A strange thing about drawing the profile view is that beginners find it much easier than the other views. Yet, the advanced draftsperson can find the side view quite demanding.

For the advanced draftsperson the challenge lies in the struggle to affect a 3-dimensional sculptured quality.

Looking at the arabesque in the profile view note how the head is broken down into straight lines. Using these architectonic lines expresses a firmness of shape.

At first, you should keep the shapes plain. Also at this stage, do not draw all the profiled features. There are 2 reasons for this:

1. It is very likely that even the most gifted draftsperson will be off, and

2. Once a line is established the language center of your brain will consider that relationship as right one. Therefore, it will look right to you but everyone else will see the error.

There is a better way. You begin with striking the arabesque using architectonically straight lines. The chief worries are putting in place the general proportions and shape properly. At a more advanced level you should also consider rhythm and flow.

Instead of at once including the nose into the arabesque you should make use of the facial angle, i.e., the line from the forehead to the chin that breaks at the bottom of the nose. The signpost reference for the bottom of the nose is the tiny ledge-like protrusion.

A plumb-bob is an superb device for accurately placing the bottom of the nose. A plumb-bob is a length of thread (preferably black carpet thread) that has a weight attached to it. The plumb-bob is made use of to check vertical alignments (when working with life models) and their relationships to that vertical line. The vertical line is referred to as the plumb-line.

Aligning the plumb-line to the chin allows you more correctly to see the relation of brow to chin. The brow is set back from the chin. By the way, the entire area of chin and mouth is referred to as the “muzzle”.

Having confirmed that the initial arabesque and facial angle are correct you can now continue with positioning the facial proportions, chief anatomical signposts, and the hair-line. So, at this stage do not even think about rendering the complete nose. Rendering the nose at this stage is a sure prescription for disaster. The angle of the nose and the construction of the tip require a high degree of accuracy.

Instead, begin to sketch the general light/dark pattern.
The lights are painted out using a kneaded eraser. The look we are looking for is that of a ghost image. That means, above all, not to add minutia. In addition, work from the general to the specific.

Once the general light/dark pattern is drawn then the profiled features can be tackled. using a very sharp pencil you can sketch upwards from the chin to the forehead carefully viewing the shape. As you sketch mutter the anatomical terms of each feature that you draw. You would be surprised at how that ilucidates the sketching process. Having an understanding of the facial anatomy will set your portrait sketching miles ahead of those who do not.

The tip of the nose, particularly, demands anatomical reconstruction to get it right.

A common error novices make with the profile view is placing the eye too far forward. The eye sockets are recessed quite considerably into the head. If you drop a plumb-line from the inside corner of the eye you will see that the eye aligns itself with the node of the mouth.

Further rendering and cross-hatching tones are done with 2H and 4H pencils. Choosing how far you want to take your sketch is an artistic decision you have to make yourself. If you wish, you can leave the portrait somewhat unfinished.

In closing, sketching the profile view involves the same general principles that apply to any view. In this case, the arabesque is particularly major. The major thing to recall is not to place the actual complete features of the head too early in the process.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: pencil portrait tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and skilled sketching teacher. See his work at pencil portraits.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | January 2009

The rendering of kids demands freshness and directness of purpose. Regrettably, there are not too many quick and ready rules. Let us just say that children’s portraits demand a keen and patient eye.

For those who intend to do professional portraiture the good news is that children’s portraits can be lucrative. There are very few artists who can competently sketch kids.

Soft lighting works best for portraits of kids. The child could be looking towards a intense light source. This sort of light source will light up the child’s face and create an introspective facial expression. The value stretch goes from light to medium with the eyes very dark.

Addressing the facial proportions of kids in a general sense is somewhat of a waste of time. Their facial proportions change dramatically within a time span of six month.

Suffice it to say that the younger the child is the smaller the face in relation to the head. The eyes also appear larger although this can be misleading. A child’s nose can be a nightmare to sketch – there is nothing really to latch onto. And the mouth is very fine and sensitive not to mention its constant motion if you sketch from a model.

If you do want to enumerate some general proportions you can say that whereas an adult face is about half the size of the frontal head side, a child’s face is about one-third of that size. Also, note how little an infant’s neck is compared to the size of the skull.

