Drawing People Accurately

Drawing People Accurately

Most people who draw are fairly comfortable drawing animals, landscapes, cars, etc. But when it comes to drawing people, they worry about capturing the likeness of the person.

It's true that when you are drawing a person, whether famous or just a friend or family member, that eveything must be extremely accurate if you are to create a realistic likeness of that person.

If you are drawing a pencil portrait of your Mother and you accidentally make her look 40 pounds heavier, not only won't it look like your Mom, but you're liable to get clobbered when she see's it.

Not only do you have to capture the likeness of the person, but also their expression. Are they smiling (are their teeth showing), are they happy, sad, etc. Add to that the glasses they are wearing or the hat they have on.

The eyes are possibly the most important part of your drawing. They have a lot to do with the expression.

That's were using the grid technique can be priceless. Using the grid is not cheating. Is a carpenter cheating when he uses a tape measure? Of course not. The grid is just another tool. It will make sure that you have the proper proportion.

The nice thing about the grid is that it will train you to draw correct proportion. Depending on artistic talent level, it may take some longer to wean themselves off the grid than others. Some may never get away from using the grid. But so what.

Name one other profession, hobby or any other thing people do that they wouldn't make good use of every tool they can to be better at what they do.

Once you have the proportion right, it's time to start adding the details and shading.

When drawing people, it is important to "draw what you see". One wrong, little angle of the eye or mouth can change the look of the entire face.

Drawing people might take a little longer to master than say dogs. After all, a german shepherd is a german shepherd (for the most part). But each person is different.

Use the grid and learn to draw what you see. If something doesn't look right, study your lines. Refer to the original photo you are using for reference. Make sure each and every line of the eyes, nose and mouth are at the proper angle.

Drawing realistic people portraits in pencil is one of the most rewarding kinds of drawing you can do. Don't be intimidated. The more you draw people the easier it will be to "draw what you see".