The Artist - UK (2021-02)

http://www.painters-online.co.uk 27ii

PRACTICAL

February 2021

What can clearly be seen when making the

nose too long is how it alters the appearance

of your sitter and is a guarantee for you to

struggle needlessly on the bottom area of

the face

The graphics show the relative proportions I

use to ensure the nose is the correct length.

The three horizontal lines are vertically

equidistant, and the dotted line across the

eye is the same length as the vertical line

from tear duct to nostril

Here the nose is the correct length

Two common errors occur when painting

the mouth (right). The first is to follow

the angle of the upper lip when

handling the edge where the lips

meet, which results in a more severe

expression than normal. The other

occurs more in the full face where

the mouth is painted on a flat plane,

without taking into consideration that

it goes around the face. The best way

to solve this problem is to hold your

arm straight out, and align your brush or

pencil horizontally across the top lip, to

take note of where exactly the corners

of the mouth are.

Ignoring perspective

when painting

the mouth

Here, the angle of the top lip does not follow

the angle of the central line of the mouth.

This not only gives a distorted feel to the

expression but goes against the natural

perspective of the mouth, making the person

look sombre or sad

This is how it should look – the lines of the

mouth follow the curve of the head, creating

the correct sense of perspective and form

The distance from the bottom of the eyes to the end of the nose seems to be a

common blind spot for beginners, and they invariably make it too long. In my

experience, this is definitely the most common error made by students, and

more frequently in full-face poses than side-on views. Besides being aware of the

problem, two measurements will certainly help:

l The distance from eyebrow to hairline often is equal to the distance from

eyebrow to the end of the nose.

l The length of one eye is often equal to the distance from the bottom of the iris to

the nostrils (the actual holes in the nose) – but it’s always best to measure to

be sure.

Making the nose too long

Rob Wareing.indd 23Rob Wareing.indd 23 14/12/2020 20:1114/12/2020 20:11