Tuesday, April 21, 2020

How to Draw Portraits

With the studio closed I have been working on my YouTube channel. My older students were getting ready to do self portraits so I am starting off with 4 part series on Portrait Drawing. The first 3 lessons focus the details of drawing each feature. Lesson 4 (coming very soon!) we put it all together with the proper proportions. Please check it out and subscribe!!!! Its aimed at ages 9 and up. 

Gather your materials: 

1. A front view self portrait at least 5X7" (a school portrait would be perfect, you want something that shows shadows) 
2. 2b or 3b pencil (HB is fine if that is all you have)
3. pencil sharpener and an eraser. 
4. 9x12 sketchbook (or 8X10 but not smaller or copy paper if that is all you have)

I'll walk you through steps of the each feature and you'll practice it on your own 3-5 times. 
I am using a picture from a magazine  but I encourage you to use a portrait of yourself. You'll be spending a lot of time on this portrait, it's a great record of where your drawing skills are at right  now.

I mask off everything except for the eye and its surrounding area. We'll closely observe just the eye and draw it 3-5 times. Practice, practice, practice! 

Lesson 1: How to Draw Eyes


Lesson 2: How To Draw the Nose


Lesson 3: How to Draw the Mouth


Stay tuned, the next lesson on drawing the whole portrait will be out this week.

3 comments:

  1. All the information you told here was very useful. Thanks for sharing this.

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  2. I am a self-taught acrylic artist and sometimes I sketch. This article has brought my passion back to life. Though, currently I am working as a Study Abroad consultant for United Kingdom but I still work commissioned based sometimes.

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  3. Wow, your YouTube channel sounds amazing! I'm sure your older students will love learning how to draw self-portraits with your guidance. I can't wait to see the final result in Lesson 4, where all the features are combined in the proper proportions. By the way, have you considered incorporating some cool cosmetic tips into your lessons? Cosmetic Clinic Dubai could be a great addition to your channel's theme. Keep up the fantastic work!

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