How easy it is to draw a portrait of a person with a pencil step by step. How to draw a portrait of a girl with a pencil

Draw a portrait of a young woman

In order for everything to work out the way it should, you should start with the basics. Let's try to figure out how to draw a portrait with a pencil - for this we will draw a portrait of a young woman with large expressive eyes.

First you need to make a blank - it will be a circle divided into 4 equal parts and a small elongated part from the bottom. Approximately in the middle of the lower half of the circle, we outline two ovals - the eyes. It is important that the distance between the eyes is equal to the length of the eye itself, and the distance from the edge of the face to the outer corner of the eyes is half this length. Immediately sketch out the line of the mouth - it will be below the circle, at a distance equal to the width of the eye.

Let's add the upper eyelids and eyebrows. The eyebrow should have a curve. It is best to follow this rule: the beginning of the eyebrow should be at the level of the inner corner of the eye, the end - slightly diagonally from the outer.

And now let's deal with the nose - it will be on the bottom of the circle.

And the mouth is on the same strip just below the circle, which we noted in advance.

When drawing lips, it is important to remember that the lower lip should be slightly fuller than the upper. Also, do not make the lip line perfectly straight - it has a kind of bend. And also outline the basic shape of the ears. The lower part of the ear will be approximately in line with the nose, and the upper part will be in line with the upper eyelid.

Let's work on the eyes in more detail. It is important to remember here that there should be a bright spot on the iris - a highlight, and the upper lash line is slightly more expressive than the lower one.

Let's draw other contours. At this stage, all auxiliary lines are also wiped. You also need to draw the ears - cartilage, lobe, etc.

It remains to depict the hair. In no case should you make them a monolithic block - it looks very unnatural. Separate hairs should be visible, laid with slight carelessness. You can also add a little volume: for this, we very easily stroke the shadow part of the face.

Great, our portrait is completely ready. For more details, you can watch this video:

How to draw a male look - the main nuances

If in the previous section we learned how to draw a female portrait in stages, now we will practice creating a male portrait.

Let's start with the eyes. They should be fairly elongated and be at a distance of one more eye from each other:

Then we'll add the eyebrows. You should not make them one solid line - the eyebrows consist of individual hairs, often growing at random.

Let's work with the eyes in more detail: make the lash line more expressive and slightly darken the iris. On the iris we leave a small white spot - a highlight. You also need to depict the nose: to choose the correct height, set aside a distance from the eyes that is one and a half times greater than the length of the eye.

Now the mouth. It is located just below the nose. As for the width, then you need to focus on the pupils. Mentally lower the vertical lines from the pupils down - this distance will be the line of the mouth.

A little shade is what is needed now. Shade the shadow side of the nose and upper lip.

Now we need to outline the oval of the face and ears. Do not forget that this is a male portrait - the cheekbones should be clearly defined.

Now hair. You don’t need to make them “one size fits all” - the direction of the hair on the head can be very different. It is best to draw individual hairs, and not try to make the hairstyle a monolithic piece.

And, of course, the head cannot just hang in the air - you need to finish the neck and shoulders.

And then - enhance the shadows. The direction of each new layer of hatching may not coincide with the previous one - do not be afraid of this.

The stubble will add more masculinity, and the glare in the eyes will make the look more alive.

Draw a girl - a guide for beginners

In this section we will learn how to draw a portrait of a young girl. It is absolutely not necessary to be a professional artist for this: now we will figure out how to draw a portrait for beginners.

First of all, let's draw an oval - the general shape of the face.

Then we mark it: we need to draw a vertical axis of symmetry, as well as three horizontal lines - for the eyes, nose and lips. We will also sketch out the basic shape of the ears - in height they will be located approximately between the line of the eyes and nose.

Let's draw the nose in a little more detail - it should be noted its wings, bridge of the nose, front part.

Now the eyes and eyebrows. To do this, you will need two more auxiliary lines located symmetrically on both sides of the main line of the eyes. It is important to remember that the distance between the eyes should be approximately equal to the length of one eye.

