Elizabeth Knapp 06 Oct 2007

I looked at your portraits.

First off, do you use any artist references? If not, please start off. Caravaggio is perfect. Of course there are a million other artists out there, but I think that for someone who just wants basic realism, Caravaggio is great because he uses either high-key or low-key lighting.

Second, I think you focus to much on details. If you wish to do a portrait of a celebrity, look at your reference from far away and squint your eyes. This will allow you to see what your "really" see, as opposed to eyelashes and teeth.

Third, graze your pencil. Just start with a general outline and then shade extremely lightly...slowly build your drawing up. With painting, you would find your immediate darks, but in drawing, you should find your lightest areas and maintain them. Build around them slowly.

Darius Purse 07 Oct 2007

Thanks a lot for the suggestions Elizabeth. What do you mean by using artist references? Just that I should look at Caravaggio's work and see what he does well?

Betty Schwartz 13 Oct 2007

If you wish to do realistic portraits, buy yourself a book on facial anatomy in order to learn basic facial structure. Then start sketching REAL people instead of copying someone's photo. Also - there are excellent books on handling the pencil as an art tool. Lots of different ways of handling strokes as well as showing different types and grades of pencils.

Michelle Stowe 19 Oct 2007

have you heard of using a grid to draw your portraits with? even davinci used a grid, it helped break apart the drawing, and keep the subject in a more realistic shape...its like drawing in sections, thereby improving the realism...sorta like graph paper...also read "drawing on the right side of the brain"... that book references what i am talking about...

Darius Purse 28 Oct 2007

^^Thanks for the tips. I use the grid method and I will check out some of those books.

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 01 Nov 2007

Hi Darius.

Here are a couple of my tutorials:

http://www.artwanted.com/mb/topic.cfm?Topic=178316&PageNum=1&MaxRows=999

http://www.artwanted.com/mb/topic.cfm?Topic=178446

http://www.artwanted.com/mb/topic.cfm?Topic=178451&SearchTerm=PENCIL%20TECHNIQUES%20FOR%20FUR

Denny

D Burgess 05 Jan 2011

My suggestion; blend, or smoothen, the shadowed edges. Work conture instead of line (this is where one draw shadows instead of edges).

Stay inspired, hope this helps.

Shasta Eone 27 Mar 2011

The illustration here has to do with the light and darks within a shadow which gives the roundedness to the cheek, definition, depth and form between the forehead and hair line.

Vincent von Frese 28 Mar 2011

Nice tsee someone studying something besides abstract expression styles.

The best and fastest way I can get the portrait or combination images is to get the composition worked out on a piece of paper and then trace them onto the billustration board or canvas. Then draw everything out and seal it before painting colors.

If it is from a photograph which is to be rendered then project the image using a transparency film sheet you make on your printer which shows the linier detail precisely where it belongs. Copy this image in a line drawing using rounded circles fornshadowed areas.

When painting do a little section at a time and when you are at the final stage. Then even out the overall tone with some color washes between drying. Look at the painting and see if you have a distinct expression.

If you want to you can get the best results using oils because these paints allow mixing without drying too fast and you can get a luminous life like effect without copying every hair follicle lioke Chuck Close had done in his portraits. And like Carrivagio and Albrect Durer you can keep a real appearance without straying too far from what you see in real life. Durer made hair look real with a large brush. See his rabbit painting.

Johnny Driggers 26 Nov 2011

I would suggest experimenting with a dry cleaning pad, usually found with drafting supplies. wipe it lightly over the drawing and it will bring the tones together, it will pick up a lot of graphite so you'll have to darken again and you may have to repeat the process several times.

that's how I handle my drawings, especially the hair when it starts looking like chicken scratch.

Also I would use a really soft pencil for the blacks and make them as dark as possible like on the pupils and then bring the rest of the drawing up till they don't stand out any more.

Vincent von Frese 26 Oct 2014

To train yourself to see is of major importance. You have to look deeply into the subject and get a feel for light and dark values reflecting reality.Seeing is the gift of the eye so drawing and painting is a way of extrapolating what an individual sees.

I saw some paintings and did not understand the content until years later when I was in the actual environment these paintings were painted.

Thomas Hart Benton painted the hues and tones of reflected water in the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri. He painted a stylized version of clouds, people and land but the elements of realism were starkly accurate.

I still have not seen the Grand Canyon but I'm sure I can believe Thomas Moran painted it as it can be seen.

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