Drawing lessons how to learn to draw a portrait with a pencil. The basics of drawing a portrait. Proportions and angles. Draw the eyes on the line of the eyes, which is exactly in the middle of the head. note that the distance between the eyes is equal to the length of one eye



The topic of this article is about how to draw a portrait with a pencil step by step for beginners. Each of us is looking for a convenient way to depict what he sees. That is why I want to propose a variant of how to draw a portrait of a person, whether it is close or dear, or a person sitting in the train opposite, or it will be portraits of celebrities. In this version, there is one and only rule - simplicity.

And today - a training lesson. We will draw a person's face with a pencil step by step, the person you see every day, you are used to "work" a little on his appearance, trying on makeup or a smile, severity or tenderness. We paint the face you know as your reflection in the mirror.

But first, let's get out the mirror and take a look at ourselves for the first time. All people are similar, and at the same moment are different, and you are no exception. What makes us alike? Every healthy person has two eyes, a mouth, nose, ears, eyebrows, hair, styled into a hairstyle. What makes us different? The shape, size and location of these "details" of human appearance. So, a portrait is a kind of collage or puzzles from several fragments, which we will "break" into the plan of our work: Eyes; Mouth; Nose; Ears; Brows; Hair (hairstyle) and facial contours.

And all this has its own shape, size and proportions of its location on the face. This is what makes each of us "released in a single copy", and unlike anyone else. And, if we are learning to draw a portrait of a certain person, then it would be good to first pay attention to the shape and type of each element of the face in detail. And only after that our final goal, and this is a portrait with colored pencils, will become more accessible.

Eyes

We will first practice drawing all the details with a simple pencil. And also, notice, I am drawing myself and my eyes. You can practice drawing while mine, but this will be an intermediate step on the way to understanding how to learn how to draw portraits with a pencil.

Step 1

Here we will draw an arc with a pencil. In doing so, pay attention to its shape. It is stretched out to the middle, and then "rolls" down.

Step 2

The lower arch is almost perfect. It is smaller than the top.

Step 3

We connect the arches and perform the upper eyelid.

Step 4

Cornea and lower eyelid.

Step 5

Cilia appear on the upper and lower eyelids and the pupil.


Step 6

We make small folds near the eyes and mark the places where the shadow falls, which makes the eye seem voluminous.

Lips

How to draw sponges correctly? Just 5 steps and the lip drawing is ready.

Step 1

We start with a wavy line.

Step 2

Draw the upper sponge above the wavy line.

Step 3

We complement the drawn mouth with a lower sponge.

Step 4

We connect the edges of the lips and some folds of the lips.

Step 5

Create a chiaroscuro effect and don't forget about the folds in the corners of the lips and on the chin.

Nose

How to draw a portrait of a person, if you do not learn how to portray one of the most difficult details, the nose. We do it step by step.

Step 1

Draw parallel lines - this is the width of the nose.

Step 2

The two lines end with the original "capsule". This is the expansion of the nose.


Step 3

We represent the nostrils.

Step 4

Shading for a chiaroscuro effect.

Step 5

To make the shadow look natural, flatten it a little.

Ears

Another element that is sometimes forgotten when covering it with hair. But our portrait in pencil step by step for beginners provides for it. What is it? Ears.

Step 1

The shape of the ear is like an arch. We do it.

Step 2

We carry out the upper part of the auricle, curl and tragus.

Step 3

We make an antihelix. A lobe has appeared, which means I have not forgotten about my jewelry - an earring.

Step 4

I perform cheek, neck and hair.

Brows

Drawing a portrait also includes such detail as eyebrows.

Step 1

It is convenient for someone to do this first with an arc, and then each hair separately. And for someone it is more interesting to draw the shape of the eyebrows at once, completing them with abrupt lines.

Step 2

Correct the shape and thickness of the eyebrows.

Hair (hairstyle) and face contours

Having considered every single detail, it is already easier for us to understand how to draw a portrait with a pencil. And yet, I will show, the image of a person's face in stages.