Let's add details. It is necessary to draw our girl's hairline, outline the cheekbones, outline the folds near the eyes.

General sketches are done, so you need to carefully wipe all the auxiliary lines and draw the hair. In order for the hairstyle to look natural, do not make all the strands the same, licked - they should lie down a little carelessly, out of order. Earrings can be inserted into the girl's ears.

Now we need to add volume - we shade the shadow parts, strengthen the contours.

We must not forget about the falling shadows: from the hair, from the nose, the shadow on the neck. This is also neatly shaded. The light parts of the hair can be further lightened with an eraser.

We will strengthen the shadow a little more and add light tones on the strands of hair, lower lip, eyes.

Everything, the portrait of the girl is drawn. If you are interested in this lesson, you can additionally watch this video:

Portrait Lesson for Little Artists

Children often like to draw different characters: book or cartoon characters, just abstract people. This lesson will describe in detail how to draw a portrait of a young girl, so that even the youngest artist can easily cope with this task.

First you need to outline the oval of the face and divide it into 4 parts.

Then - in general terms, set the shape of the eyes, lips, the location of the tip of the nose.

We need to add details: in the eyes we draw the iris, we give a more natural shape to the lips, we draw the nose.

And now we need to bring the oval of the face more strongly, draw the upper and lower cilia, pupils and eyebrows.

And, of course, what girl can do without beautiful long hair.

In order to make the drawing look more alive, you need to apply some shadows. This should be done very easily and carefully.

That's all - the portrait of the girl is ready. For a more complete understanding of the lesson, it will be useful to watch this video:

Portrait of a man - learn to draw together

Drawing portraits is a rather difficult task, requiring attention, accuracy and precise proportions. And with the help of this lesson we will learn how to draw a portrait of a person.

It’s worth starting with the basics - let’s depict the oval of the face and divide it into three parts. Attention - the top point of these three fragments should be just below the top point of the oval itself - there will be a hairline.

At the separation points, three horizontal lines must be drawn, and then two more. One will be just below the center mark, and another one will be just below the bottom. Also, symmetrically to the axis from the second base of the mark (eyebrow line) to the bottom (nose line), two vertical lines must be drawn - blanks for the front of the nose.

On this blank we draw a nose - with a nose bridge, a small hump and wings. We also mark the eyes - they will be on a line located just below the eyebrow line. In width, it must be conditionally divided into 5 parts - the eyes will be in 2 and 4 parts.

You also need to depict the lips - they will be on the line located under the line of the nose. The width of the mouth will be determined by the middle of the eyes - from the middle of the left to the middle of the right. It is important to note that the lower lip should be slightly wider than the upper.

A little more details: in the eyes we draw the iris and pupil, add volume to the eyebrows.

Now we draw the hair along the already marked lines and start working with the ears.

We are working on the cheekbones - they are especially pronounced in a man. Also draw the neck - it will be quite massive.

Everything, at this stage, you can erase all additional lines. By the way, you can also add a shirt collar to the picture.

Portrait of a girl - three-quarter turn

Before that, we painted faces mostly in full face - that is, a person looks directly at us. Portraits in profile are also quite common - when a person is located sideways to the artist. But much more complex and interesting is the three-quarter turn - a cross between full face and profile. Let's try to depict such an option.

At first, the general forms are an elongated oval extended upwards and axes of symmetry. Unlike the full-face position, the axles will not divide the oval into almost equal parts - they will follow the line of the oval, leaving a little less space on the side of the turn. So far, we are interested in the lines of the eyebrows and eyes.

Then you can outline the line of hair growth, mouth and begin to draw the nose. As can be seen, its left wing is almost imperceptible, and the left part of the back of the nose is much smaller than the right.

Now the eyes - they are quite large in the girl, with a wide upper eyelid.

Now we draw eyebrows. They are quite thin and widely spaced.

Let's take care of the mouth and chin. The mouth will be small, slightly open. Also at this stage, the lower eyelids will be depicted - they are also wide, which makes it seem that the eyes are a little bulging.

Add strands of flowing long hair.

