Portrait of an Old Man Looking Slightly Above

This is a portrait drawing of an old man looking slightly above the viewer’s eyeline. The drawing was sketched with a thin black pen in a loose and expressive line style. The pen lines are tight and dense in detailed areas around the eyes, which helps define multiple creases and contours of the face. A black marker was used to push a few creases and shadows deeper to help the highlights, created by the open white space of the paper, pop forward. The open outlines add a contrast of lightness and breathability as the chaotic lines overwhelm the portrait drawing. A spot of light blue marker at the collar offers the viewer a distraction from the distraught expression on the old man’s face. His slightly open mouth, constricted pupils and sad eyebrows tilted up in the center convey an intensely distressed experience of emotion.