My 100 Heads Challenge #1

Gabriela Niko
2023

Text and illustrations are copyrighted. No part of the book may

be copied, edited, reproduced or distributed without the prior
written consent of the author.
about me
My name is Gaby and I am an illustrator, sketchbook artist and
designer from Poland. I studied Industrial Design and Fashion Design
at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. I started my first sketchbook
at the end of 2018 and fell in love with drawing! After almost a decade
of working as a sportswear designer, I decided to change my career
and pursue art as a freelancer.

If you want to see more of my work, visit my Instagram and TikTok.

If you are interested in tutorials on drawing portraits, I invite you to visit
my Patreon page and to purchase my course on Domestika.
 05
DIRECTION

Why The 100 Heads Challenge? 5

Motivation, art blocks and the fear of failure, 8
Helpful exercises before you start, 11
Collecting reference photos, 14
Materials, 17

21
SKETCHES

Finding your own pace, 21

My 100 portraits, 23

41
ETCETERAS

Documenting your work, 41

Social media tips, 42
What did I learn, 45
What happened next, 46

Thank you!, 48
Why the 100 Heads Challenge?

When I started my first sketchbook in November 2018, I didn't have

any specific plans regarding style or subject matter of my drawings.
I wanted to find something that would be a distraction from work and
everyday stress. I drew everything that came to my mind – my cat, plants,
shoes, trips to the forest, random animal studies, mythical creatures or
my dreams. For a long time I didn't even try to draw portraits because
I was aware how difficult it would be, and didn’t want to disturb my
pleasant, new hobby.

Drawings from my first sketchbook (November 2018)

It's actually funny that for the most part of my life, I thought I don't like
and can't draw people...

When finishing the sketchbook in January, I sketched my first portraits

and was surprised with the results. They were far beyond my
expectations.
5
Portraits from my first sketchbook (January 2019)

 After that, I started to draw more and more portraits, with very
different results. I didn't quite know what I was doing, my process was
long and disorganized. Many of my drawings took hours, even though
they looked like simple sketches because I was lost in searching lines,
desperate to find the exact proportions. I knew, I had a lot to learn. At the
same time I was impatient, annoyed by my mistakes and wanted to see
quick results.

"#100HeadsChallenge - You have 10 Days!" by Ahmed Aldoori

One day I came across a YouTube video by Ahmed Aldoori on his

"100 Heads Challenge". The assumption was to draw one hundred
portraits in ten days. Ahmed talked about the challenge and the freedom
with which you can do it in a very encouraging and understanding way.
I felt this was it! I finally found a specific tool that will help me quickly
learn how to draw portraits!

At the same time, I was still working nine-to-five back then, and didn't
have time to draw ten portraits every day. Especially since my pace was
still very slow. I decided to take up the challenge anyway, but without the
pressure of finishing it in ten days.

I didn't realize then, how many new possibilities would open up for me
through this one decision...

7
Motivation, art block and the fear of failure
Taking up a new challenge is usually the moment of the greatest
motivation, which goes through many ups and downs throughout the
process. Therefore, the most difficult task during the challenge is to keep
drawing. Regardless of whether the drawing has asymmetrical eyes,
incorrect proportions or whether coffee has been spilled on it. The most
important thing is the process itself.

But how to do it, when you have so many other things to do? How to
find energy and focus when you are tired after school or work? Or worse,
when you try to draw but the result is far from your expectations?
I have dealt with these blockers in several ways.

Keep on drawing!
This is the approach I learned when filling my first sketchbook.
My idea was to draw everyday. Regardless of how unsuccessful a spread
in my opinion was, I turned the page over and kept trying. Fear of failure
and the constant correction of mistakes would definitely stop me from
completing the task. You can be sure, that you will draw a lot of poor
sketches and make many mistakes, but the goal of the 100 Heads
Challenge is not to draw a hundred beautiful portraits.

