Preamble

At the beginning of training, many often see the contours of the object instead of its volume. This is how beginners draw a portrait: they draw the contours of parts of the face. But a human´s head, eyes, nose, lips - they all have volume, these are not just contours. Therefore, at the beginning of training, you must learn how to generalize the secondary and recognize the volume of each form.

In this lesson, the emphasis is on a male portrait, but having analysed the main distinguishing features, you will know without detailed analysis what points to pay attention to give a portrait of femininity. So, let's take a look at the main differences:

• The male skull is more massive and heavier than the female;
• The female skull is rounder and tapers upward;
• The zygomatic bone in men is more convex;
• The jaw in women is more rounded, while in men it is square;
• Superciliary arches and tubercles in men are large and convex;
• The chin in men is more voluminous and protrudes at an obtuse angle, in women - at an acute one;
• The angle of the forehead in men is more acute, inclined, in girls the forehead is flat, vertical.

Knowing the age-related changes in the proportions of the head allows you to grow the correct structure and change the figure and figure of an adult and an old man. The process of transformation of the size, attention and plasticity of parts of the face in connection with age is natural. So, the characteristic features of the shape of the child's head are roundness, softness of its general, large brain part and small facial part, enlarged eyes (relating lips and lips), broadening of the nose in the bridge of the nose (between the teardrops) and narrowing of the wings of the nostrils, upturned tip of the nose. With age, the size of the human head is especially due to the increase in its facial part. The midline of the eyes usually bisects the height of the head, and the height of the forehead, nose and lips with the chin become approximately equal. The eyes enlarge, the nostril expands as distances between the teardrops appear. The superciliary arches, zygomatic bones, angles of the mandible and the shape of the face become more pronounced. By old age, due to the growth of teeth, the lower jaw rises, moves forward and approaches the nose, the tip of which falls down, and the wings become wider. The disappearing subcutaneous fat exposes the bones and muscles and the shape of the face becomes rougher and more angular.

1

When building, follow the basic proportions of the head. Measure the width at the cheekbones and lower jaw and relate it to the overall height. The front part is divided into three equal segments, but they will be distorted depending on the head´s tilt. Don't ignore these simple things. They will create a stable structure for further construction.

Follow the proportions

2

Maintaining a tonal pattern and building should go sequentially. Don't focus on just one part of the face. Oblique and disproportionate faces are more often obtained due to obsession with one part of the face. So, you do not see the big picture and cannot compare and correlate volumes with each other.

All in sequence

3

Working with a portrait, be sure to analyse the origin of each fold and volume. Remember the structure of the skull, facial muscles and “x-ray vision”, try to see them under the skin.

Volume Analysis

Schematic work

Let's do an analysis of the reference to understand what characteristic details of a given face are worth to pay more attention. We immediately recall the skull, mentally imagine all the bone components of the face. You can even draw a skull on top of the printed reference, it will be very useful. In the first schem, with white lines, I have shown the visible characteristic features of the face, formed by the skull and muscles.In the second schem, I visually drew a skull on top to make everything clearer. The zygomatic bones and superciliary tubercles are very clearly visible. Having outlined even only these lines, the nature of the portrait will already be transmitted.

On top of the printed skull, you can draw the main muscles, and it will immediately become clear how this or that feature of a particular person was formed. I strongly recommend printing the reference and drawing the skull and muscles on top of it. At the initial stage of training, this will be the best way to analyze.

First stage

Let's get down to construction build. We start not with the eye or nose, but with the general shape, the image. To convey similarity is far from the most important task of construction. There are always 2 things that will affect your portrait: 1) head tilt, 2) perspective reduction. For the parts of the face to sit in place, you first need to put your head on your neck and shoulders. In our case, the reference shows neither one nor the other, but there is a tilt of the head. How accurately you convey the slope will depend on the entire portrait. To the line of inclination and the centre line, the lines of the eyes, nose, lips are tied. Make a mistake at this stage, and the whole chain will collapse.

