PHOTO SAMPLE

When I am given the task of painting a picture from a photograph of a portrait, I choose a self-portrait. It is always best to draw from life as and when you can, photographs can sometimes be distorted. However, it's not always possible or convenient to get people to pose, and that's where photography definitely helps. I tried to choose the most interesting photo, I don't really look like myself here, but I really like the bright sunlight here, so I choose this photo! (Fig. 1)

SKETCH

I don’t always start with a sketch, but when I have to draw from a photograph (and, in fact, a self-portrait), it helps to be a little more accurate. Sometimes I start by just sketching the general shapes and lines, but in this case, I just started with a very simple sketch.

It is needed in order to correctly measure the main features of the face: eyes, nose, mouth, etc. And another layer just with lines on top of all parts of the face, then duplicated. (Fig. 2-3)

(Straight lines can be drawn by holding down the Shift key while drawing a line with a brush) After that, I roughly finish everything else by eye. You can use special grids if you feel more comfortable, but personally I try not to bother trying to achieve perfection on a basic sketch. At this stage, the drawing looks, of course, lousy, but the base is already ready, so you can move on to coloring!

BRUSHES

There are a huge number of different brushes on the Internet, and although some of them are very good in my opinion, there is nothing better than a regular round brush. This is what I'll be using, the basic hard round brush found in all versions of Photoshop. (Fig. 4)

BASIC COLORS

When it comes to picking colors when drawing from a photo, I think it's best to leave the thought of using the Color picker. Photos can be very mosaic and colors can be distorted, random color picking won't give you a real idea of ​​tones, especially when it comes to skin for example! Therefore, use only your abilities and experiment, trying to achieve the most approximate result, and getting to the point here is not the most important thing.

I will be adding so many different colors during the process that it won't matter in the end. The next step is to add some base tones on a normal layer below the sketch (the sketch layer itself is switched to Multiply mode, which makes it almost transparent). (Fig. 5)

From now on, everything will be drawn on top of the sketch and already applied base colors. In my work, I always merge layers as needed, so I don't have to mess around with too many layers. Most of the time though, I'll be adding new elements on separate layers. I'm not a purist! If something goes wrong, it won't be a disaster for me.

As for whether or not to use many layers in your work, it is entirely up to you, do what is comfortable for you personally. At this point, I start adding basic light spots to better shape the lines of the face. (Fig. 6)

Don't worry if your drawing doesn't look like the original at this stage; it's still too early and everything will look much better along the way. In the meantime, everything looks rather sloppy, the strokes are very noticeable and uneven, but it's all about finding the right colors and shapes. Try not to get hung up on softening the lines of the picture for now.

COLORS

One of the most common questions I get in my address is how do I "know" what colors to choose. To be honest, I don't know, I'm just trying to match them, and pay attention to the environment, and only then choose a particular color. Photography serves as a good assistant and is much easier to work with than relying on your intuition. However, in 90% of cases I am not completely satisfied with the result of the chosen colors and in the end I have to change them. The color palette selected at the very beginning of the work and the one that turns out at the very end are two completely different things. So if you don't like the color you've chosen, don't worry. Photoshop is your friend and it definitely has its upsides. (Fig. 7-8)

One of the invaluable tools for me is Color balance. I usually duplicate the entire image and then adjust the colors if I don't like them, which is absolutely always the case. This tool is very useful if you want to slightly or significantly change the colors of a painting. It will also help a lot to balance the colors if they don't quite go together. (Fig. 9)

You will surely notice how the tones in my drawing change throughout the work. Sometimes I change and undo changes in search of the desired effect. Yes, that's how fickle I am!

DEVELOPMENT

Once the base colors and lights are in place, I spend the rest of the time working on the details. In this process, I rarely get stuck in one area, I jump between different parts of the drawing so that I don’t get bored working on the same one for too long. It also helps when returning to previous sections to notice small flaws and correct them. It is also obvious that the picture has become softer. At the very beginning everything was too rough, but we softened them in the process of development. (Fig. 10-12)

LAYER MODES

In the course of work, I used several different types of layers. These are, basically, modes Normal (Normal) and Overlay (Overlay). I probably don't need to say anything about Normal Mode, but Overlay is a very useful thing. This is a very good way to increase contrast. My sample photo has a very bright light source. Therefore, in the process of drawing, I overlaid a couple of layers in the Overlay mode. I make the right side of the skin of the face much brighter by overlaying the same skin tone but in Overlay mode. It helps a lot to add contrast and glow caused by bright sunlight. This mode also helps to add to this a very bright red/orange that is visible in the contrast of the skin with the light.

The opacity of layers always varies, it all depends on what level suits best. Constantly experiment with layers and choose what fits! (Fig. 13-14)

The dark side of the face still looks flat compared to the light side. To fix this, I'll be adding a brighter tone to the layer in Overlay mode to emphasize the structure of the face, cheeks, eyebrow area, etc. a little. I chose light green because the colors are very saturated when blended. If I had chosen a skin tone, the result would have been a bright orange. Green, on the other hand, will not lead to such an effect, and will go well with the overall skin tone. (Fig. 15)

TURN!

