Not too long ago, I wanted to try my hand at drawing a portrait of my son by copying his photograph. Naturally, I could never expect him to sit still long enough, nor could I draw fast enough to capture everything. I chose a nice close-up photo of his face and began to draw. I wouldn’t have given this delightful project a second thought without some help. I learned how to draw a realistic pencil drawing and I want to share some tips with you.
I did a little research online and found lots of tutorials. I found that you can learn the basics of drawing for free on many sites. But the free tutorials I found online were limited in what they could teach me. To some degree, it was all very mechanical. I wanted more.
When it comes to drawing a human face, for example, there are some basics such as determining the shape. Is it oval, round, square or heart shaped? Next, imagine the face divided into 4 quadrants. If you need to, draw a faint line down the center vertically and then one horizontally. This will help you get the dimensions right.
Now, here is where most people go wrong: the eyes. Contrary to what most folks may think, the eyes should be placed on the middle, horizontal line. There are a few basic eye shapes that will guide you to the most realistic portrayal: oval, round, slanted, slit. Then, place the nose directly in the middle of the eyes, about half-way down from the middle horizontal line, creating an imaginary upside down triangle between the eyes and nose.
Place a short, straight horizontal line under the nose, halfway down, for the mouth. Then add the ears, making the top of the ear line up with the eyes. There are also basic techniques for outlining a nose and a mouth, whether smiling with lips opened or closed. Keep the outer edges of the mouth in line with the center of the eyes. Realistic pencil drawing takes practice and it takes a good teacher.
Good tutorials will teach you how to add some detail to the eyes and mouth. Shading and techniques to add texture and playing with light and darkness really brings a portrait to life. Be patient. Remember, it will take some practice to get it right.
There are basic elements and methods that artists use to draw realistic faces. Once you learn some of the secrets that reputable artists use, you, too, will create realistic pencil drawings and portraits.