At its widest segment, a baby’s face is about five eye widths wide. The width between the eyes is a tiny bit more than the width of an eye. Both the mouth and the nose are about the same width of an eye. Again, we must stress that these proportions are only a general rule and individual face proportions can be different. The above general rules can be made use of for comparison purposes when you do your own careful observations of a particular face.

As always, start your rendering by striking the arabesque and then correcting the height/width proportions as necessary.

After establishing the primary facial proportions (i.e., the brow, nose, mouth, etc.) block-in the major light/dark patterns. Then, stump down the graphite using your fingers or a stump. To render and re-shape the lights use a clean kneaded eraser.

Now the features are carefully placed, sized and partially sketched. There are two points to take into account here:

1. Your pencils must be very sharp, and

2. At this point, you should never fully complete a feature. Draw each feature no more than 50%.

As soon as the features are sized and situated as best you can, you can now further develop them. Do not neglect the hair and sides of the face. Everything should be advanced together. As you continue to sketch you should always be on the lookout for mistakes in proportions and value.

In closing, the basic methods made use of to sketch a child’s portrait are of course always the same. Above, we listed most of the differences in proportion and form between an adult skull and that of a child. Your frame of mind when rendering a child should be one that reflects the innocence and the softness of a child.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert sketching teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits by Remi.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | January 2009

Posing your subject surrounded by a few props can add much attention, dimension, and appeal to a portrait and goes a long way to describing your subject. A prop can add considerably to the composition of the portrait.

Sketching a portrait with a prop, such as a table or even ear muffs, requires you to particularly pay heed to the complete arabesque.

Quite often the beginning draftsperson will be tempted to approach a prop as a separate element or an afterthought so that rather than complimenting and blending in a supporting role with the subject’s face, it looks artificial and overwhelms the subject or is incorrectly proportioned or drawn.

In this commentary you will learn the expert approach to sketching a supporting element that frames the center of interest even with a supporting element that is bigger than the face.

First, the presence of a prop does not change the approach to rendering the pencil portrait. As with sketching any other portrait, you should utilize all your usual basic knowledge and apply them throughout the normal processes of your sketching effort.

So as always, you start with the arabesque which in the case where the skull and the supporting element overlap will be a “construct” which is a complete arabesque that encompasses not only the shape and proportions of the skull but also of the contour of the supporting element where it overlaps with the skull.

In the context of the presence of a supporting element that overlaps with the skull, the construct becomes of crucial importance. It helps a lot with the maintenance of unity. If you do not render from the reference of a construct, the skull and the prop will appear as separate structures.

While you work through the succeeding stages of your portrait sketching (proportions, landmarks, blocking-in, blending, etc.) you should continually be aware of the fact that your supporting element should not overwhelm the face of your subject.

The face of your subject should remain the primary focus. Your drawing should not turn into a still life of your supporting element that also happens to show a person’s face in the background.

One trick that can help you with understating of the supporting element is to only render the merest of details inside the supporting element. Another one is to soften the values of the supporting element but only if it this appropriate in the context of the overall intent of your drawing.

Again, we cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining the cohesion between your subject and the supporting element. That is why it is significant that you render from the construct which already links the subject and your supporting element as one overall object. Of course, this also implies that you do the toning in a similar spirit and not overdo the lines and values that separate the subject and the supporting element.

So, in closing, the main considerations when including props elements in your drawing are to make sure that the arabesque covers the entire contour of the skull and the props elements.

In addition, make sure that at all times you keep in mind that the props elements should never become the focus of your drawing. If you stick to these guidelines, the utilize of props elements should never become a problem for you.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and skilled drawing teacher. See his work at pencil portraits by Remi.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | January 2009

A smile is the consequence of happiness. It lifts and broadens the lower face and the raised cheeks will often crease the skin just below the eyes resulting in the so-called “crow’s feet”.

To recognize the makings of a smile in its numerous manifestations we must first recognize the underlying anatomy.

Below we list the three significant muscles that contribute to a smile:

* The Zygomaticus Major - is the major “muscle of happiness”. This elongated muscle starts at the front area of the Zygomatic Arch (cheek bone) and inserts into the corner.