Everything, now our sketch is ready. We got a real forest nymph - alert, graceful and very beautiful. In order to understand the lesson better, you can watch this video:

Learning to draw a portrait of a teenage girl

The face of an adult is quite noticeably different from the face of a child or teenager in terms of proportions. Therefore, for the full, multifaceted development of you as an artist, it is important to learn how to draw portraits not only of adults, but also of adolescents and children.

First, draw a circle and divide it into 4 equal parts.

On the central line we will make the basic shape for the eyes and eyebrows, and in the lower part - for the nose and mouth. On the sides, at a height from the eyebrows to the nose, there will be ears.

The nose in children is usually quite wide, without a pronounced back.

And the lips are quite plump. As for the width, the line of the mouth should be between the two pupils. For convenience, you can even draw vertical lines down from them. And do not forget about the crease above the upper lip.

Now we will slightly lengthen the oval of the face and start drawing the hair.

Hair should fall in waves, separate large strands. And in these large strands it is necessary to draw individual hairs. Also at this stage, you can erase all auxiliary lines and start working with shadows.

Shading should be easy and very neat. You should remember not only about natural shadows, but also about falling ones.

Everything, now our drawing is completely and completely ready. You can see more nuances and small details here in this video:

Irina Khursulova

. Portrait painting is one of the most complex and significant genres of fine arts. This is not just a reproduction of the features of a particular human but the understanding of his inner world, the essence of his character, the uniqueness of his appearance; expression by the artist of his attitude to the depicted. No other genre of painting reveals man so how does it do portrait.

How teach a child to draw a portrait correctly? Every teacher has their own method. drawing a portrait. I teach children first draw a person's face step by step, with a simple pencil.

Using simple rules, draw a human almost everyone can face, even child. Perhaps not the first time, but with a strong desire, you will definitely be able to teach a child to draw a real portrait of a person.

Before starting work on portrait, it is recommended to prepare all necessary:

Paper;

Simple pencil.

1. First, draw a face with thin lines - an oval.

2. For relief drawing exactly in the center draw a vertical line dividing portrait into two parts and two horizontal lines dividing it into 3 parts: forehead, eyebrows; eyes, nose; mouth, chin.

3. On the top line, draw arches-eyebrows.

4. Below are the eyes. The shape of the eyes consists of arcuate lines. In the middle, the iris and pupil are drawn. Do not forget draw eyelashes, on the upper eyelid they are longer than on the lower.

5. Drawing nose - nose in the middle, beginning at the eyebrows. Drawn with a smooth curved line. The crown of the nose is rounded and lateral are drawn wings of the nose and nostrils.

4. The mouth is below the nose. We draw the line of the mouth, on top of the upper lip - two arcuate lines, from below the lower lip - a large arcuate line.

Erase the extra lines with an eraser.

5. On the sides at the level of the nose, draw the ears, draw the shoulders.

6. Then the hair: short or long, straight or curly, wavy, with or without bangs, color.

Talent is given to everyone man by nature, only to develop any abilities you need to start from early childhood. By helping children learn to form images into images, you educators are doing them a great service. Drawing pencil step by step is not only interesting, but also very useful for young children. Good luck to you!

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If you have never painted a portrait before, do as Van Gogh did - paint yourself! Armed with a drawing pad or even office paper taped to hardboard, a Comte pencil or a piece of grape charcoal (a soft pencil will do) and a mirror, sit in front of the mirror and take a good look at your features. Arrange your workplace so that the light falls on one side. If you are right-handed, the light source should be on your left and slightly above you.

Find a piece of paper larger than your head so that your drawing is the same size as the subject being portrayed, in this case, yourself. Keep your head straight while drawing. Use your eyes, not your head, to look down at the paper. Don't turn your head from side to side. There are several approaches that artists use. I'll start with the approach of my favorite portrait painter, Richard Schmid: look at one of your eyes. Study it carefully. First, you will draw the eye and gradually move away from it, matching the proportions and measuring carefully.

