Drawing a human portrait is, no doubt, is one of the most difficult things to do for any artist as it requires ability not only to create resemblance to the model but also bring artist's soul to a portrait in order to make something more than a mere photo-like face replication but a genuine peace of art. Drawing a realistic portrait is not an easy task from the technical standpoint as well. However it can be easier if one knows some classic portrait drawing principles.
So what an artist needs for a human portrait drawing besides desire to draw and a little bit of artistic talent?
- basic drawing principles;
- basic facial proportions of a human being;
- a lot of practice.
First of all, it is recommended to get any book which discusses drawing basics, techniques and tools since there is something to learn in this field which can not be explained in a short article.
The classic facial proportions are based on geometrical parameters of a face. There are not many of them and the most important ones can be listed in this article. Knowing these proportions is quite indispensable for an artist who wants to learn how to draw realistic portraits correctly. So here they are:
- the distance between the tip of the nose and the chin = the distance between the eyebrows and the tip of the nose = the distance between the eyebrows and the hairline;
- the distance between the chin and the eyes = the distance from the eyes to the crown of the head without haircut;
- the distance between eyes = the length of an eye;
- the nose is as wide as the distance between eyes;
- the mouth is as wide as the distance between eye pupils;
- the length of ears is usually equals the distance between brows and the mouth line;
- in half face drawing the distance between the eye level and the chin is equal to the span between the outer eye corner and the outside edge of an ear.
This facial geometry is applicable to an adult model and it may be different for a child portrait proportions.
Mastering classical facial proportions is also important if you want to be a good caricature and cartoon artist as caricaturists and cartoonists deliberately distort classical proportions in order to create certain exaggeration and grotesque.
A lot of beginner realistic portrait artists fail to observe the facial geometry and make very common mistakes such as drawing too large eyes, too small nose, mouth or ears; truncated skull or too thin neck.
One of the most important things in learning to be a good realistic artist is constant practicing with the purpose of the artistic eye training. If you practice a lot, you will gradually begin to quickly notice some subtle but essential portrait features. This ability will, no doubt, help you to create wonderful realistic portraits.
