Welcome to 2014

1. Welcome to 2014 New Seats Get your sketchbook, portfolio and a pencil Portraits, perspective and mixed media project

2. Worksheet • Meet someone new at your table and partner up • Complete the worksheet on the front measuring your partner then trade places • Turn the paper over and draw your head using the correct proportions on one half. (You are NOT trying to draw YOU, just the components of your head in correct proportions.) • Draw your partners head using the correct proportions on the other half.

3. Tips to successful drawing • The meaning of pencil lead (4B, 2B, HB, 2H, 4H) • Tapered stroke • Highlight • Protecting from smudging • Blending with a brush • Sharp pencil vs dull pencil

4. Don’t do-s • DON'T draw an eye like this! So many things are wrong with it. Notice that the eyebrow is kind of close to the eye itself. Should it really be this way? Often, the eyebrow is higher up. Look at your model closely, and make sure that you get the eyebrow placed in the proper place. • The eye is too much like a fat almond shape here. The eye should have more of an angular, asymmetrical almond shape. • There is no tear duct thingie. People will notice its absence, if only subconsciously. • The thickness on the bottom lid is drawn badly. This area should be drawn with a delicate touch - if not, the eye will look uncomfortable. The hard line that goes all across the bottom lid is not flattering. The line underneath it (where the eyelashes are) just makes the whole bottom lid look ugly. • The eyelashes look too spikey, and are starting to resemble spider's legs. Creepy-looking. • The iris is not round. It has to be round! ROUND, I tell you! The pupil also is not round, and is not concentric with the iris. • Too much of the iris is showing. Usually (unless the person has had waaay too much caffeine) there is a lot more of the iris concealed underneath the top eyelid. • Also, what are those wheel-spoke lines coming out from the pupil? That's just wrong. Wrong, I tell you! • There is no shading on the eye, eyelid, or anywhere. It makes the eye look flat. • DON'T draw the mouth like this! It's horrid. Notice how the lines are too harsh all around the mouth. The lines at the corners of the mouth, the chin, and underneath the nose. Too harsh, not necessary. There should be delicate and subtle rendering around the mouth, to show the structure and expression of the mouth. • The center line (that divides the top lip from the bottom lip) is too straight - this line is usually curved in at the middle. • The shading is simplistic and does not accurately represent the structure of the mouth and lips.

5. Drawing the head-double check • First off, start by drawing an oval or egg-shape. • Draw a straight line across, at about half way down the face, to indicate where the eyes will be. Use this line to make sure you don't get the eyes crooked when you draw them in later. • Draw a line about half way between the eye line and the bottom of the chin - this will be the bottom of the nose. • Draw a line about half way between the nose line and the chin - this indicates the placement of the mouth. • Draw a line right down the center of the head, top to bottom. This is used to make sure the face is drawn symmetrically, and not lopsided. • Draw two lines to indicate the neck. • Make sure these lines are drawing relatively faintly, so they can be erased later. But don't make them so faint that you can't see them! Label and Memorize It’s on the TEST!

6. Drawing LIPS • The purple highlighted areas in the illustration above show a particular shadowed area of the upper lip. As a general rule, all of the upper lip is darker (compared to the lower lip) but the area highlighted in purple is especially darker. If you look at the original mouth drawing above, you'll see the particular shadow of this area—like the lips go "in" there especially. This is where the lips curve "in" to the inside of the mouth. This ties in especially with the "sections" of the lips, that I show in the illustration below. • Notice how there are 5 basic "sections" to the lips. Depending on how much of a "cupid's bow" the person has, you will emphasize these "sections" a little, or a lot. When you draw the mouth, be looking for these subtle (or not so subtle) "sections" to the lips. They are there!

7. Shadows to the lips • Now, the bottom lip: The highlighted area in orange shows an area of the lower lip that sometimes is a little darker, or gets a little more shadow. This is where the lower lip especially curves in. The closer to the edges of the mouth, the darker (or, in shadow) the bottom lip gets. But, remember - the bottom lip is usually lighter than the top lip because it is facing upwards, and gets more light cast upon it. • The highlighted area in green shows shows a shadowed area around the mouth that should not be forgotten. This shading indicates the structure of the face around the mouth. The mouth isn't just plopped on the face, it is a three-dimensional thing, with surrounding muscles and structure. Usually, there will be some shading (subtle, but there) at under the lower lip, and around the corners of the mouth.

8. The nose • The nose is a feature that is often overlooked by portrait artists. But it shouldn't be! If you don't get the nose quite right, the whole portrait suffers. • Above are three nose illustrations. The drawing at the top shows the simple outline of the nose. Two lines for the length of the nose, the round "ball" at the tip of the nose, and the nostrils. The nose is made of these simple shapes. • The middle illustration shows the basic outline of the nose, with some shadow and rendering starting to show. • The illustration at the bottom shows a completely rendered nose. Notice how the strong "outline" on the light side of the nose is almost gone. Notice how the outlines for the nose are now indicated more with shadow, rather than harsh lines.

