Portrait Drawing
Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853 - 1890
La Mousmé, 1888
oil on canvas, 73.3 x 60.3 cm (28
7/8 x 23 3/4 in.)
Chester Dale Collection
1963.10.151
Facial Proportions
• The blue line in the
illustration 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!
Facial Structure
• This illustration
shows the basic oval
shape of the head
(red line). The purple
shading is showing
the basic structure of
the entire head. An
egg-shape, with a
some shading
around the nose,
eyes and mouth.
• Exercise 1
Setting up Guidelines
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Here's how you align the features up
on the head:
First, the vertical magenta line divides
the face into two separate halves. Use
this to keep each side of the face
even and balanced.
The red line goes across the eye-line.
The eye-line is right in the middle—
between the top of the head and the
bottom of the chin.
Halfway between the red line (eye
line) and the bottom of the chin is the
blue line—where the bottom of the
nose is.
Then, a little less than halfway
between the nose-line and the bottom
of the chin is the mouth-line.
Also note the yellow lines that go up
and down—they line up at the corners
of the mouth, up to the pupil of the
eye
Facial Width
• The line of blue almond shapes
going across the face
represents "eye widths". Each
blue almond shape represents
the width of one of the eyes on
the face. The red lines are
there to make the division
between each eye-width more
obvious.
• You will notice that there is an
eye-width between the two
eyes. And then there is almost
another eye width between the
edge of the eyes to the outside
edge of the head. So, this
means that the face is approx.
5 eye-widths across.
Drawing the Eye
• Eyes are a very important and
evocative feature of the face!
People will notice any problems
or flaws in your drawing of the
eye, so special care needs to
be taken.
• The basic shape of the eye - an
"almond" shape. The red line
shows that there is an angle to
the shape of the eye. The top of
the eye has its widest point to
the right, the bottom of the eye
has its widest point more
towards the center, or left.
Exercise 2
Drawing the Nose
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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.
The drawing on the left 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 on the right 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.
Exercise 3
Drawing the Mouth
• Notice that the upper lip "dips
in" (and therefore usually is
darker, since it has more of a
shadow). Notice how the lower
lip comes out, which makes it
lighter (more light on it). And
notice how the corners of the
mouth have more shadow. You
will often want to make the
corners of the mouth very dark.
• 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.
• Exercise 4
Drawing Hair
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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.
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 midtone 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.
Common
Mistakes
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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 football shape here. The eye should have more of an
angular, asymmetrical almond shape.
There is no tear duct. 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. Creepylooking.
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 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? There is no
shading on the eye, eyelid, or anywhere. It makes the eye look flat.
Common
Mistakes
• DON'T draw the mouth like this! 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.
Common
Mistakes
• DON'T draw the nose like
this! The lines are too dark
and harsh on both sides
of the nose. Put less
shadow (if any) on the
side of the face that is
facing the light source.
The shading is too dark
and harsh. The nostrils
are not shaded at all - and
there should be some
shading on the nostril that
is in more shadow.
Exercise 1
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MAKING AN EGG HEAD: As a prelude to working with an actual head, we'll learn
about the relationships between light and dark by using an actual egg. Experimenting
with an egg head has an advantage at the beginning of your study of the head and
features: You can set it at any angle you choose - yet it won't move. To make an egg
head, take an egg and make a hole in each end with a pin. Hold the egg over a bowl
and blow into one end, and the inside will come out, leaving the empty shell. Rinse it
out with clean water, handling it carefully. (When you begin to use your egg as a
model to draw from, you'll find you can make it stand on end by using an empty pill
bottle or bottle cap as a base.)
EXERCISE: (1) Hold the egg upright and draw a line with a fine marker or a pencil
straight down the shell's center, top to bottom. Now draw a second line horizontally
around the egg, halfway down and at right angles to the first line. on either side of the
vertical line, draw eye ovals on the horizontal line - this is called the "eyeline".
(2) Add a second horizontal line just above the eye ovals. This will be the "eyebrow
line". Now, not quite halfway down between the eyebrow line and the very bottom of
the egg, make a mark for a nose, crossing the central vertical.
(3) Now try turning the egg a quarter turn to the right. You may need to add another
vertical line from top to bottom halfway around the side where the ear would be. (4)
Tilt the egg slightly forward and draw the eyeline halfway down at the SIDES of the
oval, but rounding downward at the center. Place the eye ovals on this curved eyeline
and add the eyebrow line following the curved eyeline.
Facial Structure
Exercise 2
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A step-by-step diagram on how to
draw 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.
Drawing the Eye
Exercise 3
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The nose, step-by-step:
First, sketch out the outline of the nose.
You don't have to draw a dark line
down both sides of the nose. Usually
one side is more shadowed than the
other.
Start to add a little shading to the side
of the nose that is in shadow, and the
bottom of the nose. Define the nostrils.
Shade the nostril that is in shadow a
little bit, but not as much as the rest of
that side of the nose. The nostril sticks
out a little bit, and gets more light on it.
Finish shading the nose. Suggest,
through gentle shading, the
"roundness" of the center (bulb) of the
nose, and the roundness of the nostrils.
Drawing the Nose
Exercise 4
• The mouth step-by-step:
• Sketch the outline of the lips.
• "Block in" the shading of the
lips, putting more shading on
the top lip, and leaving a
highlighted area in the middle of
the bottom lip, and some
highlighted areas on the upper
rim of the top lip.
• Add more shading and
rendering. Don't forget the
"ridge" around the lips, and the
shading around the mouth that
suggests its structure. Add the
darkest accents of tone to the
corners of the mouth.
• Drawing the Mouth
Vocabulary
• Render - To represent in a drawing or painting,
especially in perspective. Also, to create an interpretation
of another artist's work, perhaps in another form. Also, a
coat of plaster, cement, or concrete which is applied to
raw brick, stone, etc., or to apply such a coat.
• Portrait - A work of art that represents a specific person,
a group of people, or an animal. Portraits usually show
what a person looks like as well as revealing something
about the subject's personality. Portraits can be made of
any sculptural material or in any two-dimensional
medium. Portraiture is the field of portrait making and
portraits in general.
Webography
• http://www.portraitartist.org/face/structure.html
• http://www.nga.gov/home.htm
• http://www.artlex.com/