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Posing your model surrounded by a few props can add much interest, dimension, and appeal to a portrait and goes a long way to describing your subject. A prop can add appreciably to the composition of the portrait. Sketching a portrait with a prop, such as a hat or even ear muffs, obliges you to above all pay attention to the complete arabesque.

Quite often the starting artist will be tempted to approach a prop as a separate entity or an afterthought so that rather than complimenting and blending in a supporting role with the subject’s face, it looks artificial and overwhelms the model or is incorrectly proportioned or sketched.

In this expose you will learn the expert approach to drawing a prop entity that frames the center of interest even with a supporting entity that is bigger than the face.

First, the presence of a prop does not change the approach to drawing the pencil portrait. As with sketching any other portrait, you should use all your usual basic skills and apply them throughout the normal processes of your rendering effort.

So as always, you start with the arabesque which in the case where the head and the prop item overlap will be a “construct” which is a complete arabesque that encompasses not only the shape and proportions of the skull but also of the outline of the supporting entity where it overlaps with the skull.

In the context of the presence of a prop entity that overlaps with the skull, the construct becomes of crucial importance. It helps a lot with the maintenance of harmony. If you do not draw from the reference of a construct, the skull and the prop will appear as separate structures.

While you work through the subsequent stages of your portrait drawing (proportions, landmarks, blocking-in, stumping, etc.) you should constantly be aware of the fact that your supporting item should not overwhelm the face of your model.

The face of your subject should remain the primary focus. Your sketch should not turn into a still life of your supporting item that also happens to show a person’s face in the background.

One trick that can help you with understating of the supporting entity is to only draw the merest of details inside the supporting element. Another one is to soften the values of the supporting element but only if it this appropriate in the context of the overall intent of your sketch.

Again, we cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining the cohesion between your subject and the prop element. That is why it is significant that you render from the construct which already links the model and your prop item as one overall object. Of course, this also implies that you do the toning in a similar spirit and not overdo the lines and values that separate the model and the supporting entity.

So, in conclusion, the principal considerations when including supporting elements in your drawing are to make sure that the arabesque covers the entire contour of the head and the supporting elements.

In addition, be sure that at all times you keep in mind that the supporting elements should never become the focus of your sketch. If you stick to these guidelines, the utilize of props entities should never become a problem for you.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced sketching teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits.

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Once you have hatched the primary value masses of your portrait it is time to blend and “remove” the lights with a kneaded eraser.

A stump is a cylindrical tool tapered at the ends and generally made of rolled paper. Stumping then is to smear or blend your hatchings with a stump. The point of blending is to produce gradations and halftones and to give certain tone regions a softer look.

Blending can be done in different ways. You can utilize tissue paper or even your fingers or both. When utilizing your fingers be sure to wipe off any oily deposits with a tissue.

Stumping must be done in a painterly manner. You should literally cut out the form while keeping in mind both the structural anatomy and the changes of the planes. As you sketch name each anatomical element. This is particularly advisable when you work on complex structures such as the nose and the eyes.

In a analogous fashion you can utilize your kneaded eraser to “take out” graphite to lighten particularareas. Again, go about it in a sculpturally way. Make use of the kneaded eraser as if it is a brush.

Now and again you may want to use the concept of “closure”. Your mind has a predispostion to fill in the holes in your observations. That is, the mind has a need for “closure”. You can make judicious use of this tendency and leave particular parts of your portrait unfinished. It adds interest to your sketch as the viewer’s mind will involuntarily complete the portrait for you.

After you have done lots of blending and taking out graphite with your kneaded eraser it is time to further articulate the forms and planes by cross-hatching with a harder pencil (e.g., a 2H pencil). But, there are a number of things to look out for at this time.

Care must be taken not to make the light side of the skull too darkly or it will look like a contusion. The smile-line is also difficult. If you over-stress it you will end up with a scoff. It is best to under-stress it and let the viewer’s sense of closure finalize it for you.