I draw the line of the tilt of the head (in black), I try to convey the tilt as accurately as possible. I tie the cranium and the front part to this line. The skull box can be marked with a circle, but it must be shown to more accurately to show the hair. In the skull lesson, I told you how to take measurements so as not to be mistaken with the sizes, we apply this method here. I depict the front part of approximately the same shape as in the reference. Here you can measure the width of the cheekbones and correlate with the height of head so that the front part is not too wide or too narrow.

On the head I impose a silhouette of a hairstyle, in a generalized way, and start to draw an ear. The position of the ear is now very important. As I said, behind the lobe is the area where the skull connects to the spine (red dot). That is, the earlobe, with any tilt of the head up or down, will be in one place. To show the downward tilt of the head, the line of the nose should be below the earlobe. If the line of the nose goes down, then the line of the eyebrows will also be below the top of the ear. The first picture shows everything clearly. In the second picture, the head is in the normal position. The earlobe is on the same level with the line of the nose. If you need to show how a person throws his head back, then the line of the nose will be higher than the earlobe. This must be carefully monitored, otherwise distortion will result.

Also, the tilt of the head will affect the proportions of the face. I have already emphasized that the front part is divided into three equal segments: 1) the frontal part, 2) from the line of the eyebrows to the bottom of the nose, 3) from the line of the nose to the chin. In the normal position of the head, they are all equal. But if the head is lowered down, then now the frontal part will be the largest segment. The part from the eyebrow line to the nose line is slightly smaller and the part from the nose line to the chin will be the smallest segment. If the head is tilted back, then everything will be vice versa. The segment from the chin line to the nose line will be the largest in relation to the rest. The coloured lines showed the reduction of parts depending on the inclination: 1 - normal location, 2 - downward tilt, 3 - head tilt up.

Since the portrait is in 3/4, perspective reduction will come into play. Usually it is not very noticeable, but the point is that the line of the eyes, nose and lips will not be parallel to each other. These lines should converge at one point, so they will be at a slight angle with respect to each other. In our reference easy to see the perspective contraction is very clearly visible. The line of the eyes is directed strictly down, and the line of the lips slightly up.

We have just begun construction, and you can see for yourself how important the initial lines carry; they are like load-bearing walls, like the foundation of your portrait. The more accurate they are, the “stronger” your portrait will be. The result should be a general silhouette with the main guide lines. I work with a light line so that it is easy to erase later. My drawing will not be as accurate as a portrait, my eye is not as well developed, but I can convey the main things to you.

Second stage

Having a frame, you can proceed to smaller forms. It is still not worth going into detail, so as not to lose the overall silhouette. When I analysed the reference and overlayed the skull on it, I said that all the volumes formed by the muscles and the skull create visible lines. They can all be traced in the reference, but the question is how to draw them in an easier way. I advise you to mark the main volumes with a light line, as shown in the first picture in red. I'll call them nodes. Now if you draw a line in the right places in the form of a node, you will get visible lines formed by the skull and muscles. Most often, these nodes are the zygomatic bones, superciliary tubercles, frontal tubercles and the spherical volume of the lower and upper jaws. Knowing plastic anatomy, it is easily to understand, for example, how a shadow is formed in the lower part of the round muscle of the mouth. And now you understand that it is better to choose references with shadows, because the edge of the shadow makes it clear the exact location of the nodes.

In the second picture, I pay attention to the main parts of the face. Do not forget that the corners of the mouth are at the same level with the pupils. Although I have not drawn them yet, I outline the approximate location. I do not delve into the details of the lips; I outline only the corners and the line of closure of the upper and lower lips. It is important to convey the movement of this line. The nose is shown in silhouette, without a hump and drawing the tip of the nose. Do not forget about the sides of the nose, because this is also a very important detail. I don’t draw the eyes yet; I just show the movement of the shadow with red lines. This line will be the line of core shadow, dividing the space around the eye into shadow and light sides. With black lines I show the edges of the shadow spot on both sides, which also have characteristic movements and affect the overall perception of the portrait. Blue lines mark the lower border of the lower eyelid. In fact, with red, blue and black lines, I marked the boundaries of the area of the eye. Inside this area, you can draw a pupil, etc.

