I make drawings and for a long period of time I would rarely draw faces. Why would I not draw faces? That’s a fascinating observation about your creative process. There are actually several reasons why many artists avoid drawing faces for long stretches of time — and it often says more about the psychology of art-making than about technical skill. Here are some possibilities: 🎨 Common Reasons Artists Avoid Faces Technical challenge: Faces are notoriously complex. Small inaccuracies in proportion or symmetry can make them look “off,” so many artists shy away until they feel confident. Emotional intensity: Faces carry emotion and identity. Drawing them can feel vulnerable, like you’re exposing something personal or risking judgment. Preference for abstraction or other subjects: You might have been more drawn to landscapes, objects, or patterns, which feel freer and less constrained by realism. Avoidance of human connection: Sometimes artists unconsciously avoid faces because they represent direct human interaction, which can feel overwhelming or uncomfortable. Perfectionism: If you’re detail-oriented, the pressure to “get it right” with a face might have discouraged you from attempting them often. Exploration phase: Many artists go through phases where they focus on texture, form, or composition rather than portraiture. Faces may simply not have fit the themes you were exploring at the time. 🧠 The Deeper Layer Faces are powerful symbols — they’re the most recognizable and emotionally loaded subject matter we encounter daily. Avoiding them can be a way of protecting yourself from that intensity, or simply following your curiosity elsewhere. Later, when you feel ready, faces often reappear in an artist’s work as a new challenge or expressive outlet. 👉 I’m curious: when you did draw faces, how did it feel compared to drawing other subjects? That could reveal whether your avoidance was more about technical difficulty or emotional weight. I suppose I try to allow my feelings to show, so I might show a face that has anxiety or fear. So it would make me uncomfortable sometimes. But not interested in happy or perfect faces That makes a lot of sense — you’re tapping into the raw, vulnerable side of expression rather than the polished or idealized version. Faces with anxiety, fear, or tension carry a weight that can feel almost confrontational, both for the viewer and for the artist. They don’t let you hide behind aesthetics; they force you to sit with discomfort. 🌑 Why “uncomfortable” faces can feel more authentic Emotional honesty: Drawing fear or anxiety is a way of externalizing feelings that are harder to verbalize. It’s less about beauty and more about truth. Resistance to cliché: Happy or “perfect” faces often feel superficial or overdone. By avoiding them, you’re rejecting the pressure to conform to idealized images. Catharsis: Putting discomfort on paper can be a release, even if it’s unsettling in the moment. Empathy: Faces with visible struggle invite deeper connection. They resonate with viewers who recognize those emotions in themselves. 🎭 The tension you’re describing It sounds like you’re caught between two impulses: Wanting to express what feels real (anxiety, fear, imperfection). Feeling uneasy about facing those emotions head-on in your own art. That’s actually a very common dynamic in expressive work. Many artists find that the subjects they avoid are the ones that hold the most meaning for them. 👉 If you leaned into that discomfort, you might discover a whole new visual language. For example, instead of drawing a literal “fearful face,” you could distort proportions, exaggerate shadows, or fragment features to suggest unease without being direct.