3 comments on Day 14: Constructing a Face
Theme: Setting the main landmarks
Welcome to the 14th day of my personal challenge:
21 DAYS to learn how to draw a realistic portrait with the right hand!
The model:
I chose a very clear, front-facing photo that is already in black and white to make the upcoming work easier for me... Here are the main pitfalls you need to know when drawing a portrait:
* how to start the portrait from a blank sheet of paper?
* how to position the face correctly?
* how to establish and respect facial proportions?
* how to easily and effectively check the accuracy of these landmarks?
DRAWING THE BASIC LANDMARKS:
Today I am going to answer the first 2 questions:
How to start the portrait from a blank sheet of paper?
How to position the face correctly?
I begin by determining the position the drawing will take on the sheet: I choose to center it by setting two marks, the top of the head (here I chose the hairline since the photo is cropped) and the bottom of the chin, then by drawing a cross to clearly visualize the horizontal and vertical planes.
At the same time, I draw two vertical lines that define the width of the face up to the outer corners of the eyes.Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I drew a rough diagram of the main proportions of the human face to help me establish the structure and set my first marks.
At this stage, my drawing looks more like the Easter Island statues than my model! But the face is actually quite narrow (more or less depending on ethnicity) and this diagram allows for accurate proportions and helps build the contours of the face without the risk of errors!
Here is the result of the first 15 minutes of my portrait today:
Well, the 15 minutes passed quickly and I will continue my work tomorrow on structuring the main features to ensure the proportions are respected!
At this stage of my drawing
See you tomorrow!