Don't be afraid of something going wrong because it's not a homework,

portfolio, or client commission that you'll be judged, graded, or paid for.
This is a learning process that can bring only benefits. As long as you get
rid of high expectations and fear of not meeting them.
Variety and flexibility
My focus level drops quite quickly – especially when I'm bored. That's why
I had to come up with many small variations in my routine: I changed the
size of the portraits, the style and the types of beauty of the models.
I used a variety of pencils, watched tutorials, and tried to implement the
tips in my drawings. I tried to draw with my left hand, rotate the
sketchbook or sketch the same portrait in two ways. Once I took a break
to watch the third season of "Stranger Things" and then draw the
characters from the show. All these nuances helped me diversify the
challenge and keep attention at the right level.

Art Block Days

There may be days when you don't feel like drawing. You may have a lot
of extra work, a nasty mood, or some kind of internal or external
blockage. In such moments, it is worth checking if you can draw
something simple. For example, only one portrait, from the angle of view
that is easiest for you. Enjoy staying in your comfort zone. It may turn out
that after such a warm-up you will break the art block and continue
drawing. If, however, you are convinced that this is not a good day to
draw, you are demotivated, miserable and life is a horror – take a break,
and try the next day.

9
Clean up or reorganize your workspace
This simple activity always helps me when I don't feel like drawing. A
neatly organized desk encourages me to sit down and draw. But maybe
you're bored with your everyday workspace? Or your favorite place to
draw is the bed, couch or floor? You can arrange them in a fun or cozy
way as well. Think back to building forts when you were a kid! Grab pillows
and blankets! Have fun with creating your own artistic corner.

Negotiate with the Inner Laze.

Remember to listen to your needs, not the lazy part of yourself, that will
be happy to suggest, what you don't want to do today. It's obvious that
you won't feel like drawing every single day. (Or go to a run. Or to get up
earlier and plan a more productive day). But instead of listening to your
today-self, try to listen to yourself-from-the-future. Will you-from-the-
future be proud if you draw something today? Will you be proud when
you finish the full challenge? Ask yourself this question every time your
inner laziness will try to send you to the couch with a bag of chips to look
for something interesting on Netflix. You can at least negotiate with your
urge of idleness. Go and chill, but after drawing a few portraits, or draw
with your favorite show as a background noise.

10
Helpful exercises before you start
Starting with the 100 Heads Challenge, I wasn't completely new to
drawing. At the age of eighteen, I attended drawing school for a year,
where I learned mainly by studying still lifes. Drawing a still life is an
excellent exercise for every artistic aspect: from light and shadow,
through perspective and composition, to the choice of colors, style and
aesthetics of your artwork.

Starting your drawing adventure with portrait art would be a bit like
learning to walk by trying to run. If you haven't drawn for a long time or
are just beginning to learn, start with simpler exercises.

Still life studies

Draw objects from your surroundings with a pencil or charcoal. It can be
vases, bottles, glasses, cups, boxes, figurines, fabrics with various textures,
vegetables and fruits, shoes, toys - anything you like. It is important that
they are made of different materials, have different sizes, colors and
textures.
Place them in an interesting composition and try to sketch from different
points of view and in different frames. Pay attention to their relationship
with each other - both in terms of sizes and shapes, as well as textures
and materials from which they are made. Study their alignment,
symmetry, perspective, values and how they reflect light.

The face, although it is not obvious at first glance, can also be simplified
to spheres, cylinders, pyramids, and trapezoids. Studying such forms
before drawing portraits is a necessary foundation for beginners and
a good reminder for more experienced artists who haven't drawn for
a while.

12
Warming up
Even if you draw regularly, it is worth warming up before more complex
challenges. Relax your hand by drawing simple lines and shapes - circles,
ovals, squares or cubes. Try to freehand draw lines and forms as
smoothly as possible. Practicing your hand and eyes on simple shapes
will increase your control over more complex sets of forms.

Bits an pieces
If you don't feel up to drawing the entire face at once, start with bits of it -
a simple head-like block or sketches of the eyes, noses and mouths. Such
exercises helped me to face more complicated drawings and to
understand the various peculiarities of a human head. Try to capture
such elements from different points of view. You can also use anatomical
illustrations. It's a great base and warm-up for more complex drawings.
You can come back to such exercises if you notice that you are having
troubles with a certain face element when drawing portraits. It was lips for
me. So I drew much more of them than just in my portraits.

