Tips on how to learn how to draw portraits (not for fame or money)

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

Usually people who do not have a special art education do not dare to portray human faces. It is understandable, for this you need to know the anatomy, the structure of the skull, the types of facial muscles and much more. Such students are more interested in how to learn how to draw flowers, still lifes or landscapes, they seem to be more accessible … However, in order for a drawing to look like a particular person, academic knowledge in the field of painting is not at all necessary. Let this sketch not become a masterpiece, but it will keep the memory of some meeting.

It is especially valuable to know how to learn to draw portraits in this age of electronic digital cameras and cameras built into mobile phones. Still, a hand-made cartoon or sketch carries much more positive energy than any photograph (no matter what resolution it is made), because art revives emotions, and technology does not always succeed.

Learning to draw a portrait is actually not that difficult (if the task is not to create a highly artistic work).

First you need to imagine some kind of ideal face that most people would consider beautiful. So, the shape is oval. You can compare this shape with the face of the depicted person and make adjustments.

Now you need to decide on the lines of the eyes, ears and lower part of the nose. If the one being drawn does not agree to pose, then it remains to use his photograph or his own memory. You need to imagine how low the mouth is, how high the eyes sit, and, based on this, draw horizontal lines inside the oval of the face.

Artists who already know how to learn how to draw portraits recommend that all beginners pay more attention to the eyes: the similarity achieved depends to a large extent on them. With all the diversity of people living on earth, they are conditionally divided into a relatively small number of types. The most common type of eyes is almond-shaped, but there are others (it is important to understand what kind of eyes they are depicted). You should also decide on the slope of the outer and inner edges of the eyes.

Now the nose. It is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. The line of the lower edge in the figure is already there, it remains only to convey the features of its shape. For beginners just learning how to draw portraits, it's best not to try to portray this facial feature in too much detail.

The mouth is represented by three main lines. The top edge resembles the letter "M" stretched on the sides. The lower line is an arc curved to the bottom. Between them, the mouth itself is a small winding line. Beginners unfamiliar with anatomyartists better not draw teeth.

Eyebrow and hair lines are usually the best. Outlining the shape of the hairstyle is relatively easy.

Designing ears also usually does not cause difficulties, unless, of course, one dwells in detail on their structure, which requires certain knowledge.

The neck and clothes remain (or rather, the collar or neckline). This is already quite simple, but such details give the whole sketch completeness.

After finishing work, it's good to take a break, and then (for example, the next day) evaluate for yourself how well what happened, successfully conveys the external resemblance and, possibly, the character of the drawn person. Small details (such as moles, for example) can also be important.

And finally, a few tips for those who are thinking about how to learn how to draw portraits:

• It is better to use a soft pencil.
• Don't be afraid to make a mistake, it can be corrected with an eraser.
• You need to draw what you see, not what you want.
• If you have the ability, keep studying hard.

And more! Any criticism should be treated with angelic patience, especially if the drawing is commented by a professional artist.