See how the upper eyelid compares to the lower. Is there a noticeable crease above the eyeball or not? Are the eyebrows thick or sparse, curved, straight or sloping? Using very light pressure, draw an oval on the paper, roughly representing the proportions and shape of your left eye.

Don't worry about the rest of the head, hair, or neck for now, but leave room for them on paper for later. For the first time, drawing a face is easier when looking directly at a mirror. Most of the faces are quite symmetrical, but still not quite. Pay attention to the distance from the right to the left eye. Using the width of the eye as the base unit of measurement, measure the width of the space between the eyes and carefully draw the outline, eyelid and iris of the left eye, then mark the space between the eyes, then draw the outline and details of the right eye. Mark the direction and width of the eyebrows.

Draw a very light vertical line down the center of the space between the eyes down to the bottom of the chin and up to the hairline. This will help your drawing stay symmetrical.

Measure the width of the eye and compare this distance with the distance between the inner corner of the eye and the lower edge of the nose. Make a short light line at the edge of the nose. Match the width of the eye with the width of the nose. Make marks indicating the width of the nose on both sides of the vertical line. Then match the distance between the edge of the nose and the dividing line of the lips. Check out these proportions! Their correct calculation provides a good portrait and similarity.

Find the width of the cheekbones and mark them with a light mark, then move to the side towards the ears. Ears are very difficult to draw, for each person they are completely unique. The top of the ear is usually somewhere around the level of the eyebrows, but again, look carefully before you draw. Each person's face is unique!

Describe the features of the chin and jawbone.

Mark the height and width of the hair and carefully draw its outlines, adding tone in terms of lightness or darkness of the hair. Don't worry about the details! When you look at someone's hair, you notice color and shape, not individual hairs. The same should be true for your drawing.

Once you have the proportions in place, take a look at the highlights and shadows on the object. Lightly shade the dark areas to get a sense of volume. Work on the darkest areas first - usually the iris. Leave white curved spot of light on the iris. Note that the eyeball is curved and that one side of the eyeball is somewhat shaded. Look carefully at the proportions and location of the light spots.

Pay attention to the shape and proportions of the upper and lower eyelids. Don't worry about the lashes - they can be lightly outlined with a darker line later.

I outline the shape of the skull and the curves of the flesh that covers it, gradually shading the sides of the face and jaw, the eye sockets, the depression in the skull above the eyes, then highlight the lighter areas in the tone of the hair.

Lightly shade the shady side of the nose and try to capture its unique shape, especially the tip. This is another characteristic feature of the face.

We can now take a close look at the details. And we'll start with the face. The face of a person is the first thing we pay attention to in any situation, and this also applies in a certain way to art: the observer will first of all consider a face with your characteristic features. Transferring a face to paper, especially drawing lively expressive expressions, is undoubtedly worth the effort.

In this tutorial, we'll get to know the main components face drawing - proportions, features and angle, and in the next lessons we will analyze in more detail the various facial expressions.

1. Proportions of the face

Full face:

In this position, the skull will be a flat circle, to which the outline of the jaw is added, which generally forms the shape of an egg, pointed at the bottom. Two lines perpendicular to the center divide the "egg" into four parts. To distribute facial features:

- Mark the midpoints of the left and right halves of the horizontal line. These points will be the eyes.

- Divide the vertical bottom line into five equal parts. The tip of the nose will be at the second point from the center. The lip fold will be at the third point from the center, one current below the tip of the nose.

- Divide the upper half of the head into four equal parts: the hairline (if the person does not have bald patches) will be located between the second and third points from the center. The ear will be located between the upper eyelid and the tip of the nose (if the face is at the same level). When a person looks up or down, the position of the ears changes.

It is useful to know that the width of the face is the width of five eyes or a little less. The distance between the eyes is equal to the width of one eye. It is uncommon for people to have wide or too close eyes, but this is always noticeable (wide-set eyes give a person an innocent childish expression, and narrow-set eyes arouse suspicion in us for some reason). The distance between the lower lip and chin is also equal to the width of one eye.

