Drawing a likeness is not as difficult as you may think...
Lee Hammond's gridding and blending method is a technique that can be used by anyone. You can be drawing in hours and earning in weeks... I'd sold 3 of my earliest portraits within 3 months of starting and I can assure you, I couldn't draw the proverbial 'straight line' before reading Lee's book!!!

This method calls for a reasonably sized photograph, preferably an 8" x 10"
or the cover of one of the many glossy magazines. Try to choose one with good, strong shadows and clearly defined detail... the better the photograph, the better the drawing.

For this particular demonstration I've selected a black and white photograph of Matt Le Blanc taken from one of my daughter's magazines. A quick study of the face shows that the light is quite high and slightly to the right of the subject casting shadows beneath the brows, nose, top lip, bottom lip, chin and jawline. These shadows are actually defining the features and shape of the face. You will notice that there are no outlines around the lips, eyes or nose. This is probably the most common fault with peoples drawings, resulting in a cartoon or caricature rather than a realistic portrait. What I hope to demonstrate is, the use of shapes and tones to produce the finished drawing.