An important consideration must be made when drawing from a photograph. A photo should only be reference material. That means aesthetic decisions must be made. For example:

- What type of emotional reaction are you after? When people see your portrait what manner of initial gut response do you want them to have to your drawing. Good technique is absolutely necessary. But it will count for very little if it is frosty cold and dry.

- Make choices. You should not draw every tiny facet but only the essential ones. Use your artistic judgement to make these choices.

A hard 4H pencil can be used to make the already dark areas even darker with cross-hatching.

Careful consideration must be given to the edges of the shapes in your sketch. For example, as a form turns away from the light source its tone gradually gets darker and takes on a soft edge.

A cast shadow has a hard edge. The form of a cast shadow is determined by the shape of the object throwing the shadow and the form upon which it is being thrown.

Finish the sketch by paying attention to the essential details. You also want to further tweak and balance the constructed values. Your sketch must always read as a cohesive whole even though you decide not to bring it to a complete finish.

These few easy guidelines will set you on the accurate path. Apply them correctly and soon your pencil portraits will show much improvement.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: pencil portrait tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced sketching teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits by Remi.

Tone is generally thought of as shadow. Beginners generally first draw an outline of the shadow and then fill in the shadows little by little. They usually begin with an eye and then grow out the shadows. Inevitably, the outcome is a chaos of disconnected darks and lights.

There are two different ways of viewing tone: in Western culture we see tone as shadow; in Eastern culture tone is seen as color.

Applying, or more correctly, constructing tone should be approached with a sculptural sensibility. That is, think of your sketch as a block of clay that is to be carved. Once roughly carved, you then mold the surface forms with varying intensities of tone while manipulating their edges.

A portrait drawing from life or (paper picture) begins with the striking of the construct. Two things must be correctly drawn: 1. the shape of the entire skull; and 2. the proportions.

Once the construct skull is then broken down into two parts: a large light and a big dark. No more than that. At this time, do not concern yourself with whether or not one area is darker than another. Only the large light/dark pattern counts.

Note that squinting is a good way to more clearly see the tone patterns because you are not distracted by details.

A good rule of thumb is to carve an area in two. For instance, if an observed dark area is not entirely uniform in value divide it in two and block-in the two slightly differing tones. Before long a multifaceted yet unified array of values will emerge.

From the blocking-in of the large darks you can then easily sketch the features. Over time you should try to remember the complete anatomy and “sense” the form 3-dimensionally.

You must know your anatomy to succeed in drawing portraits even at the most basic level. Learn the anatomy in bite-size portions as you sketch along. It really is the best way to learn.

A good way to draw is to toggle back and forth between line drawing and tonal sketching or hatching. Another way is to first do a entire line sketching of the subject. That is, to draw a “map” of the skull that includes all planes and scores the boundaries of the various tonal areas. As a second phase you can then hatch-in the accurate values.

While you shade be always aware of the planes of the skull and the direction of the light source.

Another skill to be acquired is the expertise to cross-hatch areas in a flat and even manner. There is nothing more off-putting than rough looking cross-hatching.

Finally, take note of a strange optical illusion called “simultaneous contrast”. It takes place when light and dark tones lie next to each other. In general, white is expansive while black is contractive. The effect is that the white area looks bigger than it is while the black area will look smaller.

In conclusion, keep the blocking-in process uncomplicated. Look for large masses first and then for the smaller ones. It is always better to work from the general to the specific. And, this point, ignore the details.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: pencil portrait course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert sketching teacher. See his work at pencil portraits.

A strange thing about drawing the profile view is that novices find it much easier than the other poses. Yet, the advanced draftsperson can find the profile quite challenging. For the advanced artist the challenge lies in the struggle to affect a 3-dimensional sculptured look.

Looking at the arabesque in the profile view note how the skull is broken down into straight lines. Using these architectonic lines suggests a firmness of form.