Step 1

My face is round. And I try to portray this.

Step 2

I mark where the neck and the shape of my hair will be.

Step 3

I draw the hair in more detail.


Well, we have learned how to work on each detail separately. Time to put the puzzle together. Let's talk about being a pencil man.

Foreshortening

Before we get a portrait with colored pencils, we draw a portrait from scratch again. But what else is important to know about depicting people? The fact that a person's face can be performed in different ways. For example, if a model sits directly in front of us, her body and head itself are aligned, and her eyes are looking directly at the artist, then this angle is called full face.

Profile - if the model is located sideways to us.

And how to draw a portrait of a person who sits half-turned to us? And what is this work called? This is three quarters. This angle is very convenient for a romantic and informal image. It brings out the beauty of the eyes and lips. This is exactly what we will choose to make the first portrait in pencil from a photograph.

Working on an image from a photograph

First, it is worth choosing a picture of a suitable model in order to paint a portrait from a photograph. And now let's do the work step by step.

To understand how to draw a person's face, we will distribute everything in stages.

Stage 1

We make an oval of the face with a pencil.

Stage 2

This pencil work for beginners involves auxiliary lines that will help to maintain the proportions of a person's face when drawing a portrait outline.

Stage 3

Thanks to the diagram, we mark where the eyes, nose and other organs will be. We carry out these details of the face in stages.

A little more detail:


Eyes and eyebrows


Nose

Stage 4

Now, to make our portrait with a pencil from the photo look more believable, we erase all the auxiliary lines and pay attention to the hair. Don't forget about the chiaroscuro effect.

Stage 5

It's time to make the portrait with colored pencils to bring it to life.

Test lesson

It's time to move on to checking what we have learned and continue talking about how to draw your portrait. I hope that the lessons of drawing a portrait were not in vain for me myself, and I can believably draw myself as a real beauty!

1) Oval face.


2) Auxiliary lines to maintain proportion.


3) Schematic representation of all elements.


4) We perform the portrait with colored pencils.




The lesson is mastered and consolidated. As for me, the result is not bad. We can safely say that we figured out how to draw a portrait with a pencil. And if necessary, we will use our new skills.

Have you ever had this: you depict eyes, lips, nose, correct, try again, erase again - and so endlessly, but the result is not satisfied? This is how many people try to draw a portrait with a pencil. And it would seem that you have studied the structure of all parts of the face, proportions, anatomical features, but the creation looks ugly. What is the reason for such failures?

The point is that it is best to move from the general to the particular, from the simple to the complex. Imagine a man emerging from the fog. Vague outlines appear ... The haze dissipates - and more and more details show through. So it is on paper. Let's study together: create a pencil portrait in stages.

Pencil portrait of a man: sketching

The beginning is very simple. We outline the oval of the face, and then the location of the eye sockets, nose, lips. To make it easier, we use a special way drawn lines. One of them is vertical and runs in the middle of the oval. The other two are horizontal, closer to the center of the face. The upper one indicates the future position of the eyebrows, the lower one - to the tip of the nose. As a result, we get a kind of cross. We will draw a full face pencil portrait for beginners. Professionals often draw people half-turned or in profile, but it is the symmetrical front view that allows you to learn how to mark distances at the beginning of your creative journey.

Drawing details in a portrait with a pencil

Think about who you would like to portray? It is good if the model helps in the embodiment of the idea, but you can create a drawing from a photograph. At the first stage, it is easier not to build on the model at all, but to capture a fictional character. When you're ready to work with a real person, focus on achieving similarities.

And it's not just about physical parameters! Yes, it is very important what shape the eyes are, the lips are thin or plump, the ears are pressed or protruding ... But it is no less important to achieve psychological similarity. All individual traits - from emotions to character and habits, which you place in the center of attention, will give the work liveliness and realism.

These eyes are opposite ...

