u/Embarrassed_Ad_2947

Still working on my hability to draw without tracing, so, as disclaimer you should all know that I used one of her pics and traced it and then made some alterations on top of it for the sketch. But, as I wanted to do this for her birthday this year and not in another 5 years, I think it's okay! This was EXTREMELY fun! And as I usually draw realism, it was a nice break.

So, I've been learning how to draw since January (2026) and I have been making some pretty decent progress in my opinion, but I still cannot for the life of me make the portrait look like the reference. I'm not interested in photorealism, but I would like to somewhat chapture the likeness of the reference I try to draw. Any tips?