So, we can place the eye-line with confidence, marking it either freehand or using a pencil to measure where the middle of the head is. The following step comes from the know-how – this proportion is not measured on a model’s head, it is universal for all portraits – the eye-line divides the height of the head in half. To keep things simple for this exercise, we draw a portrait at our eye-level. The opposite is also true – lines will be curved downward when a model’s head is located lower. When the model is located higher than a viewer, lines will be curved upward. If the model’s head is on the same level as yours, you would see those three lines horizontal. Do it as accurate as you can precise location of these three parts will help you in placing facial features correctly. Divide the distance from that line to the bottom of the head into three equal parts by eye or using a pencil as a measuring stick. Observe on the model where the hair-root line is intended by nature and mark this line on the drawing.
Make sure there is enough space in front of the head – “nose room” and the head is not too close to the top edge of paper. Mark four strokes – the top, bottom as well as the left and right edges of the head.
When you have this ratio measured, decide on a composition of your future portrait – how big the head would be and where on paper it will be located. Make sure to get it as accurate as you can. This proportion varies depending on the view angle.
Many art students ask me how to measure with a pencil to answer, I created this article – ///how-to-measure-with-a-pencil First stepīegin with measuring the main proportion of the model’s head – its width-to-height ratio using a pencil or by eye. Fix paper to a drawing board and get your pencil sharpened. I would suggest getting a model or drawing a self-portrait looking in a mirror.įirst, analyze the head, chose the view angle, and decide on the artwork size and layout. How to Draw a Portrait in the Three Quarters View Before drawing begins You will be able to draw similar portraits by the end of this exercise should you follow closely my instructions. This process is also described in my book “How to Draw a Portrait in the Three Quarters View” available on Amazon.
So, in this series of articles, I will share with you the in-depth step-by-step know-how of portrait drawing as it’s taught in one of the World’s best art institutions – Repin Academy in St. You simply won’t see the correctness of proportions if you don’t know what those proportions are. And the necessary know-how only comes with crucial knowledge. To “ build” a head in portrait drawing requires much more than simply copying what you see. It is like decorating walls before building a house. When drawing from life, art students are doing their best to depict eyes, nose and mouth as they see it on a model, forgetting, however, the overall construction of the head. To explain why the principle “ Draw What You Know, not What You See” is important, I’ll give you an example. The biggest challenge in drawing portraits arrives from the misconception of how art is created – students draw not what they know, but copy what they see.