How to Draw a Portrait: basic steps, basic elements and tips for beginners

Peculiarities of drawing a human face

Each person is different, and to draw their face will require a certain level of skill and attention to detail. Using a few simple recommendations you can master the technique of portrait drawing sketches, after which you can start working with paints of all types:

• before drawing, the face should be conditionally divided into three parts (forehead, nose and chin) and draw each part in detail;
• each portrait must convey a specific emotion, in this case drawing is based on drawing the details;
• portrait likeness will be easier to achieve if you pay attention to fine details and individual facial features in the process of drawing
• mistakes are much more difficult to correct than to avoid them, so all sketches are drawn with thin and barely visible lines;
• When doing monotonous and monotonous work, human eyes get tired, so it is important to take breaks when painting a portrait.

It is impossible to learn how to draw without practice, so it is necessary not to give up and boldly pursue your goal. Every next lesson you can dedicate to tracing some details of the face, after that you can practice putting together all the elements in a portrait and move on to drawing a portrait.

Drawing a face from memory

Painting a portrait from memory is very difficult because if you paint a portrait step by step you can lose perspective and realism. Even experienced artists follow a certain procedure that helps to make a portrait realistic and keep the integrity of the image:

• A sheet of paper is drawn with light lines, marking the different areas of the face and helping to reproduce all the elements with compositional integrity;
• The contours of the eyes are marked on the face, with the drawing of the eyelid, pupils and eyelashes, they must be drawn symmetrically from the drawn straight dividing line;
• The nose is easy to draw by sketching a sketch on paper, similar to a skittle, in the process of drawing the wings of the nose it is given a more accurate and detailed outline;
• Once the portrait has shown the main facial features you can start with the lips, like the other elements it's important to start with a sketch and work out the details;
• Even if the portrait will have ears covered by hair or clothing it is better to sketch a drop shape outline for the face;
• Such simple at first sight as eyebrows should be drawn last, and try not to make a mistake with their size, shape and location above the eyes.

After the sketch is done, the face is clearly outlined and you can start drawing hair and other portrait details. Even if a person can draw and has certain artistic skills to start with simple sketches, gradually complicating their task.

How to draw a face from nature

A beautiful drawing will be obtained if you draw from nature, with the object must be a long time to be in a fixed pose. The best option would be to draw a self-portrait, with the artist does not have to distract from the creative process, performing all the steps step by step:

• The face is outlined and markings are made on the sketch, where all the main elements, such as the nose, eyes, lips and ears should be located;
• All paired elements should be drawn at once, and it is recommended to start with eyes, it will help correctly calculate the position of eyebrows and ears;
• If it is a portrait of a girl you can draw hair or hairstyle after tracing the main elements;
• When all the elements of the portrait are composed, it is important to make the necessary adjustments to give the image a portrait likeness;
• In the final stage of drawing a portrait, all elements are clearly drawn or shaded to complete the composition.

Drawing a self-portrait helps you learn how to give your drawing a portrait likeness and to be attentive to detail. Even for experienced artists it is not superfluous to check the proportionality of the placement of all the elements and do not forget that a self-portrait is like a reflection in a mirror, which is better to use for drawing.

Drawing a face from a photo

The most uncomplicated technique is to draw a portrait from a photo, for this use any photo you like. It is best to place the photo on a board or any flat vertical surface so that it is always in front of your eyes to simplify the process of drawing:

• The shape of the face shown in the photo is transferred to paper, taking into account a certain angle (open pose, half-turn, or profile);
• the sketch is marked out in separate zones, where the location of the eyes and nose, lips and eyebrows, ears are indicated, and then these details are traced;
• the best way to do this is to always check the photo, making necessary changes and corrections in the sketch of the future portrait;
• Drawing a portrait with a pencil from a photo ends with tracing the details, and some details take a clearer look, and others are roughened up.

After reading this material, each user can practice drawing self-portraits or portraits from a photo. Creative work will help you develop your own talents and consolidate the skills you've learned to master more complex techniques popular in the fine arts.

To learn how to properly convey a portrait likeness, the best solution is to attend special master classes or courses. They will teach the skill of portrait drawing to masters and teachers who have already mastered the skill of drawing portraits to perfection.

Photo examples of drawing portraits in pencil