Eyes- the most expressive element of the face. It is not difficult to "find" them. We divide the width of the head into five parts: the second and the fourth, and there will be eye sockets. Use notches to mark their width and height. Watch the distance between your eyes! Define the iris and pupils. We do not leave the proteins unpainted, but add volume with the shadows. We mark the eyelids. If you are drawing a portrait of a girl with a pencil, depict thicker and longer eyelashes than the man's. Fill the eyes of older people with wrinkles.


Difficult stage: depict the nose

This is a rather difficult process for a beginner, because nose- the most prominent part of the face. But just understand the principle, and noses and noses of any shape and size will be subject to you! Let's designate a pair of parallel lines from the inner corners of the eyes. Let's outline the location of the wings of the nose. Have you forgotten about chiaroscuro? Most of all, the area near the nostrils is darkened. Highlight the back and tip of the nose.

Lips: we continue to draw a portrait with a pencil

As usual, we start with the correct location. The standard for the mouth is line # 5 if the head height is divided into 8 parts. Imagine that the lips are on the cylinder: this will be easier. Note that the upper lip is usually thinner than the lower lip and protrudes more. But what about the width of the mouth? Just measure the distance between the center of the pupils or estimate how much space takes up one and a half eyes. Don't forget to add a groove between the nose and mouth and a crease above the chin.

Such an important chiaroscuro

Now you think that it is very difficult to impose shadows in the right places and add suitable highlights, right? But we will teach you a few tricks. Imagine the head as a collection of surfaces - more protruding and even. This makes it easier to distinguish which areas to darken. Circle them to get a three-dimensional image. Note that the shadows form a complex pattern and are not uniform in depth.

By creating chiaroscuro, change the pressure on the pencil and the saturation of the strokes. Is the color too intense? Do not wash, just blend, the result will be even better! It is convenient to do this with your fingertips or a piece of paper. Add highlights to the pupils, nose tip, lips. It is chiaroscuro that helps the work come to life!

It turned out to be simple enough, right? Take a sheet of paper in your hands, create a beautiful drawing using this lesson! Perhaps your creation will be drawn with a simple pencil, or maybe you want to add brightness and draw a portrait with colored pencils? Go for it! You will definitely succeed!


PHOTO SAMPLE

When I am asked to paint a picture from a portrait photograph, I choose a self-portrait. It is always best to draw from life, as and when you can, in photographs the picture can sometimes be distorted. However, it is not always possible or convenient to get people to pose, and photography definitely helps. I tried to choose the most interesting photo, I don't really look like myself here, but I really like bright sunlight here, so I choose this photo! (fig. 1)

SKETCH

I don't always start with a sketch, but when I have to draw from a photograph (and, in fact, a self-portrait), it helps to be a little more accurate. Sometimes I start by just sketching general shapes and lines, but in this case, I just started with a very simple sketch.

It is needed in order to correctly measure the main features of the face: eyes, nose, mouth, etc. And one more layer just with lines on top of all parts of the face, then duplicated. (fig. 2-3)

(Straight lines can be drawn by holding down the Shift key while drawing a line with a brush) After that I roughly finish the rest by eye. You can use special grids if that's more convenient for you, but personally I try not to bother trying to achieve perfection on the basic sketch. At this stage, the drawing, of course, looks lousy, but the base is already ready, so you can move on to coloring!

BRUSHES

There are a huge number of different brushes on the Internet, and although some of them are very good in my opinion, there is nothing better than a regular round brush. This is what I'll be using, the basic hard round brush that comes with all versions of Photoshop. (fig. 4)

BASE COLORS

When it comes to choosing colors when painting from a photograph, I think it's best to leave the thought of using the Color picker. Photos can be very mosaic and colors can be distorted, random selection of colors will not give you a real idea of ​​the tones, especially when it comes to skin, for example! Therefore, use only your abilities and experiment, trying to achieve the most approximate result, and here getting to the point is not the most important thing.