Another way to control some minor errors is to rotate (Flip) the image. When working with a photograph, I know what the result will be, but it will still not be superfluous to unfold the drawing about once an hour.

Errors are always found, so it's much easier to fix them on the fly... instead of finding out when you're done that everything looks terrible when you pick up and rotate the image! (Image – Image rotation – Rotate horizontally) (Image – Image rotation – Flip canvas horizontally) (Fig. 16)

MIXING

I'm pretty sure the most frequently asked question is about how I mix paint to create smooth transitions from one color to another. This question is always difficult for me to answer because I never mix two colors "actively". My method is to layer color on top, stroke by stroke, in different tones until they are almost invisible. (Fig. 17) I wouldn't recommend washing out the colors; in my opinion, this completely takes the life out of the painting, it ends up looking “dirty”, so don't be afraid if the image is a bit rough, just keep working on it! Choose a tone that will work with both colors to be combined, apply brush strokes and they blend naturally. If you're having trouble, try using a brush with softer edges. While I don't recommend using Airbrushes (again, that's everyone's choice!), soft-edged brushes can help blend the colors. They can also be useful when you need to slightly reduce the opacity of your brush. Sometimes 100% opacity can be overkill. While I almost always change my opacity from 100%, it's all about finding your method that will give you the best results.

HAIR

Using the same standard round brush, create the basic shape of the hair. Then, in the same manner, we begin to impose lighter tones. I don't draw the hair as a group of hairs, instead I create curls and try to reproduce their natural position and formation of strands as accurately as possible. Then I add individual hairs just to give the hairstyle a fluffy effect. (Fig. 18-20)

I added another layer in Overlay mode and filled it with a light brown color that will give the hair a nice sheen from the side where the sunlight hits it. After that comes the process of coloring and repetition. Just keep adding strands, spots of light, and a few individual hairs that stand out from the rest of the hair until you have a finished image.

FINAL STROKE / DETAILS

Adding the finishing touches always takes up most of the entire drawing process for me. It is also a process that cannot be left to the “final” stages. I have been working on the details throughout the entire work on the picture, this is a very smooth process for me and very pleasant, I really love the details! Here, everything superfluous is cut off.

For me, the process of detailing is the process of bringing order to lines, such as, for example, the jawline against a dark background of hair. At this stage, I can also pay more attention to the details of the eyes, eyebrows, nose and lips, etc. I use the same brush, only smaller. And I usually zoom in a lot when I'm working on those details. After these procedures, the image becomes noticeably cleaner and much easier to work with. (fig. 21-22)

CHANGES

You may have noticed that my work has some differences from the original. The first change concerns the hair. In fact, they looked just awful! I wasn't really into drawing hair like this, so use your artist rights. If you think something needs to be changed, change it! In the end, this is just a sample, not an instruction that needs to be followed immediately. Here you will see other changes that have been made. (fig. 23-24)

Below are enlarged clippings. (Fig. 25-26) At this stage, the work is almost completed. I cropped the image a bit and tried to add some brighter colors, pinks and blues, to bring out the blue eyes and the delicate pink tint on the skin. I probably don't need to say that this is not in the sample photo, but I just do it the way I like.

How to draw a portrait with a pencil step by step: tips from experienced artists

Do you want to draw a portrait, but something doesn't work for you? Exhaust yourself and tons of paper, but there is no desired result? Do not rush to despair!

In this article, especially for you, we have collected tips from experienced artists of the Aquamarine drawing school, allowing you to quickly master the technique of drawing a portrait with a pencil.

One of the main secrets of the phased drawing of a portrait with a pencil

One of the main secrets of experienced artists is that they begin to make images from the whole to the particular, that is, gradually moving from simple to complex. While beginners prefer to immediately draw in detail the mouth, nose, eyes and other parts of a person's face.

Thus, our first simple, but very important, advice boils down to the fact that you first need to draw a portrait so that the face you depict has a vague outline, as if the person is in a fog.

At the next stage of work, the imaginary haze will gradually disappear, and facial features will become more and more distinct, we will draw them in detail.

We will also add one more valuable information to the initial section of our article. It is no secret that a person in a portrait can be depicted from three angles - in profile, full face and half-turn (three-quarters of the face is visible).

What is the best angle for a beginner in portraiture to start? Experts of the Aquamarine drawing school advise starting pencil tests from the profile, and then moving on to a half-turn of the face. When such a technique is mastered, it will be possible to take on the most difficult task of depicting a person's face in full face.

At the same time, it has been proven that it is easier to draw a person from a photograph than from life. And here, too, you need to think about your strengths. In order to get an excellent result in the end, and to understand well how to draw a portrait with a pencil in stages, it is wiser to move according to the principle from simple to complex, that is, first learn how to draw a person’s face from a photograph or other image, and only then move on to nature.

Making the basis for a portrait with a pencil

The basis or frame of the portrait is the oval of the head, as well as points showing the location of the nose, eyes, chin, ears, and so on. And at the very beginning of work, such contours need to be marked.

As an example, we suggest considering the portrait of a pretty girl, which is used as an illustration for this article. Let's analyze what her head shape is? Round or ovoid? Or maybe her head is oval with a square chin?

