1
Gently spin pale lines in a softly drawn shape representing the
cranium. The angle at which you draw this shape of the paper
will determine the angle of the finished head. Keep your first lines light;
avoid drawing too dark, too soon.2
Rapidly add shorthand shapes to represent the face, neck, and
throat. First lines will remain visible in the final drawing, so it is
important to the life of the image that while controlled, they are also
still sweeping and confident.Building up the portrait
3
Place the eye beneath the cranium. Here, I used light to describe
the upper lid first with a shadow beneath for the lower lid and
open eye. The eye announces the nature and expression of the emerging
person. The nose and ear begin to shape the head.4
Moving from the back of the neck, over the cranium, down the
face to the throat, I modeled the outline of the character I imagined
light shining from above and in front and adjusted the pressure of lines
to reflect this.