When things go wrong...

[Art15]

Here is a great tip for when a portrait drawing is going wrong...
Try viewing the picture you are copying and your drawing through a mirror. Seeing it in reverse gives you a fresh perspective and shows you all your mistakes.
Happy Drawing...

Does anyone else have any tips for drawing portraits?

[Zindy]

Haven't tried that one, but I've heard someone else using that trick.
Actually I have a little something. My old design teacher said that if a portrait did not look right in some way(you know, if you can't see what's wrong but knows something is wrong) it might be the area between the nose and the lips there's something wrong with. It's one of the most characteristic areas of the face and therefore very important(to get right).
For some reason I always make the most out of the persons eyes, because I really love drawing them. Sometimes I forget to make the rest of the face just as good/detailed/perfect.

/Zindy

[squeej]

Zindy, do you draw all or your faces free-hand without any helping tools? Or do you use a grid? And for the eyes, do you use any tools to get them perfectly round and centered? Your circles are mere perfection and the curves and features you portray on the cheeks and along the eyes, nose, and mouth are excellent and so near exact!

[Zindy]

Well, when I draw up the proportions of the face I normally just draw up the face elements looking at a print in about the same size (as the drawing is going to be). Normally I get them right. But if they are totally messed up I use my pencil to see if fx. the eyes are in line. It's a bit hard to explain, but in short - I use my eyes to place the elements. When I first started doing portraits I had some trouble placing the element just right, but as time goes by I'm getting better at it, but still not perfect!

/Zindy

# I do not use anything to do the pupils, I just draw them! No biggie

[Nina du Preez]

My technique is similar to that of Zindy...

I get the basic shapes down first, after having sketched in some guidelines ie. the normal divisions of the face according to the anatomical makeup. Then I sketch in the shadows with an F pencil so that I know where the shadows have to go....and the rest is freehand..

[squeej]

I do understand how you use your eye to get the proportions just right. Some of my portraits and eyes when I first started to draw again were just right and perfect. Lately though, it seems I just can't transfer exactly what I see directly onto paper. I think it is, in part, because of my welding and construction work and roughing up my hands so much that all sensitivity is almost lost by the time I'm done working.

[Art15]

My technique is somewhat different. I dislike using any drawing aids and rely on drawing by eye. I am very lucky in the fact that i can mentally project the image onto the paper while i draw. Its very difficult to explain but I see the face as a collection of shapes that i use for construction. The same goes for the shading.

(suddenly realised that my website tutorial is going to be difficult to explain!)

[Cara_Bear]

Originally Posted by Art15

Here is a great tip for when a portrait drawing is going wrong...
Try viewing the picture you are copying and your drawing through a mirror. Seeing it in reverse gives you a fresh perspective and shows you all your mistakes.
Happy Drawing...

Does anyone else have any tips for drawing portraits?

(Sorry, I'm new to the forum if you dont recognise the name) I'm only 14 so I'm still in high school, and my art teacher told me another good way to see your hole picture in a different perspective is to flip it upside down, cause' it confuses the side of your brain that thinks about less artistic stuff and makes you see it in an artistic light and helps you notice parts of it that you hadnt seen before. If that makes sence at all..Hehe

[Art15]

Originally Posted by Cara_Bear

(Sorry, I'm new to the forum if you dont recognise the name) I'm only 14 so I'm still in high school, and my art teacher told me another good way to see your hole picture in a different perspective is to flip it upside down, cause' it confuses the side of your brain that thinks about less artistic stuff and makes you see it in an artistic light and helps you notice parts of it that you hadnt seen before. If that makes sence at all..Hehe

Hello and welcome Cara_Bear.
Very good tip. I've also used that technique and it works extremely well. You instantly see all the faults but somehow its difficult to remember what you have seen. The best thing to do is to draw upside-down. That way you draw what you see and not what you think you see... if you know what i mean ?!?

[Relfrome]

I sometimes use this technique. If you have some doubts about your portait, or feel there something wrong with it, then close your eyes and for get that portrait, open your eyes and then look at the portrait like seeing it for the first time. I have used this this technique and it really works for me.