9. Shadows on the nose • Also notice that there is not a lot of shadow to the lighter side of the nose, or on the bridge of the nose. It is a common newbie mistake to outline the entire contour of the nose, on both sides. This is not necessary, and usually flattens the nose, and makes the portrait look unrealistic.

10. More shadows on the nose • In the illustration above, I have highlighted three areas around the nose that require a delicate and sensitive hand when it comes to shading and rendering. They don't have to be drawn with a heavy hand, unless the subject you are drawing has REALLY heavy and deep lines on their face. Usually just a light suggestion is all that is needed. • For instance, in the illustration above: the blue area, showing the side of the nose has hardly any shading. Just a slight indication of the "ball" of the nose, and a bit of shadow up near the edge of the eye. Some portraits will have a little more shading on the highlighted side of the nose, but usually not too much. Take great care when shading the ridge of the nose. Usually the shadowed side of the nose (on the left side of this illustration) will have enough detail and shadow on it to provide the needed illusion of depth and dimension. • The "smile line" (the green line in the illustration) is also another area that should be dealt with a gentle hand. I have put just a little suggestion of the smile line in the drawing, which then tapers off and disappears. That was all that was needed in this particular picture. • Some people will have a longer and darker "smile line." But even then, you might be surprised to see how light and soft you ought to draw this line. Just take it easy. Too often I have seen artists give all their portraits "Howdy Doody" lines, when they were not needed. It ruins the look of the portrait. • Same goes for the thingie (can't remember the name) under the nose (illustrated in red). Don't overdo this. A light suggestion can go a long way. When overdone, you can make a person look like they have a runny and red nose! • The white areas around the nose (as indicated in the illustration above) also require special attention. • The areas around the bottom of the nostrils (as seen in the highlighted illustration) usually does not need to be delineated. If you outline the whole bottom of the nose (under the nostril) it will not look very flattering, and usually isn't necessary anyway. • There is a distinct area on the side of the nose (between the nostril and the beginning of the "smile line"). You don't always have to put the "smile line" right smack up against the nostril. On some people, there is this little space between the smile line and the nostril. Look for it when you are drawing around the nose. The above illustration has this little space exaggerated a bit, but not much. If you look at many people, you'll see that little space.

11. The profile of the nose • A quick overview of the nose in profile: The original drawing is on the left (click to see larger view). I had a lot of fun messing up the illustration on the right! • Notice the purple nose. (Yes, yes, exceedingly flattering, once again!) This shows how far the nose sticks out from the plane of the face. Don't be afraid to make the nose stick out. It doesn't have to be huge, but if you make it too flat, it will not look believable. There will always be variations in nose size, but I have seen too many "newbies" be timid with the nose, so this is another area to pay special attention to.

12. Basics of the EYE • Draw the outline in first. Notice that the shape of the iris is round on the sides (it is a round circle) but its top is obscured by the upper eyelid, and a little bit of the bottom of the iris is obscured by the bottom of the eyelid. • After you get the shape correct, start to draw in the light outline of the lower eyelid thickness. Draw in the pupil (which is round) and indicate where the highlight on the eye will be. • Then start to add shading and detail. Keep the indication of the lower lid light and subtle. Make a few subtle lines to indicate the eyelashes. The upper lid will cast a gentle shadow on the eyeball, so add shading to indicate the roundness of the eyeball.

13. The EYE • The blue circle above shows how the iris is round. A common newbie mistake is to not make the iris really round enough. But it is round. Just because some of the iris is obscured by the eyelids doesn't mean that it shouldn't still keep that basic round shape. • Also, notice how much of the iris is hidden by the eyelid. About one-third (sometimes more) of the upper iris is hidden under the upper lid. Sometimes a bit of the lower edge of the iris is hidden too. If you try to show almost all of the iris when you draw the eye, the person will look like they are opening their eyes really wide. Or they'll look like they've been drinking too much Pepsi and are very hyper. • A common newbie mistake is to just draw the pupil in there, but not worry if it is centered. But it HAS to be centered completely - not lopsided, or off to one side a little. Also, notice that the pupil is also very round. You must make it round, and you must make it centered inside the iris.

14. The pupil and the iris • First, I draw a darkened area (seen in purple) over the iris. The pupil is even darker, and - as always, is ROUND! • I then add a highlight, like the pale pink highlight I added above. (Or, if I am drawing in pencil or ink, I leave this area open, to allow for the highlight.) The highlight will be placed on either side of the eye, depending on where the main light source is coming from. • Lastly, as seen by the addition of the paler purple in the illustration above, I finish coloring in the iris with a paler color. • Blend these tones together, and if you like, add a suggestion of the little iris "lines" (but don't overdo that, or else the iris will look like a wagon wheel, with little spokes coming out of the pupil!). Needless to say, when you are drawing the eyes in color, replace this hideous purple color with the actual color of the eye!