After we analyze the shape of the object's head, draw it on paper. It will be a circle or an oval. Then, on this basis, it is necessary to place points indicating the location of the eyes, mouth, ears, and so on.

If you are drawing a portrait from a photograph, then simply arm yourself with a ruler, and first outline the approximate height and width of the head, and then measure the rest of the face parameters and indicate them with dots on the sketch.

If you are drawing a specific face from life, then stretch your hand towards the model and visually on a pencil, approximately measure the distances from one point to another, and then transfer the segments to paper proportionally and with the desired scaling.

So, first you will need to note the approximate distance between the crown of the head and the chin, then the width of the face, and then the rest of the points, which already show greater detail of the elements.

From the anatomical features, we will inform you that usually the width of the head is equal to three quarters of its height. This is a standard, from which deviations of 1-2 centimeters are always possible. But the formula is given so that you carefully check the ratio of the sizes you indicated on paper.

For work it is better to use an HB pencil. It is necessary to strive for the outlines of the face at the initial stage to be barely noticeable, light and gentle.

Take your time. We are so created that each person is individual, and you need to capture and correctly reflect the unique features of the face on paper. If you unreasonably left a lot of space for the image of the nose, then in the end it will be swollen like a pig, and if you have little space left on the face under the eyes, then they will also be piggy small. And we don't want to offend anyone.

At each stage, check the basis of the portrait with the original. Notice the features of the face. Maybe it will be a large nose or wide cheekbones, or maybe a small mouth and big eyes. If you want to figure out how to draw a portrait with a pencil in stages, these points are very important.

Stages of drawing a portrait with a pencil.

face reference

The face reference is the golden rule of portraiture. It is in it that the generally accepted proportions are indicated, which subsequently make it possible to accurately depict a particular person.

The standard portrait includes the following points:

The line of the eyes runs exactly in the middle of the line running from the crown of the head to the chin.

The line of the nose goes strictly in the middle of the segment located between the line of the eyebrows and the end of the chin.

The location of the lips should correspond to this proportion. If the line between the nose and chin is divided into three equal parts, then the end of the upper third will serve as the upper border of the lips, and the upper border of the lower third of the segment will be the lower border of the lips. This is the standard, and the rest depends on the individual proportions of the person.

The eyebrow line is defined as follows. Divide the distance from the top of the head to the end of the chin into 3.5 parts. The upper half of the portion is left on the hairline. Behind it, we measure one part and draw a line, which will be the line of the eyebrows. We measure another part from it, and the new line will point us to the lower point of the image of the nose.

The width of the lower jaw is calculated as three-quarters of the widest part of the head.

If you are making an image of a face in a half-turn, then look at the illustration presented on how to draw such proportions correctly.

First, an imaginary line divides the head vertically in half. Then it is worth considering that your face is only visible in two quarters. Therefore, the half of the face closest to the artist will account for two thirds of the image, and one third will remain on the rest of the face, which is visible only in half a turn.

Stages of creating a portrait: Chipping head

The chopping head is a human head presented in a simplified form. It is the “stump” that beginning portrait painters study in professional art institutions.

We suggest that you also try to draw the head of the model: only the head, without the rest of the elements of the figure.

At the second stage of the image of the human head, one should note the features of the dimensions of a particular face. In particular, the figure should indicate:

• the relief of the cheekbones, their thickness, flowing and protruding parts;
• the bridge of the nose, the base of the nose, its width and length;
• eyes with distances in width and height;
• lips with dimensions in width and height;
• eyebrow bending, their thickness and direction;
• the chin is triangular, square or otherwise.

Now let's dwell on how to draw the main elements of the face. All this is also naturally included in the process of how to draw a portrait with a pencil in stages.

Step by step face drawing. Eyes

The shape of the eyes is a round sphere, so it is important to emphasize this roundness on a piece of paper. In order for the eye to be spherical in shape, the volume of the white of the eye is given with different shades of intensity.

You can determine the proportions of the eyes for the full face as follows: you need to divide the width of the head into five parts, of which the second part will represent one eye, and the fourth - the other.

If you are drawing a person in a half turn, then first you need to mark the eye socket, located next to the temporal part of the head. Then you need to measure the distance from it to the farthest eye, which will be half the size of the one closest to you. Then on paper you need to indicate the distance between the eyes and outline the contours of the second eye on the sheet.

In the next step, use line segments to show the position of the eyelids. Every eye has an upper and lower eyelid. At the same time, experts do not advise making the lower eyelid too dark, but it will still be a tone darker than the white of the eye. Also look at the presented illustration how to show its thickness.

Step by step face drawing. Nose

The nose occupies a fairly large part of the face. To correctly portray it, pay attention to the following points:

The location of the wings of the nose can be outlined by drawing down two parallel lines from the inner corners of the eye.

By creating a half-turn face, the line coming from the far eye will be hidden behind the bridge of the nose.

In general, the nose has the shape of a trapezoid, draw it and this will be the base of the nose. Lines highlight the sides of the nose. Place the pencil vertically, parallel to the nose, remember the angle between the side of the nose and a strictly vertical line, reflect it on paper.

