Guidelines for Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Side View
Posted: Saturday, January 17, 2009
by Remi Engels
Remi's Arts
A curious thing about drawing the profile view is that beginners find it much simpler than the other views. Yet, the advanced draftsperson can find the side view quite demanding.
For the advanced draftsperson the challenge lies in the struggle to affect a 3-dimensional sculptured feel.
Looking at the arabesque in the side view note how the head is broken down into straight lines. Using these architectonic lines expresses a firmness of form.
1. It is very likely that even the most accomplished draftsperson will be off, and
2. Once a line is established the logical center of your brain will consider that association as right one. Therefore, it will look right to you but everyone else will see the mistake.
There is a better way. You start with drawing the arabesque using architectonically straight lines. The principal concerns are putting in place the general proportions and form properly. At a more advanced level you should also consider rhythm and movement.
Instead of right away incorporating the nose into the arabesque you should employ the facial angle, i.e., the line from the forehead to the chin that breaks at the bottom of the nose. The signpost reference for the bottom of the nose is the tiny ledge-like protrusion.
A plumb-bob is an excellent tool for rightly placing the bottom of the nose. A plumb-bob is a length of thread (preferably black carpet thread) that has a weight attached to it. The plumb-bob is utilized to verify vertical alignments (when working with life models) and their relationships to that vertical line. The vertical line is referred to as the plumb-line.
Aligning the plumb-line to the chin allows you more rightly to see the relation of brow to chin. The brow is set back from the chin. By the way, the entire region of chin and mouth is referred to as the "muzzle".
Having verified that the initial arabesque and facial angle are correct you can now continue with placing the facial proportions, principal anatomical signposts, and the hair-line. So, at this time do not even think about rendering the full nose. Drawing the nose at this time is a sure prescription for disaster. The angle of the nose and the construction of the tip require a high degree of accuracy.
Instead, begin to sketch the general light/dark pattern. The lights are painted out using a putty eraser. The look we are seeking is that of a ghost image. That means, above all, not to add minutia. Also, work from the general to the specific.
Once the general light/dark pattern is drawn then the profiled features can be tackled. using a very sharp pencil you can sketch upwards from the chin to the forehead carefully seeing the form. As you draw mutter the anatomical terms of each feature that you draw. You would be surprised at how that ilucidates the drawing process. Having an idea of the facial anatomy will set your portrait drawing miles ahead of those who do not.
The tip of the nose, particularly, requires anatomical reconstruction to get it correct.
A common error beginners make with the side view is placing the eye too far forward. The eye sockets are recessed quite considerably into the head. If you drop a plumb-line from the inside corner of the eye you will see that the eye aligns itself with the corner of the mouth.
Further rendering and hatching values are done with 2H and 4H pencils. Choosing how far you want to take your sketch is an visual decision you have to make yourself. If you want, you can leave the portrait somewhat unresolved.
In conclusion, drawing the side view involves the same general ideas that apply to any view. In this situation, the arabesque is particularly essential. The essential thing to remember is not to place the actual full features of the head too early in the process.
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