Another criterion for measure is the length of the index finger above the thumb. In the diagram below, all lengths are marked according to this criterion: ear height, distance between the level of hair growth and the level of the eyebrows, the distance from the eyebrows to the nose, the distance from the nose to the chin, the distance between the pupils.

Profile:

From the side, the shape of the head also resembles an egg, but pointed to the side. The center lines now divide the head into front (face) and back (skull) parts.

From the side of the skull:

The ear is located directly behind the center line. In its size and location, it is also located between the upper eyelid and the tip of the nose.
- The depth of the skull varies between two dotted lines (as shown in Step 4).

From the side of the face:

- Facial features are arranged in the same way as in full face.

- The deepening of the bridge of the nose either coincides with the center line, or is located slightly higher.

- The most prominent point will be the level of the eyebrow (1 point from the center).

2. Facial features

Eyes and Eyebrows

The eye is built from two simple arcs, shaped like an almond. There are no strict rules here, since the shape of the eyes can be completely different, but there are general recommendations:

- The outer corner of the eyes is higher than the inner, and not vice versa.

- If you compare the eye with an almond, the rounded part of the pupil will be from the side of the inner corner, decreasing towards the outer corner.

Eye Details

- The iris of the eye is partially hidden behind the upper eyelid. It crosses the lower eyelid only if the person looks down or squints (lower eyelid lifts).

- Eyelashes curve outward and are shorter on the lower eyelid (actually, it is not necessary to draw them every time).

- If you want to depict the oval of the lacrimal canal in the inner corner of the eye, as well as show the thickness of the lower eyelid, this is entirely up to you; Too much detail doesn't always look good. The addition of such details is proportional to the complexity of the drawing.

- The same can be applied to drawing the crease of the eyelid - it adds expressiveness and makes the look less anxious. I think it's best not to add a crease if you're doing a stylized drawing or if your drawing is too small.

The eye in profile is shaped like an arrowhead (sides may be concave or convex), with a slight indication of the upper eyelid and, optionally, the lower. In life, we do not see the iris in profile, but we see the white of the eye. When I was working on the lesson, many said that “it looks strange”, so the iris still needs to be marked.

As for the eyebrows, it's easiest to draw them after the eyes to repeat the curve of the upper eyelid. Most of the length of the eyebrow looks inward, and its tip is always a little shorter.

In profile, the shape of the eyebrow changes - it becomes like a comma. This "comma" continues the level of the lashes (where they curve). Sometimes the eyebrow seems to be one with the eyelashes, so you can also draw one curve for the top of the eye and the border of the eyebrow.

The nose is usually wedge-shaped - it is easier to visualize and give it three-dimensionality before adding details.

The septum and sides of the nose are flat, which will be noticeable in the finished drawing, but already at the sketch stage it is necessary to mark them in order to properly distribute the details later. In our wedge, the lower flat part is a truncated triangle connecting the wings and the tip of the nose. The wings curve towards the septum to form the nostrils - note that when viewed from below, the lines that form the sides of the septum are in the foreground, parallel to the face. The septum protrudes lower than the wings (when viewed directly), which means that at a ¾ view, the distal nostril will not be visible accordingly.

The most difficult part of drawing a nose can be deciding which parts of the nose are best left out for a natural looking result. You don't always have to completely draw the wings of the nose (where they join the face), and in most cases the drawing looks better if you just draw the bottom of the nose. The same goes for the four lines of the nasal septum, where they connect with the face - in most cases it will be better if you draw only the lower part of the nose (wings, nostrils, septum) - you can alternately cover the lines with your finger to make sure . If the head is turned ¾, it becomes necessary to draw the bridge of the nose. You will need a lot of observation, trial and error to recognize the unique features of the nose. Cartoonists have this feature - you need to carefully consider the outlines of the noses in order to understand why they are depicted that way. We will come back to this issue in the next lessons.

