Tutorial: Drawing a Face

Overview:

Drawing with pencil to paper is a basic and ancient art form every artist should practice to learn about shading, contrast, and depth, and even more importantly - you learn how to SEE.

Slowing down enough to really look at something, to pick it apart with your brain and your eyes, and return it to paper, is pretty magical, and crucial to finding your own style.

Materials:

• Bristol paper
• Graphite pencils (used in video: Staedtler 2B and 7B, Cretacolor 2B, 4B, and 9B, Feinste 2B, Faber Castell 2H and 4H, and a Papermate Clearpoint Elite .7mm Mechanical Pencil)
• Eraser (used in video: Papermate TuffStick Eraser Stick)


Transcript



Process:

• Choose a photo to loosely reference.
• Project, trace, or sketch a rough outline of the face onto surface.
• Moving left-to-right (or opposite if you're left-handed), start drawing what you see. Focus on dark and light values, shading, and crosshatching to bring the face to life.

Sketchbook Reflection:

• Would I like to draw any friends or family members? Jot their names down and find some good photos to practice from.

Resources: 

• The Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation by Frederick Franc
• The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit and Lawrence M. Elson
• Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck
• Graphite Grading Scales Explained (pencils.com)