— About me

The hand behind visualsbypoonam

Poonam drawing in a sketchbook

I'm Poonam, a self-taught pencil artist based in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. What began as filling the margins of school notebooks turned into a full-time practice of drawing faces — the way light lands on a cheekbone, the way a smile sits in the eyes before it reaches the mouth.

Everything you see here is drawn by hand in graphite and charcoal on archival paper. No filters, no tracing, no AI. A single A4 portrait usually takes between ten and eighteen hours spread across a few days, because the detail is the whole point.

Alongside my own studies I take on custom commissions — anniversary gifts, memorial portraits, family groups, pets and devotional art. If a moment matters to you, I would love to draw it.

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How a portrait is made

  1. 01

    The reference

    We start with your photo. Good light and a sharp face make the biggest difference to the final drawing.

  2. 02

    The block-in

    Proportions are mapped lightly in 2H graphite before a single dark tone touches the paper.

  3. 03

    The layers

    Ten to twenty tonal passes build depth in the skin, hair and eyes. This is where the likeness appears.

  4. 04

    The finish

    Final darks, highlights lifted with a kneaded eraser, then fixative, packing and safe delivery.