How to Draw Like an Artist: Creating a Portrait Sketch

Sketch is the foundation of all paintings and the foundation of all kinds of plastic arts. All painting techniques are inseparable from it. Practice drawing can help you improve your observation, modeling and performance skills.

The types of sketches include: sketch geometry, sketch still life, sketch avatar, sketch bust; from the theme of the painting can be divided into: characters, landscapes, animals, architecture, etc., sketch characters also include: avatar sketch, bust sketch, the human body and so on. Today, we mainly talk about the painting steps and painting tips of the portrait sketch.

Steps of portrait sketching

1. Set up the composition

First make up the picture. Make the objects on the screen hierarchical, the composition is balanced and change, avoiding the disadvantages of scattered, chaotic, empty, and stuffed.

2. Draw a body structure

Use a long straight line to draw the shape of the object, and the invisible part of the object should also be drawn gently, requiring the shape, proportion, and structural relationship of the object to be accurate. Then draw various light and dark levels, such as highlights, middle colors, dark parts, and the shape position of the projection.

3. In-depth shaping

Through the depiction of the body's light and dark, from the whole to the local, from large to small, gradually deepen the sense of volume of the object. We carefully plan the main and critical details.

4. Adjustment and completion

When we dig deeper, it is inevitable to ignore the relationship between the whole and the part. At this time, it should be fully adjusted, mainly referring to the structure of the body, including color, texture, space, primary and secondary, etc. Sketch painting needs to be clear and prominent.

Scientific and rigorous method steps not only ensure the smooth operation of portrait sketching, but also cultivate our overall observation ability and depiction ability.

Sketch tips

1.Start with a light sketch

Start with a light outline. Everyone thinks they know the proportions of a face, but when you really study the human face, its easy to realize that the eyes are not near the top of the head, they are more about half-way between the crown of the head and your chin. Get the major features first, lightly, to create a foundation so you can add in your details later.

2. Add shadows and smudge them.

To make your sketch look professionally done, add shadows. To create realistic shadow effects, use a smudging tool or your finger to draw out the shadows. This will blend the medium you use whether it is graphite, charcoal, or pastel and your shadows will end up lighter and easier to clean up in case you make a mistake.

3. Do your hairline after you outline.

Start with the head and work out the proper length. Fill in with thick lines, then add shadowing and highlights as you go along.Make the painting more natural.

4. Make reasonable use of various sketching tools to make painting more professional and refined, such as paint palette, paint brush, stretched canvas, graphite pencil, drawing paper, sketching pencil, realistic portraits, portrait sketch, etc.

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