Sketchbook Series: Grandson Fun Part 1

Let's Have Some Grandson Fun! 
Featuring my Sketchbook Series

Hello & welcome back to A Time to Play, where we share the way we are having FUN and experimenting with the ways we want to express ourselves and making Play a Priority! Yep! 

A bit of a Preface here. 
Back in April of 2025, I decided to make a series for my blog, A Time to Play, called my Sketchbook Series. This stems from the sketchbook practice I started at about the same time when I decided to pull out a sketchbook and have FUN drawing Faces again. (I am a long time portrait artist but that practice fell to the wayside for a while as I focused on other creative outlets.) 

I decided, after being inspired by some pencil portraits I had seen online, that I wanted to try my hand at it again. I also recalled watching the Portrait Artist of the Year series and watching a master showing how he used Shape and Shadow to create a face. Fascinating process. 

So I decided to see if that approach would make a difference in the way I drew faces. 

Each afternoon when I watch a bit of TV on Amazon Prime, I grab my sketchbook and pencil case, my lap desk and lamp (Always Have to Have Good Lighting!), my remote handy to silence commercials, and settle in for my session. 

My initial goal was to do sketches of family members from old photos which I did here. 
​I've done a few of each of my grandsons, my father, and both my daughters with their children. 
Loving every minute of it. 

My eldest grandson at about age 6? At a pumpkin patch for a school field trip.

For this post, I am sharing two sketches I've done of each of my grandsons. The one above is my eldest grandson (who is almost 15 now!) when he was about 6 years old. The photo was taken at a pumpkin patch while he was on a school field trip and here he's hugging a pumpkin he found. I love the tenderness of his gaze and the way his hair lands on his forehead. I really enjoyed drawing his plaid button front shirt with t-shirt underneath. (At the time he loved dressing like Grandpa!) 

Here is a sketch I did of my younger grandson who is 2 but was in his first year from the reference photo. He is hanging out on the bed with Mommy.

The second sketch is one I did of my younger grandson (who is 2 now!). In the image reference, he is in his first year. I took the photo during a FaceTime session and he gave me a big grin! I so enjoyed capturing the softness and roundness of his face and the detail and shading of his onesie. I decided not do to any background, just with the goal of capturing just his face and figure visible in the photo. I loved this age of his navigating being strong and brave moving about and following his curiosity. Everything is so new at this age. Always something to discover. 

For each of these sketches, I used a 6B and 8B pencil, (which have thicker leads than a #4 pencil), using the shapes and shadows as my guide in working out how to approach the drawing. This is in contrast to simple line or contour drawing. It is fun picking out the details of the face and fingers, being sure to define the parts with accuracy but also with a softer edge. 

This is one of my favorite practices, doing my daily face sketching each afternoon. 

One of my tips for you concerning a practice is to sometimes incorporate that time with another activity, whether at your kitchen table while cooking a meal, sitting on the couch watching TV with family or some other time that suits you! 

And if what you choose to do is truly enjoyable and satisfying, all the better! 

Thanks for being a part of my artist journey and for sharing below how you are playing each day! I'd love to hear from you and cheer you on! 

Have yourself a delightful day and remember to PLAY! 

Dawn Herring, Artist, Illustrator, Journal Keeper, & Creative Consultant