Lips

Mouth and Lips Tips:

- First you need to draw the labial fold, as this is the longest and darkest of the three almost parallel lines that form the mouth. In fact, it is not a continuous straight line - it consists of several implicit curves. In the picture below, you can see exaggerated examples of the movement of the mouth line - note that they follow the line of the upper lip. This line can be "softened" in several ways: the depression above the lip can be narrower (to distinguish corners) or so wide that it becomes invisible. It may be the other way around - the lower lip is so full that it creates a feeling of pouting. If you find it difficult to keep symmetry at this stage, try starting from the center and drawing one line on each side.

- The upper corners of the lips are more visible, but you can soften them up by drawing two wide curves, or soften them so that they are no longer noticeable.

- The lower lip certainly resembles the usual curve, but it can also be almost flat or quite rounded. My advice is to mark the lower lip with at least a regular dash under the lower border.

- The upper lip is almost always narrower than the lower lip, and it protrudes less forward. If its contour is outlined, it should be more pronounced, since the lower lip already stands out with its shadow (it should not exceed the size of the lip in size).

- In profile, the lips resemble an arrowhead in shape, and the protrusion of the upper lip becomes obvious. The shape of the lips is also different - the upper one is flat and located diagonally, and the lower one is more rounded.

- The lip fold in profile deviates downward, starting from the intersection of the lips. Even if a person smiles, the line goes down and rises again in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe corners. Never raise the line level when drawing in profile.

Ears

The main part of the ear (if drawn correctly) is shaped like a letter FROM from the outside and the shape of an inverted letter U from the inside (the border of the upper cartilage of the ear). Often draw a smaller U above the earlobe (you can put your finger to your ear), which goes further into a smaller letter FROM. Ear details are depicted around the ear opening itself (but not always), and their shapes can be quite varied in different people. The drawing can be stylized - for example, in the drawing below, the ear in its general form resembles elongated "@" symbols.

When the face is turned to the front, the ears are depicted in profile, respectively:

- The lobe, formerly indicated in the shape of an inverted U, is now visible separately - the same when you observe the plate from the side and then see its bottom, as if it were closer to you.

- In shape, the ear opening resembles a drop and stands out against the general background of the ear.

- The thickness of the ear from this angle depends on the proximity to the head, this is another individual factor. However, the ear always protrudes forward - this has happened in the course of evolution.

Seen from behind, the ear appears to be separate from the body, mostly a lobe connected to the head by a canal. Do not underestimate the size of the canal - its function is to make the ears protrude forward. In this perspective, the canal is more significant than the lobe.

3. Angles

Since the head is based on a circle where facial features are outlined, changing the angle of the head is easier than it seems at first glance. However, it is even more important to observe the positions of people's heads from different angles in life in order to remember all the ridges and valleys that overlap in the most unexpected ways. The nose undoubtedly recedes considerably from the head (the eyebrows, cheekbones, center of the lips and chin also protrude); at the same time, the eye sockets and sides of the mouth form some depressions on our "circle".

When we drew the face in full face and in profile, we simplified the task to a two-dimensional image, where all the lines were flat. For all other angles, we will need to rearrange our thinking in a three-dimensional world and realize that the shape of an egg is actually an egg, and the lines that we used before to arrange facial features cross this egg like the equator and meridians on a globe: at the slightest changing the position of the head, we will see that they are rounded. The arrangement of facial features is just drawing intersecting lines at a certain angle - now there are three of them. We can again divide the head into upper and lower parts, "cutting" our "egg", but now we need to keep in mind: the components closest to us look thicker. The same applies to drawing a face in a raised or lowered state.

man looking down

- All features are curved upwards, and the ears are "raised".

- Since the nose protrudes forward, its tip falls below the original mark, so it seems that it is now closer to the lips, and if a person lowers his head even lower, then the nome will partially close his lips. From this angle, you do not need to draw additional details of the nose - the bridge of the nose and wings will be enough.

- The arches of the eyebrows are quite flat, but can be curved again if the head is tilted too far.

- The upper eyelid of the eyes becomes more expressive, and it is enough to slightly change the position of the head so that they completely hide the orbits of the eyes.

- The upper lip is almost invisible, and the lower lip is enlarged.

man looking up

- All lines of facial features tend downward; the ears also move down.

