Mae Martinez and her Amazing Haircut

I discovered Mae Martinez through an app called Museum, where people from around the world share portrait references and artists take a crack at doing something with them. It’s an incredible resource for practicing portrait work without worrying about usage restrictions, and it exposes me to faces I might never encounter otherwise.

Mae’s haircut caught my attention immediately—it frames her face in a way that pulls you straight to her eyes. That strong visual contrast made her a perfect subject for a quick sketchbook study.

I began this piece as a contour line drawing in pencil, using a limited palette of Burnt Sienna, Teal, Cobalt Blue, Alizarin Crimson, and Indigo - my go to colors. Lately, I’ve been intentionally working to keep my sketches loose, and contour drawing has been a helpful way to resist overworking the image.

The proportions aren’t perfect—and that’s okay. The goal here wasn’t accuracy, but momentum. I wanted to work quickly and capture her expression and presence rather than stop to correct every measurement. I could have adjusted the drawing, but doing so would have defeated the purpose of the exercise.

Sometimes progress comes not from tightening control, but from letting go and allowing the work to teach you something.

5" x 8" sketchbook Art, Watercolor and Fountain Pen

Original photo that I used as a reference this evening.