This was the advanced exercise in my drawing course (even though I'm far from an advanced student.)
Simplifying a portrait into basic shapes, then 5 color values was the goal of the exercise.
I learned a lot about proportion, shading, and why it's best to hold back on certain artistic decisions.
With a more complex drawing like this, good shapes are more important than rendering for readability of the picture.
See how it came together in my sketchbook.