I will add so many different colors throughout the process that it won't matter in the end. The next step is to add some base tones on the normal layer below the sketch (the sketch layer itself is switched to Multiply, which makes it almost transparent). (fig. 5)

From now on, everything will be drawn on top of the sketch and the already applied base colors. In my work, I always merge layers as needed, so I don't have to get confused in a large number of layers. Most of the time, though, I will be adding new elements on separate layers. I'm not a purist! If something goes wrong, it won't be a disaster for me.

As for whether or not to use many layers in your work, this is entirely up to you, do what is convenient for you personally. At this point, I start to add base light spots to better shape the lines of the face. (fig. 6)

Don't worry if at this stage your drawing doesn't look like the original yet; it’s too early and it’s going to look much better along the way. In the meantime, everything looks rather sloppy, the strokes are very noticeable and uneven, but it's all about finding the right colors and shapes. Try not to get hung up on softening the lines of the picture yet.

COLORS

One of the most common questions that I have to receive in my address is how I "know" what colors to pick. To be honest, I don’t know, I’m just trying to match them, and I pay attention to the environment, and only then I choose a certain color. Photography is a great help and is much easier to work with than relying on your intuition. However, in 90% of cases I am not completely satisfied with the result of the chosen colors and as a result I have to change them. The color palette chosen at the very beginning of the work and the one that turns out at the very end are two completely different things. So if you don't like your chosen color, don't worry. Photoshop is your friend, and it definitely has its upsides. (fig. 7-8)

One of the invaluable tools for me is Color balance. I usually duplicate the entire image and then adjust the colors if I don't like them, which is absolutely the case. This tool is very useful when you want to slightly or significantly change the colors of a painting. It will also help a lot to balance colors if they don't quite match. (fig. 9)

You will surely notice how the tones in my drawing change throughout the work. Sometimes I change and undo changes in search of the desired effect. Yes, I'm so fickle!

PROCESSING

With the base colors and lights in place, I spend the rest of the time working on the details. In this process, I rarely get stuck in one area, I jump between different parts of the drawing so that I do not get bored of working on the same for too long. It also helps, when returning to previous sites, to notice small flaws and correct them. It is also obvious that the picture has become softer. It was too rough at the beginning, but we softened it up as we worked it out. (fig. 10-12)

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

LAYER MODES

In the course of my work, I used several different types of layers. These are mainly Normal and Overlay modes. I probably don't need to say anything about Normal mode, but Overlay is very useful. This is a very good way to enhance contrast. My sample photo has a very bright light source. Therefore, in the process of drawing, I overlaid a couple of layers in the Overlay mode. I make the right side of the face a lot brighter by applying the same skin tone, but in Blend mode. It helps a lot to add contrast and glow caused by bright sunlight. This mode also helps to add a very bright red / orange to this, which is visible when the skin contrasts with light.

The Opacity of the layers is always variable, it all depends on which level is the best. Experiment constantly with layers and choose what works! (fig. 13-14)

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

The dark side of the face still looks flat compared to the lighted side. To fix this, I will add a brighter tone to the layer in Overlay mode to emphasize the structure of the face, cheeks, eyebrow area, etc. I chose light green because the Overlay colors are very saturated. If I had chosen a skin tone, the result would have been a bright orange. Green, on the other hand, will not have the same effect, and will blend perfectly with the overall skin tone. (fig. 15)

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TURN!

Another way to control some minor errors is to flip the image. Working with photography, I know what the result will be, but still it will not be superfluous to unfold the drawing about once an hour.

