Guidelines For Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Six Elements Of Portrait Drawing

By Author: Remi Engels
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Drawing in general entails four distinct elements: line, value, texture, and shape. In the special case of pencil portrait drawing we can refine the list of elements to six: shape, proportion, anatomy, texture, value, and planes.

In this commentary we will give a detailed description of each of those pencil portrait drawing elements.

(1) Form Shape or Shape - The illusion of three-dimensionality in drawing and art in general has been fundamental to Western art for centuries. The carving out of shape using line, structure, and value was essential to almost all Renaissance art.

On the other hand, oriental and much contemporary art emphasize flatness of shape although this period in contemporary art is drawing to an end.

All shape in drawing can be reduced to four basic 3-dimensional solids: bricks, cones, cylinders, and spheres. The correct use of these forms together with perspective and value leads to the illusion of 3-dimensionality even though the drawing is, in actuality, located on a two-dimensional sheet of drawing paper.

In portrait drawing, the arabesque of the head, the square ...
... structure of the head, and all elements within the head (nose, eyes, etc.) are all two- and 3-dimensional forms that contribute to the overall illusion of 3-dimensionality

(2) Proportion - includes all sizing and placements of shape. Proportion refers to the idea of relative length and angle size.

Proportion gives answers to these two questions:

1. Given a defined unit of length, how many units is a given length?

2. How large is this given angle?

Answering these 2 questions every time correctly will give a drawing with the right proportions and placements of all forms.

(3) Anatomy - refers essentially to the underlying parts of bone and muscle of the head.

It is essential to study as much as you can about anatomy. There are a lot of books available on anatomy for artists. For a portrait artist it is really significant to understand the anatomy of the head, neck, and shoulders.

Anatomy texts regrettably include many Latin terms which makes it somewhat difficult to grasp. The idea is to study slowly and a little bit at a time because it can be quite frustrating.

(4) Texture - in portrait drawing expresses the degree of roughness or smoothness of the forms. The texture of a rhino skin, for example, is quite different from that of a cloud.

There are several methods and tricks to help you with the creation of the proper textures. Creating textures presents you with the opportunity to be very creative and to use each possible type of mark you can make with a pencil. In portrait drawing textures occur in places such as hair, clothing, and skin.

(5) Value - refers to the variations in light or dark of the pencil marks and cross-hatchings. Commanding portrait drawings employ the full palette of contrasting lights and darks. Starting artists often fail to reach this full "stretch" of value, resulting in timid, washed-out drawings.

(6) Planes - produce the sculptural sensibility of a portrait. The head has many planes each with a unique direction and therefore with a different value.

The goal is to think of the surface of the head as a set of distinct planes with a particular direction relative to the light source. You should try to recognize each of the planes and draw its correct shape and value.

The correct handling of planes adds very much to the likeness of your model as well as the illusion of 3-dimensionality.
About Author:
Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: Remi's Pencil Portrait Drawing Course. Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: http://www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Tips on Pencil Portrait Drawing - The 6 Steps of Portrait Drawing.