Getting Started
Alright, so I decided to work on this ‘young kareem’ idea today. Been thinking about it for a bit. First thing, had to actually find some decent pictures. You know how it is, you search online and get a million things, most of them not quite right. Spent maybe twenty minutes just scrolling, looking for shots from his UCLA days or early Bucks time. Needed something with a clear view, not too blurry.
The Actual Doing Part
Found one that felt okay. Grabbed my sketchbook, the one with the slightly annoying paper texture, but it’s what I had nearby. Started with a light pencil sketch. Just trying to get the basic pose down, that tall frame, the way he moved even standing still. It’s harder than it looks, getting those proportions right, especially for someone distinctive like him. My first attempt looked kinda weird, honestly. The head felt too small or something.
So, I erased a big chunk of it. Started again on the upper body. Focused on the shoulders and head shape. Sometimes you just gotta restart a section, no big deal. Spent a good while just on the face. Young Kareem had this focused look, kinda serious. Trying to capture that without making it look like a caricature is tough. Used a softer pencil for some shading around the eyes and cheekbones. Kept smudging it with my finger, which I know you’re not supposed to do, but whatever, it works for me sometimes.
Challenges and Stuff
- Getting the height/lankiness right without making him look distorted.
- The facial expression was tricky – intense but youthful.
- My pencil lead broke like three times. Annoying.
Worked on the jersey next. Simple shapes mostly, but getting the lettering (‘UCLA’ in this case) to look like it’s actually on fabric, wrapping around, took some fiddling. Didn’t go crazy with details, just enough to suggest what it is. Added some basic shading to give it form, make it look less flat. The whole thing probably took longer than I expected. Got up to stretch my back halfway through.
Wrapping It Up
Stepped back to look at it. It’s… alright. Not my best work ever, maybe, but not terrible either. Captured a bit of the feeling I was going for, that early intensity. It’s recognizable, I think. Cleaned up some stray lines, darkened a few shadows here and there. Called it done for the day. It’s always a process, you know? You start with an idea, you wrestle with it for a while, and you end up with something. Today, it was this sketch. Good practice anyway.
