As an artist, drawing the human form is perhaps one of the most interesting, satisfying and difficult forms to master.
When you are drawing a portrait, there are specific artistic practices to keep in mind that can help make it easier.
As long as you’re sketching and doing your best, you’re an accomplished artist in our minds!
Draw Lightly
The first step towards successfully drawing portraits is to start with a light outline, and work your way through. Sketching things out first will allow you to learn how a real human face is proportioned: it may surprise you to learn that the eyes and the nose don’t fall quite where you think they should on the face. A light sketch gives you the flexibility to fix mistakes, and the opportunity to learn and adapt your portrait as you draw.
Consider Analyzing
If you’re a more analytical artist, you might find it easier to use shapes and angles to draw the base of your drawing. Using lines and shapes to measure features and distances can make it easier to get a final product that you’re happy with, even with portraits!
Don’t Neglect the Eyes
When you’re drawing a portrait of someone’s face, the eyes are arguably the most important feature. When someone typically looks at a portrait, they automatically look into the eyes. Don’t forget to consider the shape and placement of the eyes and make sure you give them life.
Do Hairline Last
Hair is one of the trickiest things to sketch; leave the detail to the end, and only put in the hairline after you’ve done a full outline. You can always go back through and adjust a bit of the nose or the smile, but if you got the shape of the head wrong underneath the hairline, you’ll need to start over so take your time and consider the hairline last.
Don’t forget that sketching is meant to be a fun and relaxing expression of your creativity; if you’re feeling stressed about the end result, you won’t enjoy the process.
If you’re looking to improve your techniques, Hunakai Studio of Fine Arts has a variety of classes for people of all ages and skill levels: call us today at 508-543-5665 to learn more.