Ideas for portraits of females to give away

Posted on by pablosikosia

One of the most challenging parts of drawing a portrait is mastering posing, which requires constant critical observation and savvy adaptation. It’s challenging to make someone look amazing or perfect from head to toe, especially when it’s a woman (who tend to value details more than men and are more critical).

For inspiration and guidance, I offer 12 diverse female portraits. Pick something you like, then adjust it to fit your preferences if you want one in the future or you want give it away (it will be easier to find inspiration).

The portraits show the posture (reclining, seated, standing, etc.) and, in some instances, distinct traits (like the use of props, leaning positions, etc.). Enjoy!

Tips for shooting portraits by Pablo Sikosia

Tips for shooting portraits with your smartphone

Posted on by pablosikosia

A some times ago, I found these ideas reading one of my fav photography magazine, Amateur Photographer. I use them and they work very good. Also, when I receive photographs that include some of these tips, I find it easier to draw portraits (people and pets).

Try these ideas with your smartphone next time you’re giving portraits a go.

1. Use portrait mode for non-human subjects

Remember that portrait mode can generally be used for non-human subjects. This is great for photographing pets to really bring our their character.

2. But don’t just use the dedicated portrait mode

Rather than just portrait mode. This way you can achieve other things, such as shooting in Raw Mode for example (captures details better).

3. Try different lighting and blur effects

Lots of Portrait modes have effects that you can experiment with, including different levels of blur, different types of blur / bokeh and various lighting effects. It’s worth getting to know all of these.

4. Give burst mode a go

When photographing fast-moving people (such as children or sometimes pets), activating a burst mode can be a good way to get a candid portrait that occurs in a split second. Most modern smartphones will even automatically choose the best result for you.

5. Consider accessories

There are some useful portrait accessories that can work very well with smartphones, including reflectors – to bounce light (including of different tones) back at your subject for more even coverage which work particularly well for selfies.

6. Treat the smartphone like any other camera

Remember it’s you that makes the pictures and approach a portrait just as you would with anything else, remembering composition, direction, and even costumes and make-up.

Pablo Sikosia interview with JOSM Magazine

My first interview in 2025 took place with JOSM Magazine!

Posted on by pablosikosia

Stefan (JOSM Magazine) reached out to me a few months ago and asked me to participate in their magazine by answering a 10-question quiz. It was entertaining. I am presenting it to you below for your viewing enjoyment. If you’re interested in examining the full contents of the magazine, you can go HERE

Hello Pablo, welcome to JOSM Magazine. First of all, how are you? Tell us something about you and your art!

Hello to you and everyone who reads our posts. For 11 years, I have been a portrait artist of cool people, and my name is Pablo Sikosia. My drawings are a form of digital art that is made by hand. In addition to people, I’ve also been learning how to draw animals recently.

How everything started and where did you get?

I have worked in design and advertising for many years. In 2013, I decided to combine my work experience and my passion for drawing people, which resulted in the creation of my portrait project.

Despite being a complete stranger, I started distributing my portraits across numerous platforms on the internet. There is no one who is interested. Suddenly, I managed to work with a digital male blog in Spain called ‘Soy Barbudo’ on a weekly basis. From that point forward, my work began to become more well-known.

You collaborated with a lot of cool personalities, have you some funny or particular stories about one of them?

I recall one that wasn’t with someone famous; it was somebody who was interested in my work and was willing to pay for a portrait. I don’t know why but I wanted to communicate in his native language, so I utilized Google Translate or a similar tool. I caused a disaster by telling him that he was ugly, that I didn’t like his face, and other silly things Lol.

After that, I am limited to communicating in either English.

Which role have AI in your life now? How you see it? Like a threat or an helpful tool for your art?

To tell the truth, I don’t rely on AI for creating on a daily basis. I am of the old-school generation and everything is manual / analog. In terms of assisting with specific tasks and processes, I find AI to be a useful tool. IA like Chat GPT can provide you with tremendous benefits if you ask the right questions. I don’t believe it’s a danger yet.

Your best memory?

My memories take me back to the snowy mountains in winter, where I feel peaceful while sipping hot coffee with calm. I have a professional memory of Instagram promoting me on their blog for a month as a content creator who was worth knowing.

Your next steps? Tell us more about your future goals!

My goal is to continue to portray individuals for many more years! Currently, I have about 2,800 portraits and I want to complete 3,000, but I am unsure of the amount of time it will take.

Which music do you listen to?

I have a variety of musical tastes; I don’t listen to just one particular style. My playlist includes Sonny Rollins, Chopin, Lightning Hopkins, or Temples, The Black Keys, etc.

Thank you for your precious time, it’s been an honor talking with you. There’s something you would like to say to our readers?

The soul is soothed by art in all its forms (music, photography, painting, etc.). Take pleasure in it, let yourself go, and have peace and tranquility in your life.