CHALLENGE (21 DAYS): Day 15: Constructing a Face

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Theme: Setting the main landmarks 2

Welcome to the 15th day of my personal challenge:

21 DAYS to learn how to draw a realistic portrait with the right hand!

Today, I am getting back to my sketch and will continue placing the main facial features while addressing the following two challenges:

How to establish and respect facial proportions? How to easily and effectively check the accuracy of these landmarks?

 * my horizontal line, which helps me place my eyes perfectly level,

 * my two vertical lines, which indicate the inner and outer corners of the eyes.

Still using my visual landmarks, I draw the second eye and check by observing the angle formed by the inner corners of the eyes and the wings of the nose.

I draw the lines that determine this position and realize there is a proportion error:

I positioned the nose too low, as well as the mouth and the bottom chin mark.

I correct my mistakes and position the mouth under the nose by drawing new guidelines corresponding to the nose's cast shadow, which will help me accurately determine the top of the Cupid's bow.

I now sketch the mouth quite roughly, just to position it correctly, and I will finish my proportion corrections by adjusting the lower face and moving up my bottom chin mark, which is now too far down!

There! It took me 15 minutes to set my landmarks and verify the correct proportions of the face!

The lines remain rough; I am not pressing hard with my pencil to avoid marking the paper and to allow for corrections if necessary!

One last quick check of the eye alignment using a pencil.

This preparatory work of construction and verification using little geometric tricks is ESSENTIAL!!! You should not hesitate to spend as much time as needed on it, as this framework is what I will build my portrait upon!

So, see you tomorrow for the rest!