When the zygomaticus major contracts it bulges and lifts the cheek while further deepening the Nasolabial Furrow or smile-line.

* The Malaris - lies on top of the zygomaticus major and is a long, ribbon-like deep-seated muscle. It starts at the temple and inserts into and forms the bottom half of the nasolabial furrow.

The malaris is the cheek muscle. It heaves up the cheek in an outwards and back bearing making it bulge and giving it the puffy cheek look.

* The Buccinator - quadrilateral muscle forms the “cheek cushion”. It starts on the back, inside of the jaw and inserts into the “corners” of the mouth.

When smiling the buccinator contracts thus heaving at the corners and broaden the mouth.

As the mouth is broadened and pulled by both the zygomaticus major and buccinator the lips are extended and flattened. So is the chin. The philtrum is shortened and the nostrils flare to some extent.

Below are still other minor muscles that contribute to the smile:

1. The Risorius - is a curious muscle because not each person has one. Some people only have a risorius on one side of the face. Others have a large, expansive triangular shaped one.

The Risorius starts in the fatty tissue of the Masseter (whose action is made use of mainly for chewing) and inserts into the corner of the mouth.

The risorius delicately draws the corner backwards and up. Its effect is mainly seen in gentle smiles.

2. Incisivus Labii Superioris and Inferioris Superioris - The superioris does the heaving. These thing, band-like muscles start just above the incisor tooth region and also insert into the corner.

When fully contracted, a puckering up of the lips (a kiss) is produced.

3. The Levator Labii Superioris is a narrow, quadrilateral muscle whose effect on the smile is to some extent restricted.

But, the upper part of this muscle contributes to the volume of the cheek and the nasolabial furrow.

Over the three significant muscles goes the most complicated of all the facial muscles, the Orbicularis Oris which operates throughout a large range of actions and expressions.

During a smile the bottom eyelids are also pressed upward. This is the result of a secondary action where the Orbicularis Oculi (the muscle of the eye socket) contracts.

The nasolabial furrow is deepened as it is simultaneously pulled and pressed upward and outwards. It is best to understate the sharp fold of the nasolabial furrow otherwise the smile will deteriorate into a scowl.

As the corner of the mouth is pulled out and upward the skin is gathered into delicate vertical ridges.

The interstice of the mouth curves upward, stretching and flattening the lips while shortening the philtrum. The nostrils of the nose also broaden as they are pulled outwards.

The top portion of the nasolabial furrow is produced by a slender, three-part muscle named the Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi. This is the muscle that formes wrinkles in the nose during sniffing.

The elements of this muscle are the furrow part which inserts into the top part of the nasolabial furrow; the alar part which inserts under and behind the wing of the nose (Alae Nasi); and the lip part which inserts continuously into the ridge just above the top lip and to the philtrum.

When drawing the nasolabial furrow be careful not to over-do it. A delicate suggestion is all that is needed. Otherwise your lovely smile will quickly degenerate into a scowl.

With this we have detailed and discussed the most essential muscles that are involved in the smile. This should put you on the accurate path for recognizing the anatomy of the smile.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced drawing teacher. See his work at pencil portraits by Remi.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | January 2009

Drawing hair is dictated by several factors: the type of hair, its tint, texture, quantity, the arrangement and styling of the hair, the individuality and mood of the model or the photo, and the light effect upon the hair.

The arabesque of the hair is part of the overall construct. A correct construct is critical to the likeness of the hair. Many starting artists begin with the face and grow outwards from there. This is however a poor approach and instills bad habits that will prove hard to break.

In fact, the arabesque is especially critical when draw a hairdo. Attempting to draw the hair working from the inside out, bit by bit, is a recipe for disaster. The hair will result in being either too small for the skull or too large.

Sketching within the construct of the hairdo, first put in the main darks. These darks are best seen by squinting until an overall pattern of light and dark is seen.

Next, you need to blend the graphite in a painterly manner following the general gesture and motion of the hairdo. For this you can employ your fingers, a tissue, or a paper stump. If you employ a paper stump be careful not to deaden the look. If you employ your fingers make sure they are dry and also wipe them constantly with a paper towel.