In the start, you should keep the forms plain. Also at this time, do not draw all the profiled features. There are 2 reasons for this:

1. It is very likely that even the most talented artist will be off, and

2. Once a line is established the logical center of your brain will consider that association as correct one. Therefore, it will look accurate to you but everyone else will see the error.

There is a superior way. You begin with drawing the construct using architectonically straight lines. The key concerns are fixing the general proportions and form properly. At a more advanced level you should also consider rhythm and flow.

Instead of straight away including the nose into the construct you should employ the facial angle, i.e., the line from the forehead to the chin that breaks at the bottom of the nose. The signpost reference for the bottom of the nose is the tiny ledge-like protrusion.

A plumb-bob is an good tool for correctly placing the bottom of the nose. A plumb-bob is a length of thread (preferably black carpet thread) that has a weight attached to it. The plumb-bob is used to check vertical alignments (when working with life models) and their relationships to that vertical line. The vertical line is called the plumb-line.

Aligning the plumb-line to the chin allows you more correctly to see the relationship of brow to chin. The brow is set back from the chin. Note that the entire area of chin and mouth is called the “muzzle”.

Having verified that the initial construct and facial angle are accurate you can now proceed with situating the facial proportions, key anatomical signposts, and the hair-line. So, at this time do not even think about drawing the complete nose. Rendering the nose at this point is a sure remedy for disaster. The angle of the nose and the creation of the tip require a high degree of precision.

Instead, begin to sketch the general light/dark pattern.
The lights are painted out using a putty eraser. The effect we are looking for is that of a ghost image. That means, above all, not to add details. Also, work from the general to the specific.

Once the general light/dark pattern is developed then the profiled features can be done. utilizing a very sharp pencil you can draw upwards from the chin to the forehead carefully observing the form. As you sketch mumble the anatomical terms of each feature that you construct. You would be amazed at how that illuminates the sketching process. Having an idea of the facial anatomy will set your portrait drawing miles ahead of those who do not.

The tip of the nose, particularly, demands anatomical reconstruction to get it correct.

A common error beginners make with the profile view is placing the eye too far forward. The eye sockets are recessed quite considerably into the head. If you drop a plumb-line from the inner corner of the eye you will observe that the eye aligns itself with the node of the mouth.

Further rendering and cross-hatching values are done with 2H and 4H pencils. Decideing how far you want to take your sketch is an aesthetic choice you have to make yourself. If you want, you can leave the portrait somewhat unfinished.

In conclusion, drawing the side view involves the same general principles that apply to any view. In this case, the arabesque is particularly critical. The critical thing to recall is not to place the actual complete features of the head too early in the process.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: portrait drawing course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced sketching teacher. See his work at pencil portraits by Remi.

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Rendering hair is dictated by several factors: the type of hair, its color, texture, amount, the arrangement and styling of the hair, the character and disposition of the sitter or the photograph, and the light effect upon the hair.

The contour of the hair is part of the overall arabesque. A correct construct is relevant to the likeness of the hair. Many beginning draftspersons start with the face and grow outwards from there. This is however a bad procedure and instills bad practices that will prove difficult to break.

In fact, the arabesque is especially important when draw a hairdo. Attempting to draw the hair working from the inside out, piece by piece, is a recipe for disaster. The hair will end up in being either too small for the head or too large.

Drawing within the construct of the hair, first put in the primary darks. These darks are best seen by squinting until a general pattern of light and dark is seen.

Next, you need to blend the graphite in a sculpturally manner following the general gesture and movement of the hair. For this you can utilize your fingers, a tissue, or a paper stump. If you utilize a paper stump be careful not to deaden the look. If you employ your fingers make sure they are dry and also wipe them constantly with a paper towel.

Then, make use of your putty eraser like a loaded paint brush to lift out the important lights. Do not be overly picky here. A more virtuoso approach creates a sense of life and rhythm into the hairdo. If you make a mistake just blend the graphite again with your fingers or stump and do it again.