Errors are always detected, so it's much easier to fix them on the fly ... instead of finding out when you're done that everything looks awful if you take and rotate the image! (Image - Image rotation - Flip canvas horizontally) (Fig. 16)

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

MIXING

I'm pretty sure the most frequently asked question is about how I mix paints, creating smooth transitions from one color to another. I always find it difficult to answer this question, because I never mix two colors "actively". My method is to overlay the color on top, stroke by stroke, in different tones until they are almost invisible. (fig. 17) I would not recommend blurring the colors; in my opinion, this completely deprives the picture of life, in the end it looks "dirty", so do not be afraid if the image is a little rough, just keep working on it! Pick a tone that matches the two colors you want to combine, apply brush strokes and they will blend naturally. If you have difficulty, try using a brush with softer edges. While I don't recommend using Airbrushes (again, everyone's choice!), Soft-edged brushes can help blend colors. They can also be useful when you need to slightly lower the opacity of your brush. Sometimes 100% opacity can be overkill. While I almost always change my opacity from 100%, it's all about finding my method that will produce the best results.

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

HAIR

Using the same standard round brush, create the basic shape of the hair. Then, in the same manner, we begin to apply lighter tones. I do not paint hair as a group of hairs, instead I create curls and try to convey their natural position and the formation of strands as accurately as possible. Then I add individual hairs just to give the hair a fluffy effect. (fig. 18-20)

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

I added another layer in Blending mode and filled it with a light brown color, which will give the hair a beautiful shine from the side where the sunlight hits it. This is followed by the process of coloring and repetition. Just keep adding strands, highlights and a few individual hairs that are knocked out of the hair until you get the finished image.

FINAL STROKES / DETAILS

Adding finishing touches always takes up most of the whole drawing process for me. It is also a process that cannot be left to the "last" stages. I work on the details throughout the entire work on the picture, this is a very smooth process for me and very pleasant, I really love the details! This is where everything superfluous is cut off.

For me, the detailing process is the process of bringing order to lines, such as, for example, the jawline against a dark background of hair. At this stage, I can also pay more attention to the details of the eyes, eyebrows, nose and lips, etc. I use the same brush, only smaller. And I usually zoom in a lot when I'm working on details like this. After these procedures, the image becomes noticeably cleaner and it is much easier to work with it further. (fig. 21-22)

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

CHANGES

You may have noticed that there are some differences in my work from the original. The first change concerns the hair. In fact, they looked just awful! I wasn't really into drawing hair like this, so use your artist rights. If you think something needs to be changed, change it! At the end of the day, this is just a sample, not an instruction that must be followed urgently. You will see other changes made here as well. (fig. 23-24)

Click on the picture to see the image in full size and 100% quality.

Below are the cuttings on an enlarged scale. (Fig. 25-26) At this stage, the work is almost complete. I cropped the image a bit and tried to add some brighter colors, pinks and blues, to bring out the blue eyes and a subtle pink on the skin. Probably no need to say that this is not on the sample photo, but I just do it the way I like it.


The localization of the lesson has been prepared for you by the site team:

Drawing a portrait- This is one of the most difficult types of fine art. To learn how to draw a portrait of a person correctly, it will take you a lot of time and effort. The difficulty of such a drawing is that you will need to convey the emotional state of a person, his depth of gaze, facial expressions, smile, thoughtfulness, etc. To do this, you need to very accurately and correctly draw the shape of the lips, eyes, nose and other features of his face.

How to draw a portrait of a person with a regular pencil?

Learn simple and ordinary painting technique face is possible independently. You just need to draw the face in stages with a simple pencil. Don't be discouraged if you fail to draw a portrait the first time.

1. Construction of the face, general contour

In order for the portrait to come out correctly, you need to very accurately draw the contour of the face, the construction of the face. Try to repeat this oval of the person's face on your paper. If you do not succeed, then try again and again until you have a contour of the correct shape.

2. The main parts of the face and their markings

Draw a flat horizontal line in the center that divides the portrait in two. Draw a parallel line slightly below. From the center of the bottom line, you will need to draw a perpendicular line, and also mark where the tip of the nose will be on the person's face.
When you draw these lines do not press very hard on the pencil and do not forget to draw the ears.

3. The main part of the portrait is the eyes

Drawing eyes is a very discreet and neat job. Sharpen the pencil sharper and draw with smooth, oval lines for the eyes. Next, sketch out the line of the mouth, pupils and the initial outlines of the hair.

