Portrait - the image of a human face, special features. Today it is one of the most common types of drawing and painting. By following a few important rules, anyone can create a true masterpiece. This article will discuss how to draw a portrait of a man.
The choice of materials and techniques for the portrait is diverse. It can be both painting and graphics. Drawing can be done with careless strokes of paint or oil, soft technique (charcoal, sanguine, sepia), light watercolor, simple pencil or pen. Inexperienced artists are encouraged to start with pencils of different softness: this work can always be fixed with an eraser. However, trying different techniques is the best way to find your style.
First steps: how to draw a portrait of a man?
Any drawing begins with building a composition. Correct face construction is the key to a competent portrait that will delight the eye and soul. Like a woman, a portrait of a man can be depicted in different ways. The lines can be smooth and rounded, smoothing all the imperfections of the face. Or you can portray them as rigid and angular, emphasizing some characteristic features of a person.
Angle selection: everything you need to know
It is necessary to determine from what point you are looking at a person. This is called an “angle”. The easiest starting points for beginners are profile and full face. For those who are not afraid of difficulties, you can try to portray a portrait of a man half-turned to the viewer - when you see three quarters of the face. This solution looks more interesting, because it reveals both parts of the face in different ways, but such work requires knowledge of the perspective. It lies in the fact that objects that are closer are larger than those that are further from the artist.
To draw parts of the face in the correct ratio to each other, the artist must constantly analyze the process, asking himself questions and finding answers to them.
Attention to detail
When the angle is defined, easily outline the eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and hair. Do not try to draw everything at once. It is enough to make a few lines indicating the location of the parts of the face. The next stage is reconciliation with the real face of a man. It is important to note for yourself the proportions, the ratio of the nose and eyes, mouth and cheeks, etc.
Then you can start drawing details. Try to apply facial features on the paper in stages, otherwise the integrity of the picture will be lost.
It is worth paying special attention to the eyes. Their expression creates the atmosphere of the whole portrait. Sadness, joy or thoughtfulness - all this can be depicted in the eyes of a person. Do not, however, engage in overly detailed drawing if you are not sure that you are ready to work just as painstakingly with the hair and the rest of the face. Other elusive details, such as a slight curve of the lip line, an emphasis on a raised eyebrow or tousled hair, will only enhance the mood of the picture and give it realism.
Chiaroscuro, or Realistic drawing
If your goal is to draw a portrait of a man as close as possible to a real person, be sure to pay attention to the shadows and highlighting light areas on the face. Soft pencils are suitable for shadows, hard pencils for light parts.
In order not to overdo it, be sure to decide for yourself what will be the darkest in the portrait, and what will be bright, light.
When working on other parts of the face, remember these two extremes, and compare with them how dark or light the detail will be. It is not recommended to make the nostrils of a person black.
The situation is more complicated with the light parts of the face. Select the brightest places, and the rest easily shade with hard pencils. This does not add either naturalness or character to the drawing. The emphasis should be on the shadow of the nose, eyebrows and lines of the face: chin, cheekbones, etc.
Following these tips, you can learn to draw a portrait with a pencil (of a man) in stages.