12 ArtistDrawingandInspiration
DEMONSTRATION
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
- It is best to print the photograph
horizontally flipped so that
when you trace the portrait
and place it on the paper it is
viewed the same as the original
photograph. Also print out a
smaller copy of the photograph
so you can use it as reference
when drawing the portrait. - For portraits like this in which the
head is cropped to the edges of
the frame, it is more aesthetically
pleasing to have a white border
around the portrait rather than
having the drawing go all the way
to the edges of the paper. To do
this use masking tape and place it
around the perimeter of the paper
you are using. Be sure to take
away some of the glue from the
tape first by sticking it to clothing
or even carpet before using
it. This will make the masking
tape much less sticky and make
it easier to remove without
ripping the paper when the
portrait is done. When removing
the tape be sure to remove it
very slowly and carefully.
- The larger range of pencils
you use will give you a wider
range of tonal values in your
portrait and create more depth - When drawing the portrait and
building up tone you should
work left to right if you are right
handed and right to left if you are
left handed. This will help reduce
smudging the portrait as you work
- You should always use a scrap
piece of clean paper to rest your
hand on that you are drawing with
so that it does not smudge the
drawing underneath your hand. - Spray the portrait with
fixative at least every step
of the drawing or as often
as you feel it is needed. - I try not to use an eraser as they
create an oily texture where
they are used in the portrait,
but if you do choose to, use
a rubber use a good quality
eraser and/or a putty eraser.
STEP ONE
After finding the photograph you
want to use, use a sheet of tracing
paper and a 2H or H pencil to trace
the main facial features of the person.
This will give you accurate placement
of the person’s face and its features.
STEP TWO
Flip over the tracing paper, so that
the traced drawing is underneath and
place it on the paper you are using to
draw on. Use some masking tape to
hold the image in place whilst you
use a coloured pencil and go around
the lines you can see that you have
drawn, and rub them down onto the
paper. This will create marks from
the pencil you used to trace the
image and create an outline of the
portrait on the paper underneath.
Spray the outline with fixative to
avoid smudging when drawing.
STEP THREE
Once you have the outline drawn
up you can start to build up tone.
Although the way I was taught to
build up tone was on the drawing as
a whole (starting with lights all over
and building up the dark tones all
over), I much prefer to build up the
drawing in sections as I work better
seeing the lights to darks straight
away. Use a 2B pencil at first with
detailed areas such as the eyes, mouth
and hands, working your way up
to 3B and 4B. For tone around the
face and hands lightly use a 4B first
before using it with more pressure.
For dark areas around the face, the
hair and the clothing, use a 5B or
an even softer pencil if preferred.
STEP THREE- CONTINUED STEPTHREE-CONTINUED