Step by step face drawing. Lips

The image of the lips also begins with determining the size and drawing the contours. First, we divide the height of the head into eight parts. The fifth line, if you go from top to bottom, will be the line of the lips.

On this line we draw a cylinder, which, upon detailed drawing, should subsequently turn into a mouth.

The division into two lips is done as follows. We divide the height of the lips into three parts, of which one upper part falls on the upper lip, and the second two on the lower.

Another interesting detail from the experts: the width of the lips will be equal to the segment, which is the distance between the centers of the pupils of the eyes. But when depicting a person in half a turn, the width of the lips will need to be measured from the photograph and adjusted to the scale of the picture.

There is another way to determine the width of the lips on paper: measure the eye, multiply the resulting value by 1.5 and you will get the size of the lips in width.

Step by step face drawing. Ears

You can determine the location of the ear in the figure as follows: its top will be equal to the bottom line of the eyebrow, and the bottom - the bottom line of the nose. The illustration presented to you clearly shows how you can draw the “correct” ear.

When depicting a face in profile and half a turn, we draw only one ear, the second one is not visible from this angle. Just do not forget to depict the ear in the figure with a slight tilt towards the head, so it will be anatomically more correct.

The angle of inclination is determined by eye or with the help of a pencil, which is applied to the photograph.

Detailing

At the last stage of the process, how to draw a portrait with a pencil in stages, you need to learn how to make a detailed drawing. It consists in drawing all the elements of the face, depicting all its roundness and smooth lines.

To achieve a resemblance to the original photograph or model, you naturally need to be painstaking and attentive. After (or in the process of) drawing, extra contour lines should be deleted.

At the final stage, the shading of the portrait is done.

First, the darkest parts are shaded, and then the turn comes to the lightest ones. Then you need to put lighter spots on some details, for example, make highlights on the pupils, on the tip of the nose and in other areas.

The drawing is ready!

But some portraits can be done without shading. This will be a linear portrait, in which only lines are used as means of representation.

We suggest you see how you can draw a girl's face in this way.

A portrait of a child can be performed according to the scheme proposed below:

With advice from experienced artists on proportions, detailed drawing, and shading, you too will be able to successfully draw different people in profile, full face, and half-turn. Draw, train, come to classes at the Aquamarine drawing school and every time you will get better and better!

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• Publication date: July 1, 2014

In one of the previous lessons we learned to draw. Now I will show you how to draw a portrait of a man with a pencil. We will draw a charismatic Dane named Nikolai Coster-Waldau. Most likely, this actor is familiar to you from the role of Jaime Lannister in the famous film epic "Game of Thrones", although he starred in many other films and TV shows. In the first season, the actor appears before us in the form of a villain and an extremely unpleasant person. However, we soon begin to sympathize with Jaime rather than condemn his deeds. It seems to be the director's intention.

So, what is the difference between a male portrait and a female one? As a rule, men have a wider chin. The lower jaw of a man has rather sharp angles. Typical male facial features are prominent cheekbones and brow ridges. In women, on the contrary, the lines of the chin and cheekbones are smoother, rounded. Imagine that we are all clay sculptures. What techniques would the master use when working with clay so that the sculptures of men could be easily distinguished from the statues of women? He would have sculpted the features of the women's faces with fine tools, worked out more carefully. And the master would have processed the faces of men more roughly, “chipping”. However, there are exceptions to all rules.

In this lesson we are considering the topic of how to draw a portrait of a person. However, remember that it is very useful for artists to engage in sculpture from time to time. When you sculpt with your hands the volume of the head - all the bulges and hollows, whether it be cheekbones, eye sockets - it becomes much easier for you. Be sure to try to create a sculpted portrait of a person when you have the opportunity. Not everything can be seen with the eyes, touch plays a big role.

In addition, as often as possible I recommend drawing from nature, and not from a photograph. What is the difference? When we see three-dimensional objects (people) in front of us, and not pictures, we have the opportunity to bypass our nature and choose the angle that seems most interesting. There is no such option in the photo. , we often encounter difficulties, since we cannot always consider the structure of any elements. In reality, you can get closer to the object and study it in more detail.

Be prepared for the fact that the perfect likeness in the portrait will not appear immediately. You may need to draw 50-100 portraits before you see that the drawing looks like the person being portrayed. So don't expect great results right away. Work can be frustrating. But your subsequent drawings will get better and better. Exercise as often as possible and, over time, the results will surely please you.

How to draw a portrait of a man in stages?

Let's take a closer look at the person we are going to draw. Nikolai Coster-Waldau has typically masculine facial features - a massive lower jaw, wide cheekbones, a rather large nose (the actor admitted that he broke it in childhood), a powerful neck. His face has the shape of an almost regular rectangle, which narrows towards the bottom and forms a sharply defined chin.

Let's start drawing a portrait from the oval of the face. Be sure to leave enough space around the edges of the sheet for the hair, neck and shoulders.

7. Drawing lesson portrait.

Knowledge of techniques in drawing lessons.

The basis of the correct drawing a portrait of a person is the knowledge of basic techniques in the lessons of drawing the head.

