Course Highlights


Sketching a Portrait

Below is a step-by-step guide to sketching a portrait of a young man. 

Step 1: Block in the general shape of the head and neck.

Step 2: Add facial guidelines to assist you in placing the facial features.

Step 3: Draw each feature one by one generalizing the basic structure. (i.e. focus on size and location) It is useful to work from the general towards the particular, as if adjusting a lens slowly into focus.

Step 4: Erase lines to a point where they can be seen faintly and draw more precise lines, taking into consideration the unique form of each feature.

Step 5: Introduce structural shading.

Step 6: Add hair

Step 7: Add further shading as required.

Other pages of interest

Composition
Arrangement
Sketching a portrait
Sketching facial expressions
Shading a face

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