Tutorial/Study: How to draw portraits.

[MnM]

Hi everyone,

Since I feel that I can do some decent enough portraits, I felt that there is nothing wrong in sharing what I know of already in a step by step process. I have covered almost all the details necessary in the picture itself. I mostly follow proko's teaching instructions (I am yet to purchase the premium pack). You can find everything necessary to understand in here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClM2LuQ...23462tQzBg (Children beware of partial/full nudity)

Note: We are not going for extremely real features here. I would like to play with proportions and finally end up drawing a lf2 type portrait.

Tutorial1: Sketching from scratch (Click to View)

full res: http://i.imgur.com/YByY1s6.jpg

Tutorial2: Drawing from photograph (Click to View)

Drawing from photographs

Still, I will not be doing a detailed write up. You will have to wait for that :P .

I'll be drawing myself(yay):



How-to:

On the Photograph

I) It's fairly simple to establish two straight lines:

1)Passing through the center of the face connecting mid-points of the brow ridge and the nose.
3)Passing through almost through the center of the eyes.

II) Measure the width of the eye and from the 1st tutorial basis, copy paste the width lines along the two straight lines you drew in the first step. Now observe the picture and bring certain landmarks into your mind before starting of the sketch.

On the drawing sheet

I) Try to replicate the angle of the two straight lines you drew on the photograph.
II) Carefully place the width of the eyes on the two straight lines.

Note: The measurement need not be the same for the eye-width. Its easy to place the eye-widths from the center point where the two straight lines cross each other. You just have to try and replicate the proportionate distance of the width markings as you drew in the photograph.

Drawing from photograph (Click to View)

This is a fairly simple sketch. Don't cry on me since the eye is a bit off.


Personal criticism:


Some of you might be aware of my portrait of Lionel Messi. Now here I'll show how far I have messed up the portrait myself:

original(With the eye-width markings placed):


My painting(This technique was not used while drawing that):


The picture speaks for itself how far I have messed up the painting. *cries*

I will add some detailed write-up from time to time and also do step by step coloring!

Disclaimer: This is not the only way to approach or draw your portrait.

[Gad]

IMO the easiest way to draw portraits is to use grid. This although maybe cheating a little.

[Gespenst]

hah, that's actualy the same way I draw eyes and put them

IMO the easiest way to draw portraits is to use grid. This although maybe cheating a little.

Well, I won't consider it as cheating, it's not like you are tracing it or something. It's just helps you to achieve better result? so if grid helps you, why not to use?

[MnM]

IMO the easiest way to draw portraits is to use grid. This although maybe cheating a little.

imo, no offense, I consider grid technique as the least artistic of all technique. However its a very good technique for beginners.

hah, that's actualy the same way I draw eyes and put them

Well, I won't consider it as cheating, it's not like you are tracing it or something. It's just helps you to achieve better result? so if grid helps you, why not to use?

Nice . Well to answer your question, its already in this thread : http://www.lf-empire.de/forum/showthread...+technique . I still don't use this technique and I have devised new guideline to do this. This might be somewhat similar to it but definitely not gives you so much accuracy in the first place. Also it seems fair to me because in the grids you just need to fill in the boxes. Whereas here you really have to do some drawing.


So here is the new one:

Drawing from photographs

Still, I will not be doing a detailed write up. You will have to wait for that :P .

I'll be drawing myself(yay):



How-to:

On the Photograph

I) It's fairly simple to establish two straight lines:

1)Passing through the center of the face connecting mid-points of the brow ridge and the nose.
3)Passing through almost through the center of the eyes.

II) Measure the width of the eye and from the 1st tutorial basis, copy paste the width lines along the two straight lines you drew in the first step. Now observe the picture and bring certain landmarks into your mind before starting of the sketch.

On the drawing sheet

I) Try to replicate the angle of the two straight lines you drew on the photograph.
II) Carefully place the width of the eyes on the two straight lines.

Note: The measurement need not be the same for the eye-width. Its easy to place the eye-widths from the center point where the two straight lines cross each other. You just have to try and replicate the proportionate distance of the width markings as you drew in the photograph.

Drawing from photograph (Click to View)

This is a fairly simple sketch. Don't cry on me since the eye is a bit off.


Personal criticism:


Some of you might be aware of my portrait of Lionel Messi. Now here I'll show how far I have messed up the portrait myself:

original(With the eye-width markings placed):


My painting(This technique was not used while drawing this piece):


The picture speaks for itself how far I have messed up the painting. *cries*