This horizontal line, of course, will be located below the eyebrow line that we marked in the previous step. So, we can place the eye-line with confidence, marking it either freehand or using a pencil to measure where the middle of the head is. The following step comes from the know-how – this proportion is not measured on a model’s head, it is universal for all portraits – the eye-line divides the height of the head in half. To keep things simple for this exercise, we draw a portrait at our eye-level. The opposite is also true – lines will be curved downward when a model’s head is located lower. When the model is located higher than a viewer, lines will be curved upward. If the model’s head is on the same level as yours, you would see those three lines horizontal. Do it as accurate as you can precise location of these three parts will help you in placing facial features correctly. Divide the distance from that line to the bottom of the head into three equal parts by eye or using a pencil as a measuring stick. Observe on the model where the hair-root line is intended by nature and mark this line on the drawing. From the base of the nose to the bottom of the chin.From the eyebrow line to the base of the nose.From the hair-root line to the eyebrow line.All adult faces regardless of individual appearances share the same proportion – the distance between the hair-root line and the bottom edge of the chin can be divided in three equal parts:
The next step requires a know-how of the universal proportion of the face. Train your eyes by marking those edges freehand and, if necessary, double-check the main proportion using a pencil. It is also good to have more space below the head than above.
Make sure there is enough space in front of the head – “nose room” and the head is not too close to the top edge of paper. Mark four strokes – the top, bottom as well as the left and right edges of the head. When you have this ratio measured, decide on a composition of your future portrait – how big the head would be and where on paper it will be located. Make sure to get it as accurate as you can. This proportion varies depending on the view angle.
Many art students ask me how to measure with a pencil to answer, I created this article – ///how-to-measure-with-a-pencil First stepīegin with measuring the main proportion of the model’s head – its width-to-height ratio using a pencil or by eye. Fix paper to a drawing board and get your pencil sharpened. I would suggest getting a model or drawing a self-portrait looking in a mirror.įirst, analyze the head, chose the view angle, and decide on the artwork size and layout. How to Draw a Portrait in the Three Quarters View Before drawing begins You will be able to draw similar portraits by the end of this exercise should you follow closely my instructions. This process is also described in my book “How to Draw a Portrait in the Three Quarters View” available on Amazon.
So, in this series of articles, I will share with you the in-depth step-by-step know-how of portrait drawing as it’s taught in one of the World’s best art institutions – Repin Academy in St. You simply won’t see the correctness of proportions if you don’t know what those proportions are. And the necessary know-how only comes with crucial knowledge. To “ build” a head in portrait drawing requires much more than simply copying what you see. It is like decorating walls before building a house. When drawing from life, art students are doing their best to depict eyes, nose and mouth as they see it on a model, forgetting, however, the overall construction of the head. To explain why the principle “ Draw What You Know, not What You See” is important, I’ll give you an example. The biggest challenge in drawing portraits arrives from the misconception of how art is created – students draw not what they know, but copy what they see. Not knowing or not following constructive drawing principles.I also regularly receive portrait drawings for critique that have common mistakes like misplaced facial features, incorrect proportions, wrong perspective, and so on. In the Drawing Academy course, students often ask me how to draw a portrait so it looks realistic. It is written and illustrated by Vladimir London, internationally published author and the founder of Drawing Academy. In this book, you will discover the step by step process of how to draw a head in the three-quarters view.
How to Draw a Portrait The Step-by-Step Guide on How to Draw a Portrait By Vladimir London