15. Shading the eyeball • Another thing you must not forget to do is to shade the eyeball itself. The eyelid has some thickness. This will cast a shadow on the white of the eye, and the iris. Also, the eyeball itself is round, like a sphere. So a shadow is needed to suggest the eyeball's roundness. • The corners of the eye will also be more in shadow. Make the shadow subtle, and soft (as seen by the blue shadowing in the illustration above). • Don't forget to add this shadow, or else the eye will look flat and unrealistic. Also, when making a color portrait, remember that the white of the eye isn't really white. It is usually a very, very pale peach, or pale greyish-peach. The highlight of the eye is often the a little lighter than the whites of the eye—but it doesn't have to be a pure white either. • And I can't forget to tell you about the eyelashes! As you can see from these illustrations, you don't need to overdo eyelashes. You can make them feather out, and just "suggest" them on the lower lid. If you overdo the eyelashes, they can easily start to look really creepy. Like a tarantula landed on the eye. Just be careful, and have a light touch when adding eyelashes. In fact, I sometimes don't really draw eyelashes at all, especially on smaller sketches. I kind of give the illusion of "eyeliner," and that seems to pass as "eyelashes"!

16. The eyebrow • The hair of the eyebrow grows in different directions. Look at your own eyebrows in the mirror! • First step is to draw in the outline of the eyebrow. • Then draw a line that indicates the "brow-line." This line is often a shadow in the eyebrow. It shows where the brow "dips" in towards the eye socket. Add some shading to this brow-line shadow. • Then start shading the rest of the eyebrow. This part of the eyebrow is on the upper part of the brow-line, which is jutting out a little more. It will be a little lighter. • Then, start to darken the eyebrow, and add more details and hairs to the eyebrow.

17. Profile of the eye • First off, it's important to know that the eye from the side is pretty much a "triangle" shape. • Also notice that the eye is set in from where the eyebrow is. See the blue outlined illustration on the picture on the right. See (as highlighted by the pale orange line) that the eye is tilted at a slant. Notice the thickness of the lower eyelid (highlighted in yellow). • Another important detail is that the iris (highlighted in purple) is now an oval, and no longer a circle. This is because it is being seen from the side. Whenever the eye is seen from an angle, it'll not longer be round, but an ellipsis. As will the pupil. • Notice once again the blue outline that follows the contours of the eye in profile. See how the line "dips in" to allow for the thickness of the eyelids - both top and bottom eyelids. Also notice that the eyeball is rounded. And, see how the pupil is an almost flat disk shape, recessed in a bit inside the eye.

18. Drawing HAIR • There are three things to pay attention to when you are drawing hair: the hair strands, the tones of hair, and the structure of the head that the hair is on. • Hair is shiny - it has highlights, and dark areas. The first thing you should do when you draw hair is to lay in the shadows and highlights with a broad loose pencil stroke. Don't put in any "dark dark" tones yet, just indicate the shadows and highlights. Draw the areas of light and dark as "strips" of tone. (An illustration showing the "strips" of tone highlighted.) • Then, go in and draw in individual "hair strands" (but you don't have to draw in every hair!). Draw dark, sharp pencil strokes, to give the hair some crispness. But, still leave the highlights and mid-tone areas intact. Don't let them get too dark, or blend in too much with each other. These distinct variations of tone are what keeps the hair looking shiny. • For darker hair, you'll have more areas of "dark dark" (but still have the mid-tones and highlights). For light colored hair, you'll have very few "dark dark" tones. The darkest tone may be a medium gray. • This illustration (click to see larger version) shows a head of hair "half done." The section of hair closer to the face is completed, the area near the back of the head isn't finished yet. You can still see the "strips" of tone in the unfinished area of the hair.

19. HAIR on a ROUND head • By looking at the hair like a complete unit (instead of individual hairs) you can more effectively shade it in. When the hair is pulled back (like with this woman and her ponytail) it follows the shape of her skull. And the shading of her hair should always reflect this, if only in a subtle way. • Her ponytail should be treated like it's a cylinder - with a "stripe" of highlight going down the side. Once you get the basic shape and shading of the "cylinder," then go in and add stray hairs, waves, and so forth. But don't forget the basic simple shape that makes up the ponytail. • Since the head and the ponytail area both have a light source coming from one direction, the areas that are away from the light source (in this case, the back of the head, and the bottom of the ponytail) will have a darker shadow. Don't forget to indicate this when you are rendering hair

20. ¾’s view of head • The blue line in the illustration above shows the dimension of the head vertically, and the red lines show the dimension of the head horizontally. The head is basically an "egg shape." You can see the egg shape a little more clearly on a bald person!

21. ¾’s view structure • Another way to visualize the structure of the head it to think of it as being in a box. The head, like a box, has several distinct planes. The side, front, top, etc. The head is rounder-shaped than a box (of course) but you can still identify the planes to the head. • In the illustration above (yes, it's even weirder than previous illustrations!) I have indicated these basic planes. The side (in blue), the front (in reddish-peach) and top (in purple). Remember these planes when drawing and shading the head!

22. Faces to draw

23. Eyes to try

24. Lips to draw