However, I found it particularly tricky to locate where the ears go in a portrait when drawing the three-quarters view until I started using the Loomis Method. If we view the head sideways, the ears usually connect near the head’s horizontal center or slightly further away from the face which is a good rule of thumb that is especially useful when drawing side profiles. Tip 3: Check these three critical head proportions when sketching the portrait’s outline. Opt to draw strangers instead of celebrities so that you don’t feel pressured to get the likeness of the face right.Only pick references that have an obvious transition between shadows, midtones, and highlights because it’s hard to make out the contours of the face planes as a beginner artist with references that lack contrast, and this can result in portraits that look flat.As a beginner artist, you can experiment with sketching more dynamic angles once you have a good hang of drawing portraits in the three basic poses (side view, front view, and three-quarter view). When I’m having a terrible day drawing portraits, I find a good reference in the side profile because it’s the most straightforward angle to draw well because you only have to draw a single eye and ear.You can always practice those once you are comfortable drawing faces with simple and neutral expressions. The difficulty of drawing a portrait increases considerably if the portrait reference is very expressive (e.g., smiling with visible teeth). Find face references with minimal expressions.Here are some strategies I use to search Pinterest to find suitable references for my drawings: If you need to become more familiar with the Loomis Method, I suggest you read this post for a simple summary of the technique and check out this short video by Proko that explains its basic idea.ĭrawing a face is hard enough for beginner artists with a simple portrait reference, let alone dynamic angles and expressions. When I started drawing portraits, my process, like most beginners, involved drawing an outline of the face and somehow trying to fit eyes, mouth, ears, and nose in the blank space without making it look weird.Īfter many failed attempts, I started drawing portraits by sketching the nose first and then working my way outwards towards the mouth, the eyes, the ears, and eventually (if I wasn’t already exhausted by the endless corrections), the outline of the face.Īs you can imagine, drawing a portrait solely based on your observation skills can be a tedious and frustrating process. My aha moment was when I stumbled upon the book Drawing The Head And Hands by Andrew Loomis, which taught me the process of basing a convincing portrait on the structure of the whole head instead of just copying its outline. This may be obvious for many of you, but it took me embarrassingly long to realize how important it is to sketch the basic structure of a portrait using simple shapes first instead of just copying what you see. Tip 1: Instead of copying the outlines of the face and its features, start a portrait by drawing the basic shapes that represent the human head. Tip 6: Learn to draw a portrait like a sculptor.Tip 5: Learn to draw portraits in a semi-realistic art style before attempting hyperrealism.Tip 4: Make sure to align the ears with the center of the skull, brow ridge, and the base of the nose.Tip 3: Check these three critical head proportions when sketching the portrait’s outline.Tip 2: Use these strategies to find easier portrait references.Tip 1: Instead of copying the outlines of the face and its features, start a portrait by drawing the basic shapes that represent the human head.Here are 6 of the best tips I have learned from other artists that have helped me draw consistently better faces more easily: When I got back to drawing this year, I struggled to draw faces well, so these past few months, I read a bunch of art books, took some introductory drawing courses, and binge-watched dozens of Youtube videos to improve my portrait drawing skills.
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