Procedures for Pencil Portrait Drawing - Drawing a Chin Supporting Hand Together with Shoulders
Posted: Saturday, January 17, 2009
by Remi Engels
Remi's Arts
Including a hand in your portraits adds a important measure of drama but can quickly destroy an otherwise fine portrait if done badly.
The goal is to integrate the hand so that it is not only proportionally and gestural right, but is congruous in personality with the expression of the face.
For instance, an agreeable facial expression juxtaposed with a clenched fist may not yield the effect you desire unless you intend to add an ironic twist to your portrait. On the other hand, a hand supporting the skull goes very well with a stern scowling expression.
In a view where a hand supports the skull there is a faint forward tilt because the subject is a little bit hunched and leaning forward. For the draftsperson, this situation translates into the presence of a delicately foreshortened and reclined portrait. In the hand/skull case this means that the chin is slightly receding relative to the forehead.
As always, you should start with the construct, which in this situation, includes the hand and the shoulder. If you first sketch the skull and then attach the hand to it you are definitely asking for trouble. The hand and the skull will lack unity and will give the awkward impression that they are two distinct objects that are coincidentally juxtaposed.
When drawing the complete arabesque be aware of the negative as well as the positive spaces. In addition, do not pre-measure any aspects of the complete arabesque. It should be drawn with as much fluidity as possible without losing your sense of size. Draw first then verify.
Further build upon the complete arabesque by placing the face, hand, and shoulder signpost s and sizes. The internal architecture of the complete arabesque is initiated by blocking-in the primarydarks and painting out the lights with a kneaded eraser.
What you are doing is to set the stage for rendering the facial features, the hand, and the shoulder. The hand must be located and proportioned in accordance with the skull and the facial features. The compression of the jaw into the palm must also be taken into account.
Utilizing a sharp pencil you can now further develop the value and form with blending, stumping down, and painting out. In this, you will be going back and forth hoping that you know when to quit. Sketching is about making decisions, i.e., knowing what to build up and, just as critical, knowing what to leave out.
In the hand/skull situation you have to be extra careful how far you develop the hand. The hand should be seen as a prop, that is, a supporting element that should not be part of the focus. Do not feel compelled to finish every element in your sketch. Everything in drawing is about balance and communicating your meaning directly to the viewer's eye.
In closing, it is important to see the hand and the shoulder as parts of one whole. Starting your sketch with striking the complete arabesque will aid you greatly with maintaining this unity. Treat the hand and shoulder as supporting elements that surround the face. This means that you should sketch them in a subordinate role.
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