Art of portrait drawing
November 25, 2009 | Art Works
The art of portrait drawing
The art of portrait drawing is not something which can be learnt overnight; one needs to put his/her heart mind and soul to learn this art. There are many ways to portraits picture such as making portraits with a pencil or portrait oil painting or use a color brush etc. etc. There are few considerations involved in learning the art of portrait drawing; we have tried explaining them all in detail to make you able to portraits picture. Given below are the things to ponder upon:
- Strike the arabesque: It takes about three to six months of study and drawing practice to acquire a solid foundational skill-set for drawing. When you begin to learn to draw the first and most important skill to develop is the ability to strike the arabesque keeping in mind the consistent accuracy of shape and proportion. Everything else builds upon and is a refinement of this one all-important skill.
- Place the landmarks: The next step in learning art of portrait drawing is how to accurately gauge the internal proportions of your subject, whether it is a still life drawing, a landscape or a portrait drawing. This is called placing the landmarks. The major landmarks in portrait drawing the brow ridge (not the eyes – this is important!), the base of the nose and the width of the face (usually from cheek to cheek).
- Knowledge of anatomy: The knowledge of anatomy is a requisite skill to portraits picture. But anatomy is also best left for later study; your first step is to acquire the foundational drawing skills.
But the most effective way to learn anatomy for portrait drawing is to draw directly from the skull. Plastic skulls are available in most art stores although they vary significantly in terms of price and quality. Suffice it say that having a skull in your studio gives you an excellent teaching tool but also a ready model to draw.
These are few things to consider before learning the art of portrait drawing. The art of portrait oil painting we will learn in the other session.
