

ralphy1976 said:


> does she know that most of us are perving over her portrait??!!!!


 
I most certainly hope not... are you?


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## ralphy1976

you read my mind my friend!!!! 

i still need to get you some snaps of my gf popart painting i got for her. i'll try to do this this week-end


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