Then, employ your putty eraser like a loaded paint brush to lift out the relevant lights. Do not be overly fussy here. A more virtuoso approach effects a sense of life and rhythm into the hairdo. If you make an error just blend the graphite again with your fingers or stump and do it again.

Sometimes when you block-in the hairdo other light parts of the skull pop out. This is one rationale why working the skull as a whole is necessary.

French braiding is a attractive hairdo style, but extremely complicated and hard to sketch. The idea is to draw these French braids fluidly and with motion. A balancing act is required here: the intricacy of the hairdo’s styling is best handled by first line-rendering the main locks and braids. As you lay out the braids be sure to plumb and carefully size and position each main lock and braid.

When working from a photo there is the temptation to copy it down to the smallest detail. You may or may not give in to this temptation but you should always make sure that the hairdo maintains its liveliness. However, in most cases, you will not need to sketch every detail.

Further block-in the darks taking into account the direction and gesture of the relevant locks of the hairdo. The most difficult thing is to avoid from plunging into an area of detail. Not to do this requires mental discipline. Best is to follow a layered approach that progressively stacks the arrangement of the hairdo, lock by lock.

You also should smooth the edges of the hairdo line so that it blends into the forehead and sides of the face. Hair does this naturally.

Make sure you used sharp pencils because dull pencils lead to dull, lifeless hair.

Having first mapped out and blocked-in the relevant locks of hair makes the rendering of the finer areas much easier, but is still labor intensive. You should be prepared to spend quite a bit of time on a hairdo.

Also, keep stepping back from the sketch to preserve an overview of the principal light/dark pattern because detailing can result in a flat mess in which the values close in on each other.

Hold back from rendering bangs too early in the process. This helps ensure that the hairdo and flesh can be unified into a coherent sense of spirit.

Drawing hair so that it reads naturally and has a rhythmic gesture is difficult. Generally it takes as much time and effort to render the hairdo as it does the face and neck. You must spend as much care in preparing the hairdo as you would for the restof the portrait. If you draw from a model be sure you do the hairdo before your model takes a rest because the hairdo will very likely have changed when the break is over. The strategy, then, is to devote a whole 20 to 30 minutes of a pose segment to the hairdo.

With these instructions you can be sure that in time your drawn hair will look real and energetic. Do not forget that rendering hairdo takes time so that you do not get impatient.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: pencil portrait tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert sketching teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | January 2009

There are many modes of drawing: linear, value-wise, gestural, etc. In this expose we will center on carving out form with a sculptural awareness.

This mode of drawing is very much like working with putty except that we are working on paper, of course, and using our fingers, a stump, tissue, and the kneaded eraser as our painting tools.

As always, begin with striking the arabesque and locating the essential proportions of the facial region.

Before hatching-in the main light/dark patterns you should squint and look at the subject or the photograph. Squinting distills the lights and darks into simple patterns of one given value because it obscures the minutia.

At this time, just concern yourself with the large masses, maybe even just two, a light one and a dark one. Do not yet attempt to break down the darks at this time.

Working in this way is also good training for painting because this is how you build up a painting in particular when using the Alla Prima method of painting.

Drawing, painting, and sculpture are additive/subtractive activities. You first add something and then you take something back, all the while progressing towards the finished drawing.

You also will use your kneaded eraser to take out the lights. When doing this pay careful consideration to the anatomical principles; every form signifies a skeletal signpost.

We all have our individual preferences about how we sketch. At this time, you may prefer to improve the arabesque and work on the facial features. Other draftspersons will continue working value-wise without any line work. As you add expertise and grow as an artist you will make your own selections. That is what art making is: selections - bad and good.

Now that we have the basics down including the overall proportions, we can start reworking the darks and the lights. The point is to go for the “full stretch” of tones, i.e., from the darkest darks to the lightest light.

Starting and intermediate draftspersons often fail to go for the full tonal stretch. Quite often the reason for this is the apprehension of destroying their drawing and also because they have read, or been told, not to overwork the drawing.

As a beginner you should take a drawing as far as you possibly can, even to the point of collapse. That way you will learn exactly how far you can go. If you always stop short you will never know what lies ahead.