- The upper lip is visible in full (which does not happen in full face). Now the lips look pouty.

The eyebrows are more arched and the lower eyelid is lifted, making the eyes look squinted.

- The lower part of the nose is now fully visible, both nostrils are clearly displayed.

The man turns

1. When we see a person almost completely turned away, the superciliary arches and cheekbones remain of the visible features. The line of the neck overlaps the line of the chin and is located next to the ear. When a person turns, we also see eyelashes.
2. Also, when turning, we can see part of the eyebrow line and the protrusion of the lower eyelid; also appears the tip of the nose directly from behind the cheek.
3. When a person turns almost in profile, eyeballs and lips appear (although the crease between the lips is small), and the line of the neck merges with the line of the chin. We can still see the part of the cheek covering the wing of the nose.

Time to practice

Use the quick sketch method to sketch on paper the facial expressions that you notice around you in a coffee shop or on the street.

Do not try to detail all the features and do not be afraid to make a mistake, the main thing is to convey the features from different angles.

If you find it difficult to draw in volume, take a real egg (you can boil it, just in case). Draw three lines in the center and add dividing lines. Observe and draw the egg with contour lines from different angles - this way you will get a feel for how the lines and the distances between them will behave from different angles. You can outline the facial features on the surface of the egg along the main lines and see how they change in size as the egg rotates.

The portrait conveys not only the external characteristics of the face, but also reflects the inner world of a person, his attitude to reality and emotional state at a certain point in time. In fact, a portrait, like any other genre painting, is an arrangement of lines, shapes and colors on canvas or paper so that their final combination repeats the shape of a human face.

Sounds almost like magic? In order to correctly place those very lines, shapes and shades on paper, you must first of all study the proportions of a person’s face (when drawing a portrait, they must be observed without fail) and their dependence on the movements, direction and shape of the head.

What is a portrait?

Regardless of the level of skill, working on it intimidates any artist. The remarkable painter John Singer Sargent gave the portrait two characteristics that every artist would agree on:

1. “Every time I paint a portrait, especially on commission, I lose a friend.”
2. "A portrait is a painting in which the lips end up looking somehow wrong."

Portrait - one of the most difficult genres of drawing and painting. The reason is that the artist often works to order, and pressure from outside interferes with the creative process. The portrait in the view of the customer often differs from what the artist creates. In addition, working on the image of a human face requires special knowledge and a fair amount of patience.

Why study proportions

Proportions are needed in order to understand how objects are located relative to each other in a dimensional, planar and intermediate ratio. If even a small amount of realism is important for a portrait, this cannot be achieved without knowing the proportions. On the other hand, nobody canceled abstract portraits.

Knowledge of proportions helps to convey not only facial features, but also emotions and facial expressions of a person. Knowing the dependence of the change in appearance on the position of the head, the emotional state of the model and lighting, the artist can transfer the character and mood of a person to the canvas, thereby creating an object of art. But for this you need to know the correct proportions of the face and be able to build a composition in accordance with the rules.

Ideal Proportions

During the High Renaissance, Raphael created paintings that were considered the standard of perfection. In fact, all of today's ideal proportions originate in the oval faces of Raphael's Madonnas.

If you draw a vertical line in the very center of the face and divide it into three parts - from the hairline to the eyebrows, from the eyebrows to the tip of the nose and from the tip of the nose to the chin, then these parts will be equal in an ideal face. The figure below shows the ideal proportions of a human face, a scheme for drawing and building an ideal face oval, as well as the ratio of the main features. It is worth considering that the ideal male face is characterized by more angular features, but, despite this, their main location corresponds to the presented scheme.

Based on this scheme, the ideal proportions of the face when drawing a portrait correspond to the following formula:

1. BC=CE=EF.
2. AD=DF.
3. OR=KL=PK.

face shape

Correctly constructed proportions of a person's face when drawing a portrait depend largely on the shape of this face. Raphael created a perfect oval, and nature does not limit perfection to just one geometric shape.

