Portraits in Pastel or Pencil series

All my artistic endeavours are some form of healing process for me.
Drawing is a very personal side of me.
I don't show people my drawings. There's only a handful of people that have ever seen my art.
At least not since I was 20 years old after all my artworks were stolen. That theft hurt a lot because I had done a massive series of portraits, mostly of my Aboriginal Step-father, Yabu. They were the only things I had left of his face. To remind me of his generous smile and deep gaze.

I've been asked several times about my drawings, so I figured I'll start to drip feed different drawings I have done.
I like to do portraits of people's faces.
I find human faces so fascinating.
Each face tells an epic story of trials and tribulations.
Each line and curve on a face recounts how many times this person felt pain and pleasure.
I usually choose to not include the neck or the hair. Don't get me wrong, I love hair, but sometimes rather than frame a face, hair can distract from the story in either a good or bad way. Leaving it out always reveals something fascinating about a person. Like stripping them naked of clothing or a mask.

I hope you enjoy each stroke of this piece. I drew this piece at a time of heartache when I felt my smile was only given to others, but not given to myself.
It helped me gain perspective.
It lifted me out of darkness and into ecstatic joy!

I hope you smile when you look at it.
I hope it somehow helps shake off, or more accurately,
laugh off, any pain or stress that may be lingering inside of you..

You deserve to be happy too... (say it to yourself, "I deserve to be happy.")

Blessings to you!