Are You a Nice Person? Look Me in the Eye...
Since I posted a few weeks ago about how I've let my passion for drawing get away from me, I've been thinking more about it and have decided to really make an effort to take it up again. That got me to thinking about why I love to draw people's faces so much. I mean, they're very contoured, there's a lot of shading, the angles are insane, sometimes the symmetry of someone's face is off - so if you're trying to draw someone you know, you have to be bang on. One eye a couple of millimeters too high can make it look like a whole different person. But I love faces.
That got me thinking about what I notice about people when I meet them for the first time.
For me, the instant draw is always the eyes. It's true that they are the window to the soul. When I shake someone's hand I always look right into their eyes - I note the colour, the shape, their eyelashes and sometimes you can even tell what kind of a person someone is from their eyes.
I am an intense eye talker - I find that sometimes I can convey things more powerfully with my eyes than with words. It's amazing the difference in people after they get to know you a little. One of the guys I work with was intensely intimidated by the fact that I looked him right in the eye when we spoke - it made him very uncomfortable. Over the past six months, little by little, he'll keep his eyes up just a little longer each time we talk - and he seems more confident because of it.
The second thing I notice is someone's mouth. I always look at their teeth, and the shape of their lips and how they smile. Another weird thought that runs through my mind alot when I look at someone's mouth is if they are a good kisser. Now I don't mean that I would like to find out personally if they are a good kisser - just that I wonder if they can make someone swoon because of their kissing ability. For guys and girls - kissing is an important thing. If you are affectionate like me, you kiss someone hello when you haven't seen them in awhile, you kiss them goodbye when you part, you kiss a child to make a "hurt" feel better, you kiss the one you love to convey just how deeply, you may kiss someone who's passed or is dying to let them know you love them and that it's okay to let go.
People's mouths and eyes are a very important part of communication and conveying emotion, and are features that I notice very intently.
So, if you and I should ever meet, please don't be surprised if I look you deeply in the eyes or focus on your lips - I'm just trying to see what kind of person you are.
That got me thinking about what I notice about people when I meet them for the first time.
For me, the instant draw is always the eyes. It's true that they are the window to the soul. When I shake someone's hand I always look right into their eyes - I note the colour, the shape, their eyelashes and sometimes you can even tell what kind of a person someone is from their eyes.
I am an intense eye talker - I find that sometimes I can convey things more powerfully with my eyes than with words. It's amazing the difference in people after they get to know you a little. One of the guys I work with was intensely intimidated by the fact that I looked him right in the eye when we spoke - it made him very uncomfortable. Over the past six months, little by little, he'll keep his eyes up just a little longer each time we talk - and he seems more confident because of it.
The second thing I notice is someone's mouth. I always look at their teeth, and the shape of their lips and how they smile. Another weird thought that runs through my mind alot when I look at someone's mouth is if they are a good kisser. Now I don't mean that I would like to find out personally if they are a good kisser - just that I wonder if they can make someone swoon because of their kissing ability. For guys and girls - kissing is an important thing. If you are affectionate like me, you kiss someone hello when you haven't seen them in awhile, you kiss them goodbye when you part, you kiss a child to make a "hurt" feel better, you kiss the one you love to convey just how deeply, you may kiss someone who's passed or is dying to let them know you love them and that it's okay to let go.
People's mouths and eyes are a very important part of communication and conveying emotion, and are features that I notice very intently.
So, if you and I should ever meet, please don't be surprised if I look you deeply in the eyes or focus on your lips - I'm just trying to see what kind of person you are.
posted by Ali at 12:12 PM
2 Comments:
I enjoyed your blog today. Being an artist I study faces too. When I am doing a portrait I know it is a keeper if when I finish the eyes I feel someone looking back at me. The eyes make all the difference. Even in a pet portrait. I want to encourage you to get back into your art while you are young and have a lifetime to give to it. I didn't start painting until my son was in college. I regret not having been at it my whole life. I am so glad that I have it now. It is so fulfilling to me.
Wow...yah, I know exactly what you mean about intimidating people when you look them right into their eyes. I have been intimidated by it in the past and I have also intimidated others. I think it shows signs of confidence.
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