Third stage

The next step is detailing. Now you can draw the pupils, nose, outline the shadows. Mark all the irregularities that you see on your face with a light line, as shown in the figure in red. In the previous step, you outlined the area of the main parts of the face, now you can detail this area inside or outside. Do not be afraid for the purity of the drawing, outline everything you see, but with a light line. You noticed that my construction already looks voluminous. This is because I thicken the line in places where the shadows are (black lines). Thus, I can determine where the light will be and where the shadow will be.
This approach will reveal the main lines, eliminating many auxiliary thin lines throughout the portrait.

In the detailing stage, I round off the rigid overall shape. On the example of the nose and eyes, I showed the previous stage of the general form and the stage of detailing with red lines. In these areas, I add lines in the right places, round off hard corners, add shadows, highlights, that is, fill empty space with information. On the nose I show a hump and a sharp tip. These details will convey the resemblance to the nose in the reference. It turns out that for the nose to be similar, you need to determine three indicators: the width and height of the nose, the shape of the tip and the presence of a hump.

You need more time for the eyes. First, the eye that is a little further away needs to be smaller to show perspective contraction. The eye that is closer to us will be worked out in more detail. In the tonal drawing, we will intentionally not detail the far eye and make it dark, even though there is a shadow there. The whole emphasis will be on the nearest eye and the most contrasting shadows will also be on it. All this is necessary to convey aerial perspective and eye movement. Since the head is tilted and the person is looking up, the upper eyelid will be almost invisible. But the lower eyelid opens very well and its thickness is clearly visible. This must be paid attention to in the tonal drawing. A noticeable detail of these eyes is the overhanging shape of the upper part of the round muscle of the eye and the lower eyelid.

I hardly touched the lips. For me, as before, the line of closing the lips remains the main detail. With a light stroke, I show only the thickness of the upper and lower lips. The top will be thinner than the bottom. The bottom one is usually thicker than the top one, but in this case the top one is much thinner due to the angle.
This completes the build. I beg you, do not chase portrait similarity at this stage: you need to learn the step-by-step work. It is very important to understand how to move from a general form to smaller ones. Learn how to correctly convey the tilt of the head, perspective and reduction of proportions depending on the angle. These things are much more important than similarity. Learn first to visually determine the characteristic features of the face, the movement of forms. Look at the portrait as volumes, analyse the structure of bones and muscles. All this will help you achieve similarity, so from this day on you start building a portrait according to the system that I have analysed here. I am 98% sure that you will not learn how to draw portraits if you do not work step by step.

Tonal drawing

First stage

This time, at the very beginning, we will lay the main large tonal spots. In the general portrait, now we forget about drawing the eyes, nose and lips. We work in large volumes so that the portrait looks whole. Only at the last stage we will detail.

Let's take a look at the front. As you remember from the first lessons, the line from cheekbone to cheekbone (Pic. 1) will divide the total mass of the face into two tonal spots. Everything above the red line will be in the same plane and receive light. Below the red line, the plane changes its direction, and the light will no longer enter this area. It turns out that the lower part of the face is initially hatched darker than the upper. Since the light falls from one side, and the face is voluminous, one side will be darker than the other (pic. 2). The vertical red line also divides the face into two tonal planes. Based on this, we shade the right side of the face darker than the left, which receives light. The line from the zygomatic bone to the chin will divide the lower part of the face into frontal and lateral (pic. 3). We shade the side darker than the front.
The plane of the forehead, which receives the most light, reaches the line of the superciliary arch. At this point, another plane dives inward, so a shadow will fall over the eyes. Because of this, the eyeball and highlights in the eyes will not be bright. If you connect all three schemes, you get a picture, as in the first scheme. Such large spots should be in your drawing. Do not forget that this is only the first stage and all spots should be easily shaded or smeared.