13
 collecting reference photos

Collecting photos for the challenge can take a long time, so it's best
to do it in advance. You can use the ones prepared by Ahmed Aldoori,
my Pinterest boards or collect your own base of photos.

What photos to choose

If you are a beginner, I recommend that you choose your photos
intuitively. To start, choose ten photos with different characteristics –
light intensity, illumination level, smooth and sharp contours, etc. Start
with the photos that rather show the full head than only a part of it.
Skip the photos with additional difficult elements as hands or complex
expressions. Start with clear, simple composition as on photos 1 and 2:

14
 When drawing them, you should notice what kind of pictures are more
natural and pleasant for you to draw from. For many beginners, these
are photos with a clear distinction between light and shadow. Clear
shapes are formed in such photographs, which are helpful in
determining the proportions and planes of the face. In my case it was
different – my drawings are more linear. So I like photos with more even
light where all parts of the face are clearly visible.

Clear distinction between light and Even lightning where all parts of the face
shadow forms simple shapes which are are clearly visible is better for linear
helpful in searching for proportionss sketches but requires more precise
distribution of proportions.

15
After the first portraits, you will decide which photos are more suitable
for you and you can search for more, based on these preferences.

Here are some places where you can find portrait photos:

Pinterest – on Pinterest you can create boards dedicated to your 100

Heads Challenge, or simply use the ones that already exist.
Here you will find my board of references, created especially for this
challenge.
Unsplash – a great website with royalty-free pictures.
Pexels – free photos from the gallery along with royalty-free images
and videos provided by the creators.
This person does not exist – random face generator. It creates
combinations made up of different faces, so you can be sure that you
are not using the image of a specific person.
Reference Pictures for Creators – a huge base of photos for creators,
ready to purchase in themed bundles.
Museum by Sktchy – a very useful app. People upload their selfies
that you can draw from. It is a global community of muses and artists.
Photos of yourself, your friends, family, and followers – many people
will be very happy to be captured in a portrait!
 materials
During my first 100 Heads Challenge, I drew only with a pencil.
My goal was to learn how to draw portraits – to capture the proportions
and characteristic features of a given face. I didn't want to make the
challenge too difficult by using other media.

I believe the pencil is the perfect choice to start with because it teaches
you that the tool doesn't really matter. With the help of pencil drawing,
you can learn how to properly build form and volume, create various
line thicknesses, soft shading as well as sharp, more graphic hatching.
The pencil offers many possibilities that should be explored before
moving on to the color study. But if the pencil drawing is not pleasant
for you, choose another tool. The most important thing is that you
enjoy learning. If you force yourself to use a pencil just because
I recommend it, it will not work for you. I believe that in the art and
learning process you have to be guided by fun and pleasure.
Here are the tools I used in my challenge back in 2019, and a few more
that I would recommend now:

Winsor & Sketchbook – Hard Case Bound, A4

This sketchbook is great for very precise sketches, like with cross-
hatching technique. It has a pretty thick and very smooth paper. I used
to like its very cool, bluish tone but now I prefer the warm shade of off-
white papers.

Faber-Castell 9000, HB lead

My favorite pencil that I use every day. It is great for initial sketches
because it can be easily erased. Sometimes I also use it to create whole
drawings. One pencil may be enough to create a wide range of line
values if you can vary its pressure.

