Portraits - Yikes!

I've avoided drawing or painting people--always said I was one of those who simply couldn't do people. But I've decided it's ridiculous not to at least try. I've been studying the portrait portion of "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" again, and doing some practice sketches over the past week or two. Still haven't managed to find the secret to making the portrait actually look like the person, not just a person. It's been excellent practice, however, trying to recall the rules for relationships of facial features. I've been working from some old black & white family photos just for fun. For what it's worth, here are my practice sketches (click on the photo for a larger version):


My younger brother in the 50s sometime. This is the closest I've gotten to a portrait that slightly resembles the individual.

My aunt--this doesn't look like her at all! (One of the first ones I tried.)

My great-uncle in his WWI uniform - no resemblance to the real thing.

One of my uncles as a baby--everything but the face looks just like him!