The mouth is an integral part of the human face. With its help, food enters our body, with our mouth we taste, we can speak. But the mouth itself is covered with lips, the drawing of which often causes difficulties for novice artists. In this article you will find wonderful instructions on how to draw lips with a pencil. This is much simpler than it seems at first glance. Here is the frontal lip pattern. Experiment and try to paint your lips yourself in different angles. This remarkably develops the ability to see an object from different angles. But we will not go deep into theory. Let's get started.
Step 1. Let's start the sketch drawing. It must accurately reflect the shape, size and fullness of the lips, observing the proportions, and remember, we learn how to draw the lips of a person. If it’s more convenient for you, just make outlines. They are easier to correct if something does not suit you. Also, do not put too much pressure on the pencil. By the way, a pencil of medium hardness (HB) or soft (H or 2H) is best suited for sketching. Sketch a sketch so that the upper and lower lips are clearly visible. As a rule, the upper lip is smaller and more curved, while the lower lip is larger and denser. Make a few strokes on the lips to indicate where the folds will be.
Step 2. Start to slightly darken (tint) the lips. Try to have more white on the area in the middle of the lips (especially on the lower lip). This is the surface on which light is reflected. To designate such places, there is a special term - “flare”. This is the brightest spot in the picture.
Step 3. Due to the fact that there are many folds and microcracks on the lips, drawing them is quite problematic. Firstly, it is necessary to impose uneven chaotic strokes to show the structure of the lips. Secondly, you can’t tint glare. If you still hatched it, gently lighten this area with an eraser. When correcting the picture with an eraser, make uniform movements in one direction and do not rub too hard. So you do not spoil the structure of the paper, and the picture will look clean. By the way, do not worry if you paint over some creases. Just keep hatching.
Step 4. Continue to tone your lips. In order to make them seem softer, you can shade the graphite with your finger or a small soft cloth. Repeat the second and third steps until the result satisfies you. By the way, it’s better to try to separately draw lips a couple of times before “attaching” them to the face. This will help you to train, and the finish will be more attractive. That, in fact, is the whole secret of how to draw a person’s lips to make them seem more realistic.
Step 5. Add details. To make the folds more distinct, draw with a softer pencil. Also, do not make the folds too dark, it is better to make others brighter. To do this, use the eraser. Cut it diagonally to form an acute angle. So it will be more convenient for you to wash or adjust small details.
Step 6. It's time to darken the area around the mouth. As a rule, a darkened area under the lower lip (the fuller the lip, the more darkened it is). Also, the space between the lower and upper lip is much darker than the folds on the lips. In addition, the “septum” between the mouth and nose is slightly darker than the skin of the face (because of this the impression of volume is created in the figure).
Congratulations, now you know how to draw lips correctly. I wish you creative success!