Drawing a head with a pencil requires both deeper knowledge and more experience, since the work here is not only in the correct image of the head, but also in conveying the individual character and expressiveness that are especially characteristic of the human face.

Therefore, solving the problems of educational drawing, students in art school New Art Intentions, at the same time develop in themselves a visual representation of a person, the ability to quickly grasp and convey his essence, his character with the utmost brevity. That is, an important, difficult task appears before novice artists - capturing the image of a person on paper. In fiction, there are examples of a remarkable ability to determine the individual features of an image with two or three strokes, for example, N.V. Gogol in Dead Souls compares a pretty face of a girl with a “freshly laid testicle”, a rough broad face with a “Moldovan pumpkin”. It is very important, through observation, sketches from nature, drawings from memory, to develop in oneself, in addition to a constructive, figurative perception of the objective world around us; this helps the artist to avoid excessive dryness and protocol in his work.

To draw a portrait with a pencil in the lessons, we recommend choosing nature with the most expressive forms and trying to emphasize them with appropriate lighting.

Starting a drawing, do not get to work if you have not examined the head of a person from all sides, have not noted its characteristic features, its rotation and inclination. Get some idea of ​​the model in advance and keep it in mind throughout the rest of the work.

Regardless of the point of view on nature, it is recommended to feel it “as a whole”. As when drawing a cube (), we draw its visible sides, taking into account the sides hidden from our view. So when teaching the drawing of a head turned in profile, it is necessary to feel the connection of all its parts. For example, looking at nature from the front, you need to imagine it from the back, in profile and in a three-quarter turn. In order to correctly recreate the slightly outlined wing of the nose, the eye barely visible from behind the nose, or the reduced and almost imperceptible part of the lip, it is necessary to represent these forms as a whole when drawing the head in a turn close to the profile. And only under this condition will they, even a little outlined, be convincing and be able to participate in the construction of the whole head. In order to correctly, on the spot, draw an ear, an eye, a cheekbone during a profile turn, one must imagine the location of the invisible, but corresponding paired forms and mentally link the depicted visible forms with them.

Thus, contrary to the opinion of beginners, we can draw a very important conclusion that building a head in profile is not the easiest, but, on the contrary, requires a lot of attention and experience.

Without a comprehensive sense of form and mastery of its laws, without improving one's skills in the classroom, the entire process of drawing will be reduced to a mechanical copying of nature.

Pencil Drawing Lesson live model.

Due to the properties of our vision, any object is perceived by us "immediately". We simultaneously see all its plastic and light qualities, and therefore the integrity of visual perception and its transmission play a decisive role in the truthful depiction of objects.

In the lessons we explain that it is impossible to draw nature by attaching one part to another, since in nature everything exists together and everything must be created as one.

But since it is physically impossible to depict “all at once”, “all together”, and drawing the head in parts, as a rule, leads to negative results, the novice draftsman must find a way to preserve the integrity of the visual perception of nature and work out its details. To do this, he should, first of all, build a generalized, but characteristic mass of the entire head, as a sculptor does. Then gradually work on identifying first its large forms, and then the details, but do not draw them point-blank separately, but compare them with each other and with the whole head, both in nature and in the drawing. Such work by "relationships" (in form, in tone, proportions) is a kind of cement, holding all parts of the head together into one elaborate whole.

So, we emphasize that in the lessons of drawing the head, you must, first of all, be guided by the form, work with "relationships", having mastered the sequence of work from the general to the particular, from the simple to the complex.

In our courses, we adhere to a certain order: the work must have its beginning, middle and end. Violation of this sequence leads to unorganized, random sketching of nature.

At the beginning of the course, when the beginning artist quickly outlines the general shape of the head on the sheet, showing its main parts, he works by the method of initial generalization.

In the middle of the work in a generalized form, its small forms are revealed. Here, the novice draftsman goes through analysis, detailing.

At the end of the work, when the smallest details are found, the novice artist again returns to generalization, but to the final generalization, with the help of which the main thing is highlighted in the drawing and the secondary is subordinated to it.

Thus, a strict sequence in the work in this drawing lesson is the main condition for the successful completion of the drawing.

To learn how to draw a head correctly, once again we warn you about the need to start work by lightly touching the pencil to the paper. The sharp, black lines that beginners love to resort to make it difficult to see mistakes, much less correct them. Abuse of an elastic band (eraser) destroys the surface texture of the paper, making it almost unsuitable for further work. Pencil pressure and tone strength should increase as the drawing progresses correctly.

To begin with, having chosen a point of view on nature, determine the size of the drawing (slightly smaller than nature, depending on the degree of its removal from the drawing). Follow this intended scale throughout the entire work, otherwise you can violate the proportions of the depicted head.

You also need to take care of the location of the drawing on the sheet: it depends on the rotation and tilt of the head, and on the environment that accompanies it (background, part of the clothes, falling shadow).

The first mistake in drawing for beginners is the location of the head in the center of the sheet, regardless of its position in space. For example, let's take a drawing of a head shown in profile and place it in the middle of a square sheet so that the outer contours of the head are at equal distances from the edges of the paper and the center of the drawing coincides with the geometric center of the square (Figure 1).

