Pencil Portraits: How to Draw Realistically
MAY 27, 2014 BY ELIZABETH BAXTER
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Layout
To begin your pencil portraits you must first start with your layout. You want to select a pencil that is not too hard, like an HB, to begin your outline. If you use a pencil that is too hard you could create indentations on your paper even after you erase the lines. If you use a softer pencil you just have to remember to press lightly and sketch your layout. This is better because you can either draw over the lines you created or erase them if needed.
Take your time when creating the layout of your subject. You want to make sure that it resembles your subject. If it doesn’t look like them now, it won’t look like them even after you add in all the details. There is no rush, and it’s common for an outline to take a while to complete. A good place to start is by drawing the eyes and creating the outline of the face. Eyes are an important part of pencil portraits and allow you to create a good likeness of your subject. Your drawing will be much better in the end if you can outline the eyes and other facial features correctly. If you’re drawing in a more caricature style you still want to get the expression of your subject right to make sure that they look like themselves.
Eyes
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After you’ve created the pupil and iris the next part is shading in the white part of the eye. That part of the eye really isn’t just white and will need to be shaded. Lightly sketch in the areas of the eyes that are slightly darker and leave the highlighted spots empty. You can then use your smudge stick to blend the shadows with the highlighted area. If you’re eyes begins to look flat you can use your eraser again to create some more highlights.
Continue shading around the eyelid and adding in the eyelashes. Start with the darker areas and blend them into the lighter ones. Add in your eyelashes before you finish highlighting around the eyes. Once you finish shading the eyelid and area just above it you can begin working on the eyebrows. Drawing the most important details first and then blending it together. Continue shading areas of the eyes that still look flat. You can also use your eraser to create more highlights if needed.
Mouth
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Next you can start with the gums if your subject is smiling and showing their teeth. Because the teeth are lighter you want the gums to be darker than them. Begin shading the gums darker than the teeth, but slightly lighter than the upper lip. Next move on to the teeth and start in the back. Continue to work on each tooth lightly shading them one at a time. Many people think that teeth are white however they do have highlights and shadows on them. Make sure to pay close attention to this and use a harder pencil so that the shading is much lighter. As you move to the teeth in the front of the mouth they should be the lightest.
Once the teeth are finished you can move on to shading in the bottom lip. Start with your darkest tones again, blending with the highlights. Bottom lips can be little bit harder as there are many different values within them. Make sure to use your smudge stick and a eraser if you need to create lighter tones or add highlights.
Hair
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Knowing yourself as an artist, and what process you use, will help you to create beautiful pencil portraits. Remember to take your time and focus on the details that are important to you. Is important to practice your art regularly in order to improve; carrying around a sketchbook is a great way to practice your drawing skills. You can do quick sketches of people on the bus to help you practice your layout skills. If you have a long commute to work on a train you may also be able to get a semi-detailed sketch of someone. The more you practice your drawing skills, the more confident you will feel when creating pencil portraits. Having this confidence will definitely be visible in your drawings.
Once you feel confident creating pencil portraits, you can try creating some without a model. When you feel like you’ve mastered being able to create a portrait from memory, you can look into expanding your portraits. Instead of drawing just a face, you can draw a full body, or even learn how to draw pinups if you enjoy that art style. If you find you’re having trouble drawing a full body, try studying some anatomy to help with your figure drawings. With all these great skills your developing you could take your pencil portraits to the next level by creating some digitally. Digital painting will allow you to take your art to a greater audience. It’s also a great way to share your art and receive critiques on how to improve. Get out there and create some fantastic pencil portraits to share with your friends!
Filed Under: Arts and Photography, Students
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