Toison D'or 1900 – Koh-I-Noor, soft lead, graphite pencils (4B, 6B)
If you want to add variety to your sketches with different line
thicknesses and very dark values, different pencil hardnesses will be
very useful. Naturally, it can pull you towards the soft ones because
they are very pleasant to use, but also appreciate the hard ones, which
help to create initial sketches and very fine, easy-to-erase lines.

for darker details and heavier lines

(smudges more)
for initial sketches
(fine and clean, easy-to-
erase lines)
 Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt
These pencils were not on the market in 2019 when I was taking up the
challenge for the first time, but now I would definitely use them. I love
their black, matt finishing and that they smudge less than regular
pencils. You can see the difference 🎞 HERE

Mechanical pencil: Pentel Graphgear 1000, 0.5 mm, 2B lead

I bought this pencil because it looks very elegant and made entirely of
metal. However, you can use any mechanical pencil. Such a pencil is
useful for creating very precise lines and hatching. It's great for small
drawings which you will most likely create during the 100 Heads
Challenge.

Regular eraser
I like Black Dust-Free eraser from Faber Castell. It removes graphite
without leaving many crumbs. It doesn’t smear the graphite and is
suitable for removing soft and strong pencil strokes.

Kneadable eraser
Professional eraser to correct and brighten drawings made with pencil,
charcoal, colored pencils and dry pastel. I like to roll it over the first
layer of the sketch to make searching lines less visible. It makes the
final drawing much more clean.

Elastomer eraser
Refillable eraser pen with a fine point for very precise and neat erasing.

Sharpener
The quality of a sharpener, especially the blade, is crucial for optimum
sharpening of wooden pencils. That's why I like simple metal
sharpeners like the one from Faber-Castell.

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 Utility knife
Useful for sharpening traditional pencils. To do it, place the knife on the
pencil at an angle of 10-15 degrees and remove the thin strips of wood
by gradually turning the pencil in your hand. With such sharpening, you
can draw wide lines and planes with the side of the pencil.

Paper Stump
A blending stump or paper stump is a stick of tightly rolled up soft
paper with 2 pointed ends. It is used to create soft tonal transitions,
distribute the graphite and soften sharp edges in the drawing. I didn't
use it very often during my first 100 Heads Challenge because I focused
on learning the cross-hatching back then.

Using a blending tool is tempting because

it significantly speeds up the shading process,
but for a beginner it may turn out to be a trap.
Blending graphite to get a given plane of value,
but without being aware of the form, is a bit
of a "shortcut". If you are just starting out, try
to use a pencil as much as possible and
discover how many possibilities it offers.

Fixatives
I don't use fixatives in my sketchbooks because I don't mind when the
drawings are a bit smudged. Using mainly an HB pencil makes this
rarely the case. If, however, I really care about a particular sketch,
I secure it with a blank sheet inserted between the pages of the
sketchbook. You can also try the fixatives offered by different brands or
a simple, very cheap hairspray. Spray the drawings from a distance of
about 30 cm and let them dry.

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 finding your own pace
As already mentioned, my level of motivation was not the same
throughout the entire challenge. My initial enthusiasm made me draw
as many as 14 portraits on the first day. On the other days, I created
fewer of them, sometimes only one or none. Some sketches took me
twenty minutes; others, much more detailed and larger, even several
hours.
The original assumption that I would draw ten portraits every day could
only exist if my pace and way of drawing were balanced. This is rather
impossible for a beginner who has yet to develop a way of drawing and
a more organized process.

If you are a beginner, I recommend that you turn on the alarm clock
and try to draw portraits within different time limits. For example: a ten,
twenty, and thirty minute portrait. Notice how they differ and what you
like about them. Faster portraits can have more freshness and bold
lines. The ones that take more time are likely to be more defined and
similar to the references.
Try to find a golden mean. Do not make sketches too fast because they
will be sloppy. Also, don't draw one sketch for too long, because the
challenge is to create multiple portrait studies, not a few polished works
of art. It's very easy to get stuck in the process of refining one favorite
drawing. An alarm clock can help you leave it and move on to the next
one. By the way, consider setting the pleasant and not too loud alarm
sound. The challenge is supposed to be enjoyable, not to cause a micro
heart attack every twenty minutes ;)
Once you've found your pace, try to stick to it, but also be flexible. If you
want to pick up the pace on a given day, do so. It is very possible that
your pace will accelerate on its own over time, or you will find that you
are able to produce a more adequate study at the same amount of
time.
After a while, we forget such details, so it's worth taking notes of your
progress. For example, you can write down next to a given sketch, how
many minutes it took you to draw it. You may be pleasantly surprised
when you look at your sketchbook after a few years.
My pace is still similar - it takes about 20-30 minutes to sketch a face.
However, their quality, number of lines and character similarity differ.
Here are my sketches based on the same reference photo. The first is
from 2019, and the second from 2022. I like both of them but I’m also
happy to see my style and skills evolving with time and practice.