Sometimes when you block-in the hair other light parts of the skull pop out. This is one rationale why drawing the head as a whole is necessary.

French braiding is a striking hairdo style, but extremely complex and hard to draw. The intent is to sketch these French braids fluidly and with motion. A balancing act is required here: the intricacy of the coiffure’s styling is best handled by first line-rendering the main locks and braids. As you map out the braids be sure to plumb and carefully size and situate each main lock and braid.

When working from a photograph there is the temptation to reproduce it down to the smallest detail. You may or may not give in to this temptation but you should always make sure that the coiffure retains its liveliness. However, in most cases, you will not need to sketch every detail.

Further block-in the darks paying attention to the bearing and gesture of the critical locks of the hair. The most difficult thing is to avoid from plunging into an region of detail. Not to do this demands mental discipline. Best is to follow a layered procedure that progressively stacks the arrangement of the hair, lock by lock.

You also should smooth the edges of the coiffure line so that it blends into the forehead and sides of the face. Hair does this naturally.

Make sure you used sharp pencils because dull pencils lead to dull, dead coiffures.

Having first mapped out and blocked-in the important locks of hair makes the rendering of the finer regions much easier, but is still labor intensive. You should be prepared to spend quite a lot of time on a coiffure.

Also, step back from the sketch to maintain an overview of the prime light/dark pattern because detailing can result in a flat mess in which the values close in on each other.

Restrain yourself from rendering bangs too early in the process. This helps ensure that the hair and flesh can be unified into a coherent sense of spirit.

Sketching hair so that it reads naturally and has a rhythmic gesture is difficult. Commonly it takes as much time and effort to render the hair as it does the face and neck. You must spend as much care in prepping the hairdo as you would for the rest of the portrait. If you draw from life be sure you do the hairdo before your model takes a rest because the hairdo will very likely have changed when the break is over. The strategy, then, is to devote a whole 20 to 30 minutes of a pose segment to the hairdo.

With these guidelines you can be certain that in time your sketched hairdos will look real and lively. Do not forget that sketching coiffure takes time so that you do not get irritated.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: pencil portrait tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced sketching teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits.

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A smile is the result of happiness. It lifts and extends the bottom of the face and the uplifted cheeks will often crease the skin just below the eyes, creating the so-called “crow’s feet.”

To recognize the makings of a smile in its numerous manifestations we must first appreciate the underlying anatomy. Below we list the three essential muscles that contribute to a smile:

The Zygomaticus Major  is the main “muscle of happiness”. This stretched out muscle starts at the front area of the Zygomatic Arch (cheek bone) and inserts into the node.

When the zygomaticus major contracts it bulges and lifts the cheek while further extending the Nasolabial Furrow or smile-line.

The Malaris lies on top of the zygomaticus major and is a long, ribbon-like deep-seated muscle. It begins at the temple and inserts into and forms the bottom half of the smile-line.

The malaris is the cheek muscle. It draws up the cheek in an outward and backwards direction making it swell and giving it the puffed cheek look.

The Buccinator quadrilateral muscle forms the “cheek pad”. It initiates on the back, inside of the jaw and inserts into the “nodes” of the mouth.

When smiling, the buccinator shrinks thus drawing at the nodes and extend the mouth.

As the mouth is widened and heaved by both the zygomaticus major and buccinator the lips are stretched and flattened. So is the chin. The philtrum is shortened and the nostrils flare to some extent.

Below are still other minor muscles that add to the smile:

The Risorius is a curious muscle because not everyone has one. Some people only have a risorius on one side of the face. Others have a large, expansive triangular shaped one.

The Risorius originates in the tissue of the Masseter (whose action is employed largely for chewing) and attaches to the node of the mouth.

The risorius subtly pulls the node backwards and up. Its effect is mainly observed in gentle smiles.