If you connect all three schemes, you get a picture, as in the first scheme. Such large spots should be in your drawing. Do not forget that this is only the first stage and all spots should be easily shaded or smeared.

The system of light will have its own regularity. The brightest highlight will be on the forehead and nose (Pic. 2): these parts receive the most light. But we also notice light on the side of the face, in the form of a small ladder. The lower we go down to the chin, the dimmer the light becomes. That is, the brightest light on the forehead, and the dimmest light on the chin. This regularity will apply to all the following portraits that you draw. Only if the light does not fall from below.
We already discussed this hairstyle during the hair lesson. The main thing is to show the thickness and movement of the form.
You can hatch at this stage carelessly, as if you are painting, but do not press hard on the pencil to make it easier to smudge and the stain turns out to be even in tone.

Second stage

Having determined the main tonal spots, you can start working on individual volumes. I’m already working with a hatching, I don't smudge. I define shadow spots; in them I show my own shadow with a hard stroke. Using the example of the eyes of the lips and nose, I showed how I work out each part and each volume.
We recall previous lessons and apply the knowledge into practice. Strokes of strokes look for the form. Superimpose a smear on each other and in such a search you will find a portrait similarity. Geometricize each volume to make it easier and clearer to apply hatching. I combine spherical and rectangular shapes. Basically, my style is how I show volume. Every great artist went through an elementary school of drawing, got a base, and only then found his own style. The way you draw shadows, highlights, reflections is your unique style.

Each part of the face has its own shadow, reflex and light, as in any volumetric object. Don't forget about it. The far eye is almost not worked out, dull and without obvious highlights. The eye in the foreground is worked out, although it is in the shadow. Only with a small light stroke showed the thickness of the lower eyelid. Notice how important the shadow spot is. Once again we were convinced that the similarity is easy to convey through the shadow. The nose has three planes: frontal and two lateral. The lower plane is not visible due to the tilt of the head, but at the tip I can show a slight shadow to make it look more voluminous. Be sure to draw a hump and side walls of the nose. There will be the brightest highlight on the nose, not counting the highlight on the frontal tubercle. I do not work on the entire shadow side of the lips. Showed only a small reflex (red arrow).

With a hard stroke, I drew the edges of the shadow falling from the nose. As you can see, in any shadow spot, I trace the edges. This also has some part of my personal style. Work out the shadow under the lower lip and the corners of the mouth, they are much more informative than the lips themselves. The upper lip will be darker than the lower lip - this is important. I stroke the ear completely, the light on it is muffled to take the ear into the distance. It should not draw attention to itself: this is a secondary part, like a hairstyle. I usually work on the ear and hair at the end. I set the general tone with my hair. If the hair is dark, the hair tone will be darker than the skin tone. If light, as in our case, then the tone of the hairstyle is either about the same or lighter than the skin tone.

Third stage

The final stage is detailing and revealing the most contrasting shadows and highlights. Now I can draw the hair on the eyebrows or eyelashes, whiten the highlights, darken my own shadows in the foreground. With black lines I showed the main points and nodes, where at the very end I intentionally increase the tone to give volume and completeness to the work. Look closely at each shadow and you will see that within each shadow there is a small reflex. I deliberately draw reflections in each spot of the shadow. Perhaps this is what gives my portraits a special effect. I sharpen the pencil so that the stroke is clear and sonorous.

I don’t show the stages of work on the hairstyle: we have already analyzed how to draw it. You can see the final version below. The most contrasting and interesting things are collected in the center of the portrait. I lighten the edges of the hairstyle and the sides of the face at the end with a nag to get an airy effect.

1) Draw a portrait according to the reference from the lesson

2) Draw a self-portrait