Now that I have discussed the materials, reference photos, mind setting
and preparation for the challenge itself, I will present my 100 sketches!

22
My 100 portraits

27 June-20 July 2019

KICK-START!
On the first day I created 14 sketches and enjoyed every one of them!
This gave me a lot of energy and motivation for the rest of the challenge, but
also set the bar quite high...
DIVERSITY
I started the challenge with traditional HB pencil for searching lines and 6B for
darker values. As you can see, although I usually draw mainly women, during the
challenge I tried to exercise also with masculine portrait sketching.
THE MINDSET DURING QUICK SKETCHING
Practicing quick sketches is extremely helpful in learning how to simplify your
drawings. For example - quick sketches taught me how to understand and simplify
the hair because I didn't have time to think about every single hair, but wanted to
reflect their character quickly and convincingly.
LEARNING IS NOT LINEAR.
That day, I felt like I was regressing in my skills and didn't like most of these
sketches. It is worth remembering that there are good and worse days and that
learning is not linear.
VISUAL DIARY
At that time, I trained a lot and worked as a sportswear designer. Such motivation
slogans as you can see on this page were something I saw on a daily basis. Now
they seem cheesy to me, but it's nice to look at the sketchbook as if it was a diary,
a postcard to yourself from years ago. Your sketchbook is whatever you want
it to be and it will reflect different moments and stages of your life.
IT'S OK TO BREAK THE RULES
I was bored with quick sketches and decided to draw something more detailed.
I remember being very proud of this portrait of Billie Eilish and I still like it. According to
the original challenge, there shouldn't be such portraits in it, but in my opinion, whatever
makes you enjoy the process, and therefore keeps you going, is good. I broke the rule
of drawing many, quick sketches, but thanks to this I continued the whole challenge.
TAKE YOUR TIME
It's funny how the rush is visible on this page. I wanted to sketch but also had
other commitments so the hair of these characters is visibly messy (42, 43, 45).
The right amount of time to draw a well-thought-out and confident line is very
important in drawing. If you're a beginner, take your time to practice.
CHANGE THE SUBJECT
One day I decided that I had to focus on something other than just another face
or i will scream, so I let my mind run free in drawing these floral forms.
This drawing is now framed and hangs in my living room.
DISCOVER YOUR AESTHETIC
I really like this page. The bold and simple hatching in no. 48, which shows the
values in a very simplified, graphic way. It is difficult to find such courage and
freshness in bigger works. In no. 49, I like the simplicity and the "unfinished" style
that can be seen in many of my drawings. Take notes of what you like in your
studies. It will help you repeat the effect and create your own visual language.
STICKY NOTES
This fella is hidden under the pink sticky note. I couldn't stand his
expression - it's supposed to be Idris Elba, and he looked like he for-
got his glasses. It's a good way because you'll still be able to check
what was hidden under the note but it won't bother you every
time you see this page in your sketchbook.
A QUICK SKETCH AS A TRIAL VERSION
As you can see this character appeared on the previous page as a quick sketch
(55) but I liked the concept so much that I created a separate, larger drawing.
Quick sketches are cool reference attempts. Sometimes you may think that
a certain character will be a great figure to draw, but it is better to use sketch
as a trial version, after which you can verify whether it is worth a large format.
STYLE AND MEDIA EXPERIMENTS
On this page I experimented a bit with the fine-liner to add more black and
sharp lines to my sketches. I didn't like them. Especially in portrait number 67,
which looks like from a coloring book. Such tests are awesome - they allow
us to find out what suits our style and taste.
ANATOMY AND PROPORTIONS
I consider this drawing to be beautiful, even though it is not perfect nor
anatomically correct. The hands are too large for a tiny face (open hand should
be as long as the face). I spent a lot of time on this drawing but I didn't notice it
until the end. I like it anyway. I'm so glad that I tried such a difficult setup.
Thanks to this, I saw what I needed to work on.
CAPTURING THE LIKENESS
In most of the sketches I did not focus on the exact similarity to the reference,
but with the characters from "Stranger Things" it was very important to me.
I have been struggling with it for a few days, but in the end I was satisfied with
the results. If you are setting yourself a difficult goal, remember to balance
it with something you like. For example - by drawing your favorite characters.
SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER TO TAKE A BREAK
I remember having a bad drawing day and struggling with these sketches,
so decided to skip it. Therefore, I believe that the original task (100 portraits
in 10 days) would not be a good idea for me. I think bending the rules
is good, especially when it helps to continue the overall learning process.
YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED WITH SOME OF YOUR SKETCHES
Till this day, this is one of my favorite sketches I ever did. And I made it after
having a very bad art block and many doubts about my skills. Remember to
keep on trying. You never know how your next piece will turn out.
I DID IT!
Probably the closer to the end, the less you will want to draw, but know that at
the end you will be rewarded with extraordinary satisfaction and new skills.
Maybe you won't notice them right away, but they will stay with you anyway.
documenting your work
By the time I entered the 100 Heads Challenge, I already had an
Instagram account with around three thousand followers. Sharing the
process of this challenge was very uplifting and encouraging because
my followers cheered me on and joined me in drawing.
I love social media for the fact that they connect people with similar
interests, even when they live in distant parts of the world.