Incisivus Labii Superioris and Inferioris Superioris—The superioris does the lifting. These narrow, band-like muscles begin just above the incisor tooth area and also attach to the node.

When fully shrunk, a puckering up of the lips (a kiss) is produced.

The Levator Labii Superioris is a thin, quadrilateral muscle whose effect on the smile is to some extent limited.

However, the higher part of this muscle contributes to the volume of the cheek and the smile-line.

Over the three significant muscles goes the most complicated of all the facial muscles, the Orbicularis Oris which operates throughout a large range of movements and expressions.

During a smile the lower eyelids are also pressed upwards. This is a consequence of a secondary action where the Orbicularis Oculi (the muscle of the eye socket) shrinks.

The smile-line is deepened as it is simultaneously drawn and pushed upwards and outwards. It is best to understate the sharp fold of the nasolabial furrow otherwise the smile will deteriorate into a grimace.

As the node of the mouth is drawn out and upwards the skin is gathered into subtle vertical ridges.

The interstice of the mouth curves upward, expanding and flattening the lips while shortening the philtrum. The nostrils of the nose also broaden as they are drawn outwards.

The top portion of the nasolabial furrow is created by a slender, 3-part muscle called the Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi. This is the muscle that creates wrinkles in the nose during sniffing.

The parts of this muscle are the furrow part which inserts into the upper part of the nasolabial furrow; the alar section which inserts under and behind the wing of the nose (Alae Nasi); and the lip portion which inserts continuously into the ridge just above the top lip and to the philtrum.

When rendering the nasolabial furrow be careful not to over-do it. A subtle suggestion is all that is needed. Otherwise your lovely smile will quickly degenerate into a scowl.

With this we have detailed and discussed the most significant muscles that are involved in the smile. This should put you on the correct path for appreciating the anatomy of the smile.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: pencil portrait course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and skilled drawing teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits.

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The gestures of these key feelings are instinctual, the muscle interactions and actions are involuntary. In general, the facial muscles are fragile, finely in step and easily seen because they lie just below the skin.

The facial muscles not only convey moods and expressions they also show sympathetic characteristics. For example, when we are threading a needle we very likely pucker our lips to “aid” the thread through the eye.

All facial expressions involve the muscles and other regions of the mouth. Therefore, to grasp the facial expressions we must first comprehend the mouth which is more than just the pink lips.

The mouth part extends from the base of the nose to the Mentolabial Sulcus, i.e., the sulk-line of the chin. The mouth is a convex form and wraps around the muzzle of the face.

Sketching the mouth should always start with the expression of the Interstice, i.e., the horizontal line where the upper and lower lips come together. The lips wrap around the convex outcrop of the dental curve and the interstice roughly corresponds to the middle segment of the front, upper teeth.

Note that the Nodes in the corners of the mouth are lower than the center of the interstice, except in a smile when the facial muscles pull up the nodes.

The lips, or Labia, are composed of mucous membrane whose redness results from the blood capillaries lying just under the skin.

The upper lip consists of three forms. In the center is the Tubercle which is non-muscular and add to the ‘V’ shape of the top where it meets the base of the Philtrum. The Philtrum is the stretched, vertical trench that extends from the base of the nose to the tubercle of the upper lip.

The philtrum, which means “love drop”, is surrounded by ridges on each side. Practically every beginning artist overextends the philtrum, thus placing the mouth too low.

The other two components of the top lip are 2, horizontal stretched forms. The muscles here, however, are the observable ridges of the central vertical fibers of the Orbicularis Oris whose activity results in the puckering up of the lips. The various facial muscles attaching to the nodes of the mouth do the pushing and pulling.

The upper lip is flatter than the bottom lip. It is a downward facing plane and commonly appears darker than the lower lip. There is a tiny up-plane on the vermillion border of the upper lip that quite often catches a soft light. For most people, the upper lip tucks into the nodes.

The lower lip usually stops a little short of the nodes. The bottom