In this case, the drawing of the head seems somewhat shifted towards the profile and underestimated, since the front part "outweighs" the back of the head: being an expression of similarity and expression, it focuses the viewer's attention on itself. A similar phenomenon occurs when comparing the upper and lower parts of the head - the latter, rich in detail, seems to be more weighty than the upper.

The drawings made (1 and 2) are comparable, and you will see that a slight movement of the head on the sheet to the right and up (Figure 2) improves its compositional arrangement, makes it more vital and convincing. This principle of placement is applicable to all head positions in space.

During the initial sketch of the head and neck, the novice artist should pay attention to their position in relation to the vertical and to the horizontal, which we already talked about in the lessons when building plaster heads. In drawing lessons, head positioning can be done straight, tilted or turned. Turns and tilts are often combined in movement, complementing each other.

Pair symmetry in the structure of the head (two frontal tubercles, two superciliary arches, two eye sockets, two cheekbones) makes it possible to imagine a median (profile) line passing through the face. With the head in a straight position, turned towards the viewer, such a line will run vertically, dividing the head into two equal parts. When the head is turned to the right or to the left, this auxiliary line will take on a more or less concave character and will divide the head into two unequal parts. The ratios of these parts determine the degree of rotation.

The middle (profile) line helps to put all paired head shapes in place in the process of work and, passing in the middle of the bridge of the nose, the base of the nose, lips and chin, accurately determines their position.

A transverse, auxiliary line passing through the middle of the orbital cavities towards the ear openings divides the head into two approximately equal parts: the upper frontal - from the parietal bones to the bridge of the nose, and the lower - from the bridge of the nose to the chin. This transverse (auxiliary) line, by the nature of its location along the volume of the head (straight or concave), helps to determine the degree of inclination of the head and angle. In Figures 3 and 4, one can see how, with the head thrown back, its upper forms are reduced at the expense of the lower ones, and with the head lowered, the opposite phenomenon is observed.

The above auxiliary lines (profile and transverse), crossing at a point on the bridge of the nose, form the so-called "cross". Properly outlined at the beginning of the drawing, it determines the position of the head in space and is the basis for further work on drawing lessons(Figure 5).

Based on the transverse line of the “cross”, lines parallel to it are outlined, which determine the location of the frontal tubercles, superciliary arches, eyes, cheekbones, the base of the nose, and the lower edge of the chin. In drawing lessons, at the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the proportional relationships of the parts, all the time comparing them with each other and with the whole head (Figure 6).

The question of proportions is complicated by the perspective contractions of the forms depending on the position of the head. In the lessons, you should always pay attention to the fact that paired shapes of the same size are perceived by the eye as unequal (for example, with a three-quarter turn, tilt and angle).

Having placed the general shape of the head on the sheet, having clarified its main character (ovoid, spherical, expanding upward or downward), outlining the auxiliary lines that determine the rotation and inclination, one should gradually move on to drawing the main surfaces that make up the volume of the head (Figure 7).

As on plaster head drawing lesson, you need to separate the entire front surface from the side ones going to the back of the head with a light chiaroscuro. The border of the front surface will pass along the temples, cheekbones and chin. With the help of the same chiaroscuro, not forgetting the need for generalization, outline smaller forms lying on the front surface of the face. So, for example, Figure 7 shows the generalized shape of the nose in a turn and its details placed on the surfaces: on the side surfaces - the wings of the nose, on the bottom - the nostrils.

Analyzing the shape of the forehead, as in plaster, it should be noted that in its lower part it is formed by five surfaces: the middle - frontal, two lateral, adjacent to it, and two temporal. When drawing a living form, all these planes must be justified anatomically. You should also find a place for the generalized shapes of the eyes, cheekbones, chin, ears, nose, etc. (Figure 8).

The generalized form facilitates the perspective construction of the surfaces that form the head, suggesting the location of smaller details on them. But even at such an initial stage of generalization, one cannot draw a conventional, roughly outlined scheme; to avoid this, it is recommended to outline the general “stump” of the head and its parts, guided by the selection of surfaces, justified by anatomy, and not by a random play of chiaroscuro. For example, cartilage and the bony base of the nose form its four surfaces; frontal tubercles and superciliary arches - the frontal surface of the forehead.

The “cutting” technique is fully applicable only as indicative in the perspective construction of the planes that form the volume of the head. In a drawing of living nature, a conditional diagram should only be a guide to work as a separate drawing, as a means for consciously drawing a model; it should help to understand the essence of the living form.

Paired head shapes are drawn at the same time, not separately; eyes should be outlined immediately, finding a place for them in the eye sockets. Cheekbones, superciliary arches, frontal tubercles are also linked to each other.

Drawing the head in "paired forms" involves their comparison and comparison during work. This principle, laid down in the teaching of drawing living nature, is of particular importance. Here, the comparison of paired forms helps not only their perspective construction and placement, but also the transfer of their "appearance", since, being the same in essence, in different turns they are perceived differently both in their appearance and in size.

We have already said how important this method is when depicting the head in profile.

With a three-quarter turn of the head, a comparison of paired forms with each other makes it possible to more accurately position the eyes in relation to the lateral surfaces of the nose, determine the relationship between the lateral walls of the nose, its wings, nostrils, lips, reveals the differences between the nearest and remote (“reduced”) eyes.

