Skill Builders
WHAT MAKESALIKENESS?
Manyelementsgointocreatinga successfulportrait.
Butwhileweoftenspenda greatdealoftimeandeffort
focusingonindividualfeatures,it’stheplacementof
thosefeaturesthat’sthemostimportantprinciplein
achievinga likeness.
If youfindyourselffixatingonthedetailsofa noseor
mouth,stopyourselfandrememberthatit’stheoverall
shape,formandplacementofthesefeaturesthatare
moreimportant.Thisiswhyyoucanstillrecognizea
friendfroma distanceorwhenshe’swearingsunglasses.
It’swhy,whenyourneighborgrowsa moustache(or
shavesone),youstillknowit’shim.Weseeoverallshapes
longbeforeweseesingularfeatures.Detailed Features/Accurate Placement
These detailed, accurate features are also
in the correct places. The drawing captures
Sharon’s likeness well. To achieve portrait
results like this, it’s crucial to spend time
getting the proportions and relationships
between features accurate.Loose Features/Accurate Placement
Here’s a simple form-only portrait of
Sharon. Her features are loosely defined,
yet the likeness is recognizable. This
demonstrates how overall placement is
more important than getting the individual
features exactly right.Detailed Features/Inaccurate Placement
This portrait looks a little like Sharon, but in
alien form. Surprisingly, the features are 100
percent accurate in this portrait. Her eyes,
nose and mouth are exactly the right size
compared to the reference. The problem is,
they aren’t in the right places. This shows
the importance of placement.Photo Reference:
SharonTurn to page 12 for a
portrait demonstrationWhile we often spend a great deal of time and effort focusing
on individual features, it’s the placement of those features that’s
the most important principle in achieving a likeness.
10 Pastel Journal OCTOBER 2019