4. Drawing the outlines of the mouth, eyebrows and lips

First, try to draw the lightest - the eyebrows and the outline of the hair. Now let's draw the element a little more complicated- lips. Let's draw the lower lip, since it is easier to draw it, you should not draw too thick lips. The upper lip should be a mirror image of the lower one.

Draw a check mark on the tip of the nose and two small arcs around the edges. Further from the right eyebrow, see a line that easily deviates to the right.

Now take an eraser and remove from your portrait extra contour lines. Here's what you should get:

5. Final stage

At this stage, you will need to make the drawing three-dimensional, that is add shadows and contrasts. On the hair and face, most of the areas need to be shaded with a thick and dark color - this will give the face depth and more realism.

Now you know how easy and in several steps you can draw a portrait of a man. I wish you success!

Probably, there are no people in the world who at least once in their life did not take a brush or pencil in their hands.

The activity is exciting and interesting, but not easy. And depicting a person on canvas is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks.

To better understand how to draw a portrait, you first need to understand the classification - what are they?

By genreBy compositionBy format
HistoricalPortrait-paintingFull height
PsychologicalWalking portraitGenerations
CostumeCeremonialHip
MythologicalSemi-paradeWaist-high
FamilyGroupChest
Portrait of a man, woman, childrenPairedOn the shoulders
Self-portraitIndividualA quarter turn
Estates-socialChamberFull face
Cartoon, caricature, miniature Profile
By photo Half-turned
Three quarters

Historical - the painting depicts a famous person in history. Often such images were made according to the surviving descriptions of contemporaries.

Costumed - a person appears in some form. It can be either the outfit of a fictional character - a hero of myths, films, comics, books - or the image of a real person, usually famous. In the old days, it was such portraits of nobility and rulers that were made ceremonial - that is, full-length, against a bright background, with all the attributes.

But the costume can be more modest, just reflect the occupation - it is a military, estate-social portrait - when the costume of a peasant, a merchant, etc. is tried on. This look was usually half-dress - that is, with a more modest background and not in full height.

Mythological - a fabulous creature is written from a living person.

Costumed, psychological and historical portraits often take the form of a walking portrait or a painting portrait, where the characters are presented in a certain atmosphere and environment.

Psychological - the main goal of the artist is to convey on the canvas the inner world, the experiences of the hero.

Group, pair - depicts a group of persons connected in some way with each other - for example, a family portrait.

Individual - the whole composition is dedicated to one person.

Self-portrait - the artist paints his own face.

Caricature, caricature, miniature - simple drawings, made, as a rule, in pencil, ink or watercolor. Such sketches are reminiscent of sketches, since the draftsman picks out only the basic features of the face without detailed drawing. Caricatures and caricatures are humorous, satirical in nature in order to ridicule the object.

From photography - portrait from photo is a fairly new direction, at first not recognized.

Chamber is the most common type. Neutral background, careful drawing of details, the figure of a person is depicted up to the waist, chest or shoulders.

Profile

Half-turned

Three quarters

What do you need to draw?

Before you start drawing lessons, you need to acquire everything you need. First is the work surface.

Ideally, this should be an easel, but for the first time, a regular table may work.

Easels are available in metal and wood.

Better to choose with an accessory stand.

To fix the sheet on the easel, you need studs for wood and magnets for metal.

Now what we will paint on is the canvas.

The first sketches can be done in a regular album, but for a full drawing, you will need A3 sheets.

For paints, it is advisable to purchase your own type of paper:

  • Whatman paper - acrylic, gouache, tempera, oil;
  • thick paper for watercolors;
  • tinted - for pastels, sanguine, coal;
  • drawing paper, drawing paper - for working with a pencil.

