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| Guidelines for Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Construct |
By:
Remi Engels |
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Suppose that we have a pose where the skull, arm, and fingers are visible and are in contact. Very often, the beginning artist will endeavor to sketch each of these elements separately|independently. The approach will invariably lead to frustration and ultimately often to failure.
Instead of sketching each item separately|independently, the first step in your sketching should be to draw the "entire" arabesque, i.e., the entire outline of the picture. The entire arabesque which includes parts other than the skull (in this case the skull, fingers, and arms) is called the "construct".
For the beginner it is best to reduce the construct to its simplest shape thereby ignoring all the minutia such as the irregularities in the fingers and the hair. With experience, you will be able to add all these bumps without much trouble as you go along.
A good construct (also known as a complete arabesque) also contains a singular gestural cadence that subordinates all minutia. In other words, this rhythmic gesture exists free of the minutia.
When you are sketching a single object or skull the inspection of the height/width proportion is rather straightforward. As a universal rule the width of the skull is checked against its length utilizing the base of the chin as the main marker.
If, for some reason the chin is conceiled (e.g., behind the arm or fingers), a different marker must be found. The arm, the jaw, or the lines of the fingers are excellent spots to find a new marker.
Once you have sketched a satisfactory construct it must be checked for precision. To do this, we can, for instance, look for vertical and/or horizontal lengths that are supposed to be the same and see if they in fact are the same. Use all your acquired knowledge of sizing. Also use your general knowledge of anatomical placing of the ears, eyes, etc.
Once you are satisfied that the construct is properly sketched you can proceed to block-in the main light/dark blueprint and take your first tentative stab at sketching the facial area, i.e., the placing of the brow, the eyes, the nose and the mouth. Again, if the usual markers for those elements can for some reason not be used you should be creative enough to determine suitable substitutes.
Keep blocking-in all elements as soon as you sketch them. This includes the fingers, arms, and hair if any of them are visible in the given pose you are sketching. Remember to always sketch from the general to the specific.
Also, be sure to use a sharp pencil, take into account your understanding of anatomy, and always look for errors and, of course, correct them.
Next, the pencil portrait drawing must now be worked-up value-wise by hatching with 8B, 2H, and 4H pencils, by blening the graphite with your fingers or a stump, and by using your putty eraser to define the lights. All this should be done in a sculpturally manner.
Finally, you can settle how much minutia you want to put into your drawing or how unresolved you may leave the drawing. For example, you can leave some parts of the fingers or the arm unresolved. Or, if you want to emphasize a particular part of the portrait, you can increase the munitia in that part and leave the other parts slightly unresolved.
These are a few of many considerations that go into sketching a more intricate portrait that has a complete arabesque. One significant thing to memorize is to sketch the construct first so you do not end up sketching one item after another without maintaining cohesion. Following these rules will surely put you on the correct path of sketching more intricate portraits.About Author:Download my brand new complementary pencil portrait draw course here: Pencil Portrait Drawing Tutorial. Remi Engels is a practicing pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: http://www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Tips on Pencil Portrait Sketching - The Complete Arabesque. |
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