Learning to draw a graphic portrait with a pencil

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Many aspiring artists dream of learning how to draw portraits with a pencil. This is a completely new level in creativity. Having learned to portray a portrait of a person, it will be possible to easily master the watercolor technique, draw with sanguine and charcoal, as well as oil. You need to start by all means with pencil sketches. Confidently manipulating graphic materials, you can achieve an incredible resemblance to nature.

How to draw a graphic portrait

To draw it you will need:

• A tablet covered with whatman paper.
• Measuring device (ruler).
• Plain pencils of varying hardness.
• Eraser.

To depict a high-quality graphic portrait, try to reduce the use of the eraser to a minimum, as it erases the paper, which causes dirt on the drawing. After the materials are prepared, the sheet is stretched, we can get to work.

Drawing a portrait

We analyze our nature,we carefully study it from each side in order to understand the features and shape. It is advisable to make preliminary constructive sketches in order to understand the forms and understand them. Nature needs to be drawn from each side, this will allow you to understand its shape, study its features and each detail separately.

How to draw a graphic portrait step by step

We are located on the spot with the best view, preparing materials. Nature must be static. We start drawing a graphic portrait in stages:

1. First you need to make a layout on the sheet.
2. Outline the individual parts of the image in general terms.
3. Find the rotation and construction axes.
4. Starting to build the form, alternating from general to small details.
5. At each of the previous stages, it is necessary to carefully compare the image with nature, check for proportional shape ratios and perspective cuts.
6. This stage is hatching. After the construction is completed, you need to start applying a stroke, you need to do this carefully and slowly dividing the drawing into shadow and illuminated parts.
7. We put a stroke on the shape, thereby giving volume to the portrait, but do not forget about the generality and get hung up on some one detail.

To make pencil portraits, you need to analyze and understand your mistakes. Usually novice artists put too much pressure on the pencil from inexperience. Because of this, the work turns out to be overdrawn, that is, the lines are too sharp. The picture must not be circled.with a black line, it must fit harmoniously into the format and convey the forms.

Typical mistakes

In an attempt to convey volumes, the artist is too keen on small details, working hard on them. As a result, the image ceases to be complete. Even a beginner artist notices it himself.

Sometimes the problem is that the artist cannot understand how the details he wants to work out work. As a result, it is not possible to detail the image, hence the fragmentation in the drawing arises, it is also possible to violate perspective relationships, many try to make the work complete, at least due to tonal elaboration. Working on a particular detail and making mistakes in it, the draftsman tries to connect it with the general form, superimposes layers of graphite one after another. And in the end, he remains disappointed with the result. But in order to draw a high-quality portrait of a person, it is enough to study every detail well.

Analysis of shortcomings

If the artist is faced with the above problems, then he needs to take into account the following: after a constructive analysis, the stage of modeling the form using hatching has come, and at this stage some doubts about the continuation of work on the image often begin to disturb.

Stop parsing tones and repeat parsing shapes. Go over the shape with a pencil, disassemble the nature on the plane and remember its design. After such a detailed analysis, drawing becomes much easier.

Imagine inmind what detail comes from where, how volume is formed and why this happens. This mental process helps to understand how to distribute chiaroscuro, which area will be immersed in shadow, where the penumbra is located and where the light falls.

Fix bugs step by step

If you encounter difficulties in working with the form, you should do this:

1. The form is visually divided into several planes that create its volume.
2. We analyze how the shape is arranged, then build it using conditional planes or using construction lines, you can combine all the methods together.
3. If none of the methods helped, you need to generalize the drawing. It is necessary to collect all the small details together using conditional planes.

How to improve a skill

In order for the hand and eye to get used to drawing, it is necessary to make sketches every day that help to understand nature and improve your skill. Try to capture the volumes of nature, as well as planes and proportions. Make sketches from nature regularly. You can watch TV and try to capture the pictures you see on the screen. Keep a pen and sketchbook handy at all times. Draw everything you see, take the necessary equipment and make sketches in the subway and train stations, where there is a huge crowd of people. Practice the skill every day, compare ratios and volumes. To do this, you can use photographs or drawings from books. Learn to focus on commonforms and do not go in cycles in trifles. Only in these ways can you improve your skills.