Use your fingers, a tissue, and a stump to blend the tones. The best thing is to start dividing each big value mass into two separate smaller forms of different tones wherever your observations tell you there is a difference in tone to be made. Keep in mind the varying planes and the anatomy of the subject’s features.

The hair is kept dark and simple with only a few strokes of the kneaded eraser to suggest the unkempt locks of hair. Do not overdo these strokes or they will look bleached.

In conclusion, when making use of the sculptural mode of drawing a pencil portrait always treat your tools as if they were brushes. Act as if as much as possible that you are sculpting instead of drawing. Constantly remember the anatomy and the varying plane bearings that you note in your model. Always sketch from the general to the specific or from the large to the small. As you get more skill, try to remember the things that work for you and include them in your style of drawing.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced drawing teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | January 2009

In this commentary we will discuss the blocking-in of large masses of tone.

Tone is commonly thought of as shadow. Beginners commonly first sketch an outline of the shadow and then fill in the shadows bit-by-bit. They usually start with an eye and then grow out the shadows. Inevitably, the outcome is a chaos of disconnected darks and lights.

There are two distinct ways of viewing tone: in Western culture we see tone as shadow; in Eastern culture tone is seen as color.

Applying, or more accurately, constructing tone should be done with a sculptural sensibility. That is, think of your sketch as a piece of clay that is to be carved. Once roughly carved, you then model the surface shapes with varying intensities of tone while manipulating their edges.

A portrait sketching from life or (paper picture) starts with the striking of the construct. Two things must be accurately sketched: 1. the shape of the entire head; and 2. the proportions.

Once the arabesque} has been struck, the entire head is then broken down into two point, do not concern yourself with whether or not one area is darker than the other. Only the large light/dark pattern counts.

Note that squinting is a good idea to more clearly see the value patterns because you are not sidetracked by details.

A good rule of thumb is to divide an area in two. For example, if an observed dark area is not entirely uniform in value divide it in two and block-in the two slightly differing values. Before long a multifaceted but unified array of values will emerge.

From the blocking-in of the large darks you can then effortlessly sketch the features. Over time you should try to remember the total anatomy and “feel” the shape 3-dimensionally.

You must know your anatomy to succeed in sketching portraits even at the most basic level. Learn the anatomy in bite-size portions as you sketch along. It really is the best way to learn.

A good way to sketch is to toggle back and forth between line sketching and tonal sketching or hatching. Another way is to first do a total line sketching of the subject. That is, to sketch a “map” of the head that encompasses all planes and scores the boundaries of the various tonal areas. As a second phase you can then hatch-in the accurate values.

While you shade be always aware of the planes of the head and the bearing of the light source.

Another expertise to be acquired is the expertise to cross-hatch areas in a flat and even manner. There is nothing more distracting than scratchy looking cross-hatching.

Lastly, take note of a curious optical phenomenon called “simultaneous disparity”. It takes place when light and dark values lie next to each other. Generally, white is expansive while black is contractive. The result is that the white area looks larger than it is while the black area will look smaller.

In conclusion, keep the blocking-in procedure simple. Look for large masses first and then for the smaller ones. It is always better to work from the general to the specific. And, this stage, ignore the details.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced drawing teacher. See his work at pencil portraits by Remi.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | January 2009

A pencil portrait drawing from life starts with the “striking” of the arabesque. Striking the arabesque means sketching the outer contour of the skull with the accurate proportions, shape, and theaccurate symmetry.

Once you have drawn a reasonably accurate arabesque it is time to position the main landmarks of the skull. That means that we will correctly position the most essential places of the skull. These places will then be used as references for mapping out the rest of the skull features.

Here is something that may assist you with this task: work with your eyes to some extent out-of-focus. This is called observing with a “soft eye”. Somehow this makes it easier to correctly resolve shapes and sizes. It also aids you with suppressing the set notions we all have of certain objects.

Let us imagine that we are working from a 3/4 skull pose.

* The Brow Ridge - is the first important landmark. To place the brow ridge you must first take your best estimate at where you think it is and only then check it by sighting.

Note that to train your eyes it is better to first estimate distances, angles, etc. and check them later. There is nothing to gain from pre- sizing.