Probably, it is most convenient to study the construction of proportions and their change during movement on a perfectly oval face, for this there are many ways and techniques that will be discussed below, but the essence of the portrait is not in creating an ideal, but in depicting a person with all his features and imperfections. That is why it is important to know what the shape of the face can be and how it affects the construction of proportions when drawing portraits.

Rounded faces

elongated face has rounded hairline and chin. The vertical midline of the face is much longer than the horizontal. Elongated faces are usually characterized by a high forehead and a large distance between the upper lip and the base of the nose. Usually the width of the forehead is approximately equal to the width of the cheekbones.

Oval face similar in shape to an egg turned upside down. The cheekbones are the widest part of it, followed by a slightly less wide forehead and a relatively narrow jaw. The length of an oval face is slightly greater than its width.

Round face characterized by almost equal midlines of the vertical and horizontal sections of the face. Wide cheekbones are smoothed out by a smooth rounded chin line.

Angular face shapes

Rectangular face characterized by a wide jaw, accentuated by an angular chin and a straight hairline. The median line of the vertical section is much longer than the horizontal one. The width of the forehead of a person with a rectangular face is approximately equal to the width of the cheekbones.

triangular differs from the heart-shaped only by the hairline, in the triangular it is straight. A characteristic feature of this face shape is high cheekbones and a very narrow, pointed chin, while the cheekbones are almost as wide as the forehead. The vertical section line of a triangular face is usually slightly longer than the horizontal line.

Square shape characteristic of persons with low, wide cheekbones and an angular chin. The length of a square face is equal to its width.

Trapezoidal defined by a wide jaw, low cheekbones and a narrow forehead. Usually on such a face, the chin is angular and wide, and the cheekbones are much wider than the forehead.

diamond shape the face is given a proportionally narrow forehead and chin, the latter usually pointed. The high cheekbones are the widest part of the diamond-shaped face, and its horizontal section is much smaller than the vertical one.

Correct facial structure

The correct construction when drawing a portrait is based on measuring the facial features of the model and the distance between them. Each portrait is individual, just as no two faces are exactly the same, with the exception of twins. The formulas for calculating proportions give only basic tips, following which you can make the drawing process much easier.

To create your own characters or draw faces from memory, it is extremely important to know the correct rendering of proportions. It is important to remember here that the shape of the head is much more complicated than an inverted egg or an oval, and therefore it is worth following the rules to avoid eyes on the forehead or a mouth that is too small.

face outline

First, draw a circle - this will be the widest part of the skull. As you know, the main features of the face take place under the circle. To roughly determine their place, we divide the circle in half vertically and continue the line down so that the lower outline of the circle divides it exactly in half. The bottom of the line will be the chin. From the sides of the circle to the "chin" you need to draw lines that will become the preliminary outlines of the cheekbones and cheeks.

If the portrait is drawn from the model's face or from memory, then you can correct the shape with a few light lines, determine the approximate width of the chin and the hairline. It is worth noting that the hair in the portrait will occupy some part of the circle that was drawn at the very beginning.

Eyes and eyebrows

Draw a horizontal line at the base of the circle, perpendicular to the first. The eyes are on this line. It is on it, not higher, no matter how much you want! The horizontal line must be divided into five equal parts - each of them is equal to the width of the eye. The central part may be slightly wider. The eyes are located on the sides of her. For further calculation of proportions, it is best to indicate where the pupils will be located.

To determine how high above the eyes the eyebrows should be, divide the circle into four equal parts, from bottom to top. Eyebrows will be located along a horizontal line passing directly above the eyes.

Nose and lips

The vertical line of the lower part of the face must be divided in half. Mark the middle where the base of the nose should be. The width of the nose is easy to determine by drawing parallel lines down from the inner corners of the eyes.

The rest - from the nose to the chin - must be divided in half again. The middle line coincides with the line of the mouth, that is, the upper lip is located directly above it, and the lower lip is located below it. The width of the mouth can be calculated by drawing parallel lines down from the middle of the pupils. The width of the chin is usually equal to the width of the nose.

Building the proportions of the human face, described above, is a simplified method and is suitable for ideal faces, which are not so many in nature.