I feel like I could (and perhaps should) write a separate e-book on how
to document your art for social media sharing, but here are some quick,
essential tips which have helped me when I started.

How to take good photos of your art?

1.Take photos in soft, natural, not too bright light.

Daylight is usually more soft and optically white. All the regular lamps are
too dark or too yellow or not bright enough to show fine pencil lines. I
know it might be problematic, especially on winter time, but I think it's
essential.

2. Improve parameters of your photo with a proper software.

I'm using a Snapseed App. For pencil drawings usually I'm increasing
highlights and structure, and decreasing saturation. Filters are ok but very
often they spoil the quality of photos or are too strong. I think it's better
to work on editing by yourself.

3. Use a scanned picture and edit it into the photo of your sketchbook.
I started to use this trick recently, when it was impossible to capture
some of my traditional, colorful artworks on the photos.

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 social media tips
Here are some tips that have helped me grow on Instagram but most of
them can be applied to other social media platforms.

Create an account dedicated only to your art.

Mixing artworks and personal stuff might work for some people but it's
very rare and even when they add something personal — they still keep
their content consistent (in colors, filters, whole aesthetic).
Separate content for your private profile and artistic account. You can mix
both in Stories but try to keep the grid consistent. You have only a few
seconds to show your work to a potential follower so it needs to clearly
show your theme, skills and aesthetic.

By the way, at the beginning I didn't want to tell my friends that I have
a separate art account. I wanted to know if people actually like my art,
not just support me kindly as a person they know from school or work.
I started from zero followers and gained first ones just with hashtags,
being active on other artistic accounts and participating in art challenges.
You can try the same way if you like — I think it takes off a bit of pressure.

How to keep your grid coherent?

Use the same photo parameters or filters to achieve similar saturation,

structure, white balance, fading etc. Before posting, put a photo into
a preview app to see if it fits your grid. These are my favorite apps:

Preview App — helps to keep the content consistent

UNFOLD — helps to create aesthetic Stories
Snapseed — helps to correct your photo parameters
VSCO — has a lot of aesthetic looking filters​
InShot — an intuitive app to edit your videos
Plan your content ahead of time.

I started my Instagram account after I filled out my first sketchbook and

had enough drawings to put together something coherent. I had a base
of drawings and photos that allowed me to continue creating without
worrying about being inactive on social media for too long. Such
scheduling also allows you to select the best drawings from those you
have and create high-quality content.

