Tips On Pencil Portrait Sketching - The Arabesque

By Author: Remi Engels
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In this commentary we suppose that you sketch directly from life or from a proper photograph. In other words, we suppose that you do not use the so-called grid method. This method relies on a grid drawn both on the photograph of your model as well as your drawing paper.

If this is so, the first thing you will do is to create a line-drawing. And the very first part of your line-drawing will consist of drawing the so-called arabesque.

In pencil portrait drawing, the arabesque is defined as the entire positive shape of your model's head. In other words the arabesque is the outer contour of the head.

The arabesque includes the proportions, the shape, and the symmetry of the head. This means that the arabesque communicates pretty much an overall likeness of your model and often a great deal of expressive content.

In trying to realize the arabesque we meet our first challenge as an artist. That is, the challenge of "seeing the reality". Indeed, when we note an object a complex mental process is initiated which in part falls short of the degree of accuracy necessary to create an satisfactory portrait.

The ...
... mind, for good reasons (one is to maintain our sanity), instantly replace the very complex object with the a symbol it has stored since childhood. For instance, we all know how a child sketches a house. It really is more like a symbol of a house. But this is what the mind tends to bring up and often even grown-ups sketch a house like they did as a child.

Plainly, it is these symbolic preconceptions (a left brain occurrence) that are the enemy of the artist. You must train yourself to ignore those symbols and really see what the reality of, for example, a house is.

In general, learning to sketch is about the reprogramming of the mind's eye. To this end, there is a skill-set that has been developed over the ages since the Renaissance.

Applying this new found skill to the arabesque is particularly significant. "Striking" the arabesque is probably the most significant step in the creation of a good likeness. Once you have this skill down path all the rest will follow reasonably easily.

The first step in drawing a accurate arabesque is to force your eyes slightly out-of-focus. This situation is called seeing with a "soft eye". With a soft eye proportions and shape are more easily seen. It also helps you to avoid the invocation of the symbolic preconceptions we mentioned.

To train your eye to improve your powers of seeing you must always sketch first and check second. There is very little to gain from pre-measuring. The habit of pre-measuring of the size of your model's head will hold you back in the long run.

When drawing the original arabesque always use short straight, i.e., architectonic lines. This will impart a sense of the head's structure and the shape of the underlying bones and tissues. Note that round or curving lines are symbolic preconceptions.

Also keep in mind the symmetry of the head. The term "symmetry" in the context of drawing
and painting does not so much refer to the similarity of two parts but more to the attractiveness that results from accurate proportioning and rhythm.

After drawing the arabesque (without doing any measurements) you can check the proportions. Take a measure of the primary
width (i.e., the width of the arabesque along the brow line) and set it off vertically starting at the bottom of the chin. The end point of the width as a rule ends up somewhere close to the middle of the hair.

The idea is to establish exactly where that end point is at. Best is to judge the smallest of the following two lengths: (1) the vertical length from the brow line up to the end point of the measure; (2) the vertical length from the end point of the measure up to the arabesque. The smallest length is likely to be the most accurate. Do not forget, the arabesque encompasses the entirety of the head including the hair.

With practice your eyes will develop this critical skill. Then, once the proportion and shape of the arabesque have been established you are set to continue with locating the so-called landmarks.
About Author:
Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait draw? Download my brand new free pencil portrait draw tutorial here: Remi's Pencil Portrait Drawing Course. Remi Engels is a pencil portrait draftsman and oil painter and skilled draw teacher. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: http://www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Guidelines for Pencil Portrait Sketching - The Arabesque.