4 hours in

Last time I worked on this was a week ago, been dealing with other things since.  Mood has been fluctuating.  Ah, let's see...okay, last time I was drawing while sharing a movie on YouTube with Jesseca, 'My Dinner with Andre".  I enlarged the image and focused on the finer shapes and in so doing ended up feeling I'd screwed up the larger shapes - the way the jacket drapes and folds.  Discouraging, I didn't much want to look at the drawing compared to the photo.  I've been reluctant to start in again...but it looks okay.  This lead being so soft and smudgy, there would have been no erasing to correct.  Must remember: don't fuss it if it looks convincing.  It's close enough, actually closer than I'd feared.

As you can see, making sense of the collar and hair at the nape of her neck is not easy.  Those are not clear borders to delineate. 

I've gently begun to block in the shape of her  face, but I think I'm going to switch to a harder grqade of lead for her fade and torso, and perhaps her left hand.  This was an image I made an earlier attempt at in ballpoint pen, beginning with her face, and that didn't suit her at all.  the power of this image lies in its conrtrasts, so the skin and features of the face must be drawn more tenderly.  harder lead means softer, lighter tones that I can control more easily.  I do love this soft lead for acheiveing depth of black in the jacket and will look great or her hair.

I've always thought Sharon Mitchell to be an extraordinarily beautiful woman.

Those two light spots near the right shoulder of her jacket are either snaps or zippers - buttons,  I think.  The photo is impossible to make out at that point.  Possibly I can get by with leaving them alone, but as I'm certain there must be pockets there it would do with looking at shots of similar coats.