Sighting means to use your pencil with locked arm and marking distances along the pencil with your thumb and index finger and one eye closed.

So then, first sight from the bottom of the chin to a point on the brow ridge (just choose an random point on the ridge. But once chosen you should hold on to it.

Now raise your pencil so that your thumb is on your point on the brow ridge and make note of where your pencil point is. It should be a small distance above the top of the skull. Mark on your drawing where you can best place that spot above the skull. This point is called the “check-point”.

Note that whenever there is a choice, you should always measure the shortest distance because doing so tends to be more accurate.

Your point on the brow ridge should, if it was placed correctly, be exactly halfway between the bottom of the chin and your check-point. If it is not – then improve the placement of your brow ridge.

* Jaw Hinge - Now you can tag the width of the head. In the 3/4 pose the hinge of the jaw is an essential landmark. Again, take your best estimate then check by sighting horizontally from the hinge of the jaw to the far edge of the cheek bone and vertically relating that measure from the bottom of the chin.

* Top Nose Bone - Since we have already positioned the brow ridge we now only have to guess a small length to fix the top of the nose bone. If you placed the hinge of the jaw correctly, it should equal the length from the bottom of the chin to the nose bone. If you are off a bit, then correct the placement of the hinge of the jaw. Again, imagine that the shortest distance estimated is the accurate one.

Now that these principal landmarks are positioned you can continue drawing the arabesque. I find it best to further resolve only the back, less, part of the skull at this early point.

* Facial Angle - Finally, you need to position the facial angle which is the center line of the face. Draw a slightly bending line from the middle of the mental tubercle up to the center of the brow ridge.

The positioning of the facial angle is very important. You have to feel your way through this as there is no way to rightly measure it.

Once the facial angle is positioned continue drawing the arabesque carefully observing the shape of the mouth region, the forehead, and all the other features that are articulated in the shape of the arabesque.

With this, we have positioned all the basic landmarks that will help us with the mapping of the rest of the features such as the nose and ears.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert sketching teacher. See his work at pencil portraits by Remi.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | January 2009

A pencil portrait drawing from life starts with the drawing of the arabesque. Striking the arabesque means drawing the outer circumference of the head with the correct proportions, shape, and the appropriate symmetry.

Once you have drawn a reasonably accurate arabesque it is time to place the main landmarks of the head. That means that we will correctly locate the most important points of the head. These points will then be used as references for mapping out the rest of theheadfeatures.

Here is something that may help you with this task : work with your eyes somewhat out-of-focus. This is called seeing with a “soft eye”. Somehow this makes it easier to correctly determine shapes and proportions. It also helps you to suppress the fixed notions we all have of certain objects.

Let us assume that we are working from a 3/4 head profile.

* The Brow Ridge - is the first important landmark. To locate the brow ridge you must first take your best guess at where you think it is then to check it by sighting.

Note that to educate your eye it is better to first guess lengths, angles, etc. and verify them second. There is nothing to gain from pre-measuring.

Sighting means to use your pencil with locked arm and marking lengths along the pencil with your thumb and index finger (starting from the tip down) and one eye closed.

So then, first sight from the bottom of the chin to a point on the brow ridge (just choose an arbitrary critical point on the ridge, but once chosen you should stick with it).

Now raise your pencil vertically so that your thumb is on your point on the brow ridge and note where your pencil point is. It should be a small distance above the top of the face. Mark on your drawing where you can best place that point above the head. This point is called the “check point”.

Note that whenever there is a choice, you should always measure the smallest length because doing so tends to be more accurate.

Your point on the brow ridge should, if it was placed accurately, be exactly halfway between the bottom of the chin and your check point. If it isn’t – then changecorrect the placement of your brow ridge.

* Jaw Hinge - Now you can fix the width of the face. In the 3/4 view the hinge of the jaw is a critical landmark. Again, take your best guess then check by sighting horizontally from the hinge of the jaw to the far edge of the cheek bone and vertically relating that measure from the bottom of the chin.