A novice artist, comparing the paired parts of the face, easily marks them characteristics: maybe asymmetry in the eyes or an eyelid hanging over one eye, or a raised eyebrow, a lowered corner of the mouth, a nose slightly shifted to the side, etc.

Thus, learning to draw with "paired forms" contributes to the three-dimensional perception of nature, the perspective construction of its forms and the identification of the characteristic features of the depicted head.

For a comprehensive study of the volume of the head, one should not be limited to drawing it in one or two positions. At first, it is recommended to build a head on one sheet in a variety of angles, turns and inclinations, while simultaneously observing and comparing the perspective contraction of their surfaces (Fig. 10).

In order to work on the form more consciously, we resort to the technique of an imaginary "cut" of this form. On a plaster head, this imaginary "cut" can be replaced by a specially drawn line. The figure (Fig. 1) of the plaster head drawing lesson shows this technique.

The drawing of the head with shoulder girdle and neck will be separated into a separate drawing lesson from our art school New Art Intention.

The best way to see the structure of the neck is when the head, with a slight turn, is somewhat thrown back. With appropriate lighting, we emphasize the constructive connection between the depicted forms. So, one can imagine that the shoulder girdle, bounded in front by the collarbones, and behind by the visible upper edges of the hood (trapezius) muscle, forms a platform into which the cylindrical shape of the neck is, as it were, inserted.

First of all, you should determine the location of the head, linking it to the collarbones. To do this, from the jugular fossa, located between the clavicles (indicated as the base of the figure), in the direction of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the position of the ear is determined. A transverse auxiliary line drawn from it to the orbits and a profile line (going from the jugular fossa through the thyroid cartilage, hyoid bone and through the middle of the lower jaw up the profile), intersecting, form a cross, with which the head is built in the usual way.

With this position of the head, the other sternocleidomastoid muscle is contracted and, also starting from the jugular fossa, goes in the direction of the second ear hidden from our view.

So, the placement of the drawing on the sheet, the choice of movement (rotation and inclination) of the head, the sketch of its initial characteristic form, the determination of the proportions of its main parts, their three-dimensional designation with conditional chiaroscuro (Fig. 9) - all this can be attributed to the beginning of the drawing, which prepares the transition to learning drawing details.

Training in the lessons on drawing the details of the human head we will continue in the next drawing classes for beginners in art school New Art Intentions.

To draw a portrait of a person with a pencil, novice artists do not have to complete courses, become students of an art academy, or take private drawing lessons. Drawing a person's face is not difficult, the main thing is not to be lazy and develop your skills.

The main thing in the article

Do-it-yourself portrait of a man in pencil: what do you need?

To draw a portrait of a person you will need:

• simple pencils;
• a sheet of white paper A4;
• eraser;
• stationery knife;
• scotch.

Learning to draw portraits of people with a pencil: where to start?

There should be no unnecessary items on the working surface. Take a sheet of white paper, lay it vertically or horizontally in front of you and secure it around the edges with tape. Remember that while drawing, you can not tilt the sheet. You work only with the hand.

Use a pencil to draw a portrait Koh-i-Noor medium soft HB or soft B.

An incorrectly sharpened pencil affects the quality of the drawing. Do not sharpen pencils with a sharpener, but use a stationery knife. This method of sharpening a pencil allows you to expose the core as much as possible, to make it sharp. Correctly sharpening a simple pencil, you will be less distracted from the process and draw longer.

For practice, use a regular sheet of A4 paper. In the future, if you enjoy drawing, buy professional drawing paper, such as sketching paper, kraft paper.

How to learn to draw a portrait of a person with a pencil?

First, take a photo of the person whose face you want to draw. Consider it carefully. A person's face on a sheet of paper consists of geometric shapes that change their shape in the process of drawing. Remember that people's faces are disproportionate. Therefore, during a detailed drawing of parts of the face, this must be taken into account.

To learn how to draw a portrait of a person with a pencil, you need to make sketches on paper.

How to draw a portrait of a person with a pencil for beginners in stages

The process of drawing a person's face with a pencil can be divided into the following steps:

• drawing a general outline of the face;
• marking the main parts of the face inside the oval;
• eye drawing;
• drawing eyebrows, drawing a nose and mouth;
• detailed drawing: wrinkles, shadows, moles, hair, etc.

Getting Started: Building the Head and General Face Contour

To correctly draw the general contour of the face, you need to know quite a bit of human anatomy. First, draw an oval that is narrower at the bottom than at the top. Next, change the outlines individually.

Marking parts of the face and working with planes

Full face

1. The skull and jaw are a flattened sphere, roughly speaking, the face in this position resembles a chicken egg, turned upside down with a narrow part. Draw such an oval and draw two perpendicular lines through its middle.
2. The horizontal line is the line of the eyes. Divide its right and left parts in half. This will be the middle of the eyes (pupils).
3. Divide the lower part of the vertical line into 5 equal segments. The tip of the nose will be located at the 2nd mark from the top, and the mouth will be between the 2nd and 5th mark.
4. Divide the upper part of the vertical line into 4 equal segments. Hair should be 2 sections from the top. The bottom of the ears should be at the level of the tip of the nose, and the top should be at the level of the eyelids.

