In the Philippines when you go different shopping malls and some streets you can see some small boots with many paintings and drawings mostly portraits and caricatures. One of my hobbies during first few years of my study in the university was to go to a shopping mall near our home and go to one painting boot and watch the artist who was into drawing a portrait or just look at his works if he was not there.

These boots were usually rented by fine artist who earn by accepting portrait or painting orders. So, I started to self-teach myself. After a year one of these artists who found me annoyingly watching his works offered me a course, after bargaining for the course price and with a very good and affordable final agreement I took few sessions with him. (I was still student and my allowance didn’t give me much to spend for extracurricular activities).

After overall 4 sessions. He gave me few advice and I was by my own. Since I love drawing people face (because I believe every person is a story that could be seen in his/her face) my focus was Portrait Monochrome Sketches. And that is how I learned to draw portraits. Here are portraits of some who have influenced my life either by their books, talks or life.