* Top Nasal Bone - Since we have already established the brow ridge we now only have to estimate a small distance to fix the top of the nasal bone. If you placed the hinge of the jawcorrectly, it should equal the distance from bottom of the chin to the nasal bone. If you’re off a bit, then correct the placement of the hinge of the jaw. Again, assume that the shortest distance estimated is the correct one.

Now that these primarylandmarks are placed you can further work out the arabesque. I find it best to resolve only the back, least complicated, part of the head at this early stage.

* Facial Angle - Finally, you need to the facial angle which is the center line of the face. Draw a slightly curving line from the middle of the mental tubercle up through the center of the brow ridge.

The accurate placement of the facial angle is very important. You have to feel your way through this because as there is no way to accurately measure it.

Once the facial angle is drawn continue resolving the arabesque carefully observing the form of the mouth area, the forehead, and all the other features that are expressed in the shape of the arabesque.

With this, we have drawn all the basic landmarks that will help us to map the rest of the features such as the nose and eyes.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: Remi’s Free Pencil Portrait Tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at Remi’s Pencil Portraits.

P.S. For the new age art of PC and video game lovers - visit the PlayStation 3 pre order blog.

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Posted in: Realistic drawings | Comments(0) | December 2008

* Value and form - are two 2 of the four elements of drawing. The other two are line and texture.

In this article we will talk about the notion of plasticity or tone and how it relates to the concepts of value and form.

* Plasticity or tone - is the visual push and pull of lights and darks which, when presented in a interconnected and harmonious whole, defines the 3-dimensional forms of a portrait.

The human eye can discriminate between many more values than the 12 we usually employ in a drawing. That means that the artist must “mislead” the eye into believing that it is seeing more than is actually on the drawing paper. To this end we must understand how light acts and values are perceived.

The trick is to manipulate the eye’s natural tendency towards closure, i.e., towards finishing a drawing even if parts are not actually there. But the eye only does that without protest if the plasticity is harmonious. Only then will the viewer emotionally engage.

The subject of creating harmonious plasticity is far-ranging. In this article we limit ourselves to realistic portraiture.

* Values - are just degrees of darkness and lightness. We usually limit ourselves to 12 discrete values.

To understand how a form is rendered we need to understand how light operates and how values enter into this. There are 2 properties of light relevant to drawing:

(1) Light travels in a straight line and bounces off surfaces.

(2) The strength of light diminishes quickly with distance.

From these characteristics it follows that:

* As a form turns away from the light source it darkens.

* When two planes face the light they will attain dissimilar values if their distances from the light source are different. For example, the cheek closest to the light source will have a lighter value than the one further away.

* The lightest value on a form is the “highlight”. The highlight is always on a plane that is directly facing the light source.

* The bulk of a portrait’s value is so-called half-tone. That is, anything in-between pure white and pure black. Halftone rendering is simultaneously the most enjoyable and the most annoying aspect of drawing.

* As a form turns fully away from the light source it gradually descends into shadow, towards totally black (i.e., the absence of light). However, there is more to it.

* There is also reflected light from one surface onto another. Remember that light bounces off surfaces but with reduced intensity. So be careful not to overstate your reflected light.

* There is also the top of the shadow which is the darkest value on the form. This band of darkness lies between the darkest halftones and the reflected light. This band of darkness is called the Line of Appelle. It is important to capture its shape correctly because it determines the form’s volume.

* As a form turns away from the light, the half-tone plane changes have a soft edge. The quality of this edge is determined by several factors the most important of which are the degree of plane change, the strength of the light source, and the structure of the surface.

* In portrait drawing there are also cast shadows which are hard-edged and very dark and are shed by one form onto another. An illustration is the shadow that is cast by the nose onto the cheek.

An excellent exercise for understanding the notion of tone is to draw a white bowling pin. For a more controlled situation you can construct yourself a black box with one side open that fully controls the light of one source and blocks out the light of other sources that could pollute the situation.

In closing, the use of the 12-value scale together with the above guidelines allows you to produce the necessary plasticity or tone for your subject.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: Free Pencil Portrait Tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at Remi’s Pencil Portraits.

For the artistic creativity in video games and how to get the machine to see it - please go to PlayStation 3 pre order blog post.

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Posted in: Drawing Tips | Comments(0) | December 2008