Instruments:

  1. Stationery knife or sharpener... Professional artists use a clerical knife for sharpening pencils - this makes the tip of the lead extremely sharp and thin, which allows you to draw clear and even lines. Learning to sharpen with a knife is not difficult - you need to carry the blade from the wooden base to the tip of the lead from all sides, while not pressing the knife hard.
  2. Mixing paints requires a palette... Best of all - plastic, it is easiest to wash off the paint from it. You can buy it in the store - but plastic lids from cosmetics, etc. will also work as a palette.
  3. Brushes... For watercolor - squirrel or columns. Synthetics, bristles, and natural materials are suitable for gouache and tempera. For acrylic, oil - bristles and synthetics.
  4. Palette knife... Spatula for applying and scraping paint, great for acrylics and oils.
  5. Bucket for water, cloths for hands and hands.

Materials:

  1. Pencils... You will need a set of artistic pencils for drawing of different hardness.
  2. Paints... The most basic ones are gouache and watercolor. Acrylic and tempera differ in brightness and density, they are often recommended for children. The oil technique is the most difficult.
  3. Crayons... Pastels for colored work, sanguine and charcoal for monochromatic designs.

Where to start learning?

Mothers can teach their child the basics of drawing - it's not so difficult as it seems at first glance. The main thing is to devote time to business every day, and the result will not be long in coming.

Stages of training:

  1. First of all, you need to try to work with all the materials. Each of them has its own composition, texture, features - a gouache smear fits tightly, watercolor stains spread smoothly, a soft pencil draws a thick saturated line and is easily smeared, a hard one almost scratches the sheet. Take an album or notebook and try everything there is to your heart's content.
  2. The next step is to learn how to hold the brush and pencil correctly. There are all sorts of options on this topic, but everyone keeps it as it suits him. One general rule: you do not need to hold a pencil like a pen when writing, so that the hand does not obstruct the drawing. In this case, the instrument should "fly" in the hand - both up and down, and in all directions. Therefore, we squeeze not at the base, but slightly lower, almost in the middle, while the index and thumb lie freely on the cone.
  3. Now about how to draw with a simple pencil:
    • First, just draw lines... Straight, obliquely, in a wave, in a semicircle - gradually the lines will come out clear and confident. The main thing here is training.

    • Hatch... First, we draw strokes in one direction, then in different ones, and then we combine, for example, vertical and horizontal, but without superimposing one on another, but placing them perpendicular to each other. The next step is to draw simple geometric shapes.
    • ... The concept of perspective is that objects narrow as they move from a certain point to the horizon. The ability to draw in perspective is necessary when you need to depict a figure sideways or turn the head. It is not difficult to see her in the surrounding environment: it can be a corridor, a room, a street. If you pay attention, you will notice that all the lines go obliquely from the viewer and connect at one point. To get acquainted with a perspective image in practice, we start with the simplest: a road, a corridor, etc., and then we also draw geometric shapes.
  4. We mix different paints on the palette to obtain shades. It is believed that there are only three primary colors - red, yellow, blue, and all other colors are shades, the result of mixing. When working with paints, with the exception of watercolors, we use white.
  5. Finally, you can try drawing a face. We sketch from pictures - at first from the simplest, cartoons, gradually moving on to more complex ones.

Learn to Draw a Portrait - Step by Step Beginner's Guide

In this tutorial we will draw a woman's face. This drawing scheme is universal; it can be used to make a portrait of both a boy and a girl.

Construction of the head and general outline:


Working with planes

Now let's draw the planes in the form of geometric shapes. Let's start with the nose - we outline the back and wings of the nose with a rectangle. Then we select the plane of the cheekbones in the form of a trapezoid, we mark the eyes and lips around.

We have broken the future drawing into main parts. You can draw the forehead, eyebrows and chin in the same way.