Use proper hashtags.

It's better to use a few, medium popular hashtags than many highly
popular, where your post will have small chance to be seen.

Do not use forbidden tags. You can google list of tags blocked by
Instagram. There are many innocent like #books or #brain. Be sure not to
use any of these because your post won't be visible.

Click the hashtags you used after posting some content and visit other
accounts that have just used the same hashtags. Support them with
a like or comment. People will most likely visit your account as well.

Be there for your existing followers.

Not only to find new ones. Focusing on your contact with a few followers
is better than being totally anonymous for many of them. Engage the
followers you already have, learn about what they like and what interests
them. If you will try only to get new followers you will probably quickly
lose them.
Don't act like a bot.

Don't run around the Instagram with with following & unfollowing or "likes
for likes" attitude. It works only for a short time. After that, you will loose
most of gained followers. You might even get blocked by the algorithm.
It's also very annoying for many users so you might get blocked.

Be helpful and support other artists.

Share your knowledge an inspiration. Give a positive feedback if you like

someone's artwork. Make friends. It is not just a portfolio - it's a social
media platform.

Keep your page consistent and authentic.

Show your finished artworks but also your workshop, process, quick
sketches and helpful tips. It will help you to post regularly with less effort
but will be also more genuine.

Participate in challenges.

There are many interesting events on Instagram like Inktober, Mermay or

Draw This In Your Style challenges. Find something for you and enjoy
bonding with people :)

Keep up with trends.

You don't have to blindly follow each, individual trend but be aware of
them and pick what suits your audience. Maybe all the changes (like reels)
don't sound exciting at first but at least try to know what you like.

Have fun!

People can feel when you do something because you enjoy it and they
often wanna be a part of it. Doing something just for the sake of popularity
will not necessarily be authentic and appealing for the followers. Have fun
and share your excitement!
 what did I learn

During the challenge I learned a lot

about myself. This was not my goal,
and was quite surprising. It turned
out that I am more patient and
persistent than I thought. That I get
bored easily and need a lot of mini-
challenges in the middle of the
large challenge, but I am able to
provide myself with them. That
external support gives me a good
kick and it is worth publishing my
process on social media. That my
skills are not the same every day
and it really depends on my mood,
so it’s worth it to keep on trying
even after a bad day because the
next one can be much better.

When drawing portraits, I mainly used the hatching technique, which

I was then obsessed with. I think it was a great learning base because
cross-hatching requires a special observation of the human face. It
forces you to see geometric structures where everything is quite smooth
and subtle. This technique allowed me to see and remember how planes
and angles are arranged on the face. It is not yet particularly visible in
many of these portraits, but it has made it easier for me to simplify the
forms and to show their volume convincingly.

I describe my experiences, but remember that the most important thing

is what you like and feel motivated by. What makes you enjoy the
process, at what pace you like to work and with what type of models.
If you decide to draw the whole hundred or you prefer to start with thirty
portraits.

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Focus on making the challenge fun and satisfying, and it will be much
more effective. I am convinced that you can learn more by drawing
twenty portraits with joy and energy than by forcing yourself to draw
a hundred. Above all - have fun! The rest is a bonus :)

what happened next...

I did not expect how this seemingly insignificant challenge would

change my life and career path. Posting my progress on Instagram has
brought me a lot of followers, opening up new doors. One of them
turned out to be cooperation with Domestika. It was thanks to the “100
Heads Challenge” that I was noticed by them and invited to create an
online course on drawing portraits.

I know that the challenge will not be the same for everyone, but
I am convinced that it can bring satisfaction, an incredible amount
of knowledge, self-confidence and skill progress to each of you!

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 Thank you!

Many thanks to my wonderful Patrons and followers, thanks

to whom I can do what I love.

Thanks to my boyfriend, family and friends who always support

my choices and show how proud they are of me.

Last but not least - thank YOU so much for supporting my work
by purchasing this e-book <3

Gabs