Artists use small tips for drawing portraits:

• the width of the face consists of 5 segments equal to the width of the eyes;
• the distance between the eyes is approximately equal to the width of one eye;
• the width of the chin is equal to the length of the eye.

These standards are adjusted individually.

Profile

1. The profile also resembles an egg in shape, but its sharp part is shifted into a corner.
2. Divide the drawn figure with two perpendicular lines.
3. The ear is behind the vertical line. The depth of the skull is drawn individually.
4. The correct location of the nose, eyes, eyebrows has already been sorted out in the subparagraph "Full face".

Detailing the face: drawing the eyes, contours of the eyebrows, nose, lips, ears

Eyes

Since the shape of the eyes of each person is different, it is impossible to accurately describe this process. The middle of the eye is already marked. Now draw two arcs on the right and left, which you will later "turn" into eyes.

The main points to pay attention to when drawing eyes:

• the outer part of the eye is always slightly higher than the inner part;
• the arches of the eyes are rounded closer to the inner part of the eye and narrowed towards the outer;
• if a person looks straight, then the iris of his eye is always slightly covered by the upper eyelid;
• eyelashes always begin to draw from the century;
• the lower eyelashes are always shorter than the upper ones;
• do not forget that the tear ducts, lower and upper eyelids should be drawn near the eye.

Very often, beginners, having drawn one eye, stop looking at the photo and copy the second eye from their drawing. Do not forget that people's faces are not proportional. The second eye will be a couple of millimeters wider / narrower, higher / lower. The eyelid over the right eye may be lower than over the left. All these little things must be carefully copied from the photograph.

If you draw a face in profile, then the eye here will resemble the shape of an arrowhead with convex and concave sides. The iris is hard to see from the side, but when drawing a portrait, you need to draw it so that the eye does not look strange.

Brows

The widest part of the eyebrow is often closer to the bridge of the nose. Do not start drawing hairs right away. Define the shape of the eyebrows. If you draw a face in profile, then their shape will resemble a comma.

Nose

The easiest way to draw a nose is illustrated in the picture. Draw a circle, then add wings and "backs" to it. At the very end, it remains to circle the nostrils with a pencil.

There is a more complex but realistic way to draw this part of the face. As shown in the picture, draw a polyhedron. The shape of the polyhedron changes depending on the position of the face. Next, start rounding the geometric shape.

Lips

Start drawing lips from the inner line, from the place where the lower and upper lips meet. This line will never be perfectly straight, it always consists of several curved lines.

The inner line of the mouth is always darker in the drawing than the outer contours of the lips, and the upper lip is often smaller than the lower.

If you draw a face in profile, then never bring the tip of the lip up sharply. Draw the middle line of the lips first straight or down, and then lift it up.

Ears

The human ear can be represented as the letter C. Don't forget that the ear has a rim and an inner part that resembles an arc, and a lobe. Be sure to draw these main parts of the ear.

Hatching and shading

It seems that you are already at the finish line, but the portrait is absolutely unrealistic. Hatching and elaboration of halftones is something you cannot do without when drawing a portrait of a person.

First of all, determine where the light falls on the face and where the darkest places are. Apply strokes on the face in one direction - from top to bottom. To give the skin a matte finish, blend the lines with your finger or a regular tissue. Use the eraser tool to lighten the areas in the portrait.

Highlighting and darkening areas of the face

Highlighting and darkening areas of the face is necessary so that the face on the sheet of paper looks voluminous, and not flat:

• If you need to lighten an already painted area, then use the eraser.
• Start sketching parts of the face with light lines. Do not press hard on the pencil.
• Overlay lines in layers. The more lines, the darker the area of ​​the face will be.

How to draw portraits of people with a pencil from different angles: full face, profile, head turn

We have figured out how to draw the full face and profile of a person.

1. If you are drawing a person from the back, then you may not be able to see all parts of his face.
2. With the face turned almost in profile, the middle line of the lips is very small, the line of the neck merges with the line of the chin. A part of the cheek is also visible, behind which the human nostril is shown.
3. When a person is turned almost back to you, you can clearly see the line of the eyebrows, cheekbone, neck line, which tends to the ear (if this part is not covered by hair).
4. When turning the person's face more, you see eyelashes, a small part of the eyebrow, the protrusion of the lower eyelid and the tip of the nose.

How to draw a portrait of a person with a pencil: the basics and secrets of skill

1. The focus should be on the eyes of the person.
2. Try to draw not only the head, but also the shoulders, neck decoration, collar, etc.
3. Never start drawing small details without properly marked outlines.
4. Outlining the contours, do not press hard on the pencil, draw with barely noticeable lines.
5. Pay special attention to the proportions of the person's head.

How to draw a portrait of a person with a pencil: video tutorials

The person whose portrait you decide to draw will definitely appreciate your efforts. Such a gift can be made to yourself. If you are afraid of the amount of work ahead, practice drawing individual parts of the face. In the future, it will be easier for you to draw a portrait of a person with a pencil.