Detail of the face - eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, ears

Eyes and eyebrows:

  1. Draw the contours of the upper and lower eyelids. Please note that the eyelids are different from each other, draw very carefully so as not to miss a single detail.
  2. We draw the entire iris - that is, the part that is hidden by the upper eyelid.
  3. I define the pupil and flare (reflected light).
  4. We pass on to shading the mirror surface of the eye. Leave the highlight unpainted. The iris of the eye is darker at the outer edge and along the contour - in the center and at the pupil it is lighter.
  5. We work on the eyelids and the area around the eye. We mark the shadows - on the crease of the upper eyelid, lower, at the bridge of the nose. The ciliary edge of the lower eyelid remains light, and the white of the eye is darker along the contour at the edge of the eyelid. The shadow from the upper eyelid partly falls on the eyeball.
  6. Create volume with a stroke, painting over the entire area - from the eyebrows to the lower eyelid.
  7. We draw eyebrows. We draw the main line and from it we begin to draw each hair with a soft pencil, all in the same direction. We also draw eyelashes.

  1. Outline the main parts - the back, the wings of the nose, the nostrils. Detail the outer and inner edges of the nostrils.
  2. Add shadows. Conditionally divide all planes into three - shadow, transition, light part (we do not hatch it).
  3. Detailed shading.

  1. Let's sketch out the general outline. First of all, draw a line between the lips. To do this, draw three circles - two at the bottom, close to each other, in place of the lower lip, - and one at the top, in the middle between the lower ones, so that the circle falls into the hole between them. The line where all three circles meet will be the line between the lips. We outline the contour of the lips in circles, draw the corners, give the upper lip the shape of an onion. Do not forget that the lower lip is slightly larger than the upper one.
  2. Shading. The upper lip is always darker. Pay attention to the side shadows.
  3. We give volume with the help of shading, working out in detail the corners, side shadows and the line between the lips.

  1. We carefully draw all parts - curls, ear canal, fossa, lobe.
  2. We apply shadow and do shading, especially focusing attention on small details, transitions from light to shadow - the ear is the most difficult in this regard.

Hatching and halftones

As already mentioned, the volume depends on the stroke. To paint a beautiful, expressive picture, you need to be proficient in the shading technique.

Ideally, you should have a complete set of pencils of varying softness. This is important not only for the saturation and depth of the shade (soft give a dark deep tone, hard - light and light lines) - it is important both technically and for conveying the density and structure of an object.

A sketch is made with a hard pencil without hatching, because it easily overlaps and will not be visible in the final version.

Soft pencil and draws softly. It is ideal for shadows, as well as for visually conveying the softness of the depicted nature - they are good at drawing hair and clothes.

The hatching technique involves combining strokes of different lengths and directions.

All strokes are superimposed evenly, neatly, one to another, the stroke should not be "shaggy" and messy, it is not necessary to impose too many layers of shading in one place - otherwise it will just get dirty.

To create smooth transitions, for example, to indicate a fold, we apply short strokes at the transition point, in other places using a longer stroke.

When you need to create a transition from dark to light, create halftones - first we shade the entire plane with the lightest tone, and then paint over the shadow with a softer pencil.

In certain cases, you can slightly shade the transition with the tip of your finger - for example, when drawing shadows at the bridge of the nose.

An example of creating a portrait step by step in the photo:

Highlight and darken

Shading is not done with a hard pencil. So that the stroke is not visible and so that the transitions are smooth, the strokes should be very small.

In darker areas, deepen the tone as needed, applying several layers of shading. We either do not hatch bright places at all, or we take the hardest.

You can also use an eraser to create a highlight.

Video tutorial on drawing a portrait from a photo:

Portraits for sketching

Working with nature is very difficult. Before that, it is advisable to take an already drawn portrait and repeat it on paper. This practice will help you get your hands on and learn the technical side of the work, as well as learn the techniques that artists resort to.

How to learn to paint portraits with paints?

We have figured out how to draw with a pencil. Now we will talk about painting with paints. This video will talk about different techniques that are completely different - both about watercolor painting and about working with oil. Everyone can choose what they like.

Drawing with watercolors. Video tutorial:

Oil painting basics for a beginner. Video tutorial:

In conclusion of the article, it is worth noting that the most important secret of success in drawing is perseverance and daily training. You should not give up if it did not work out the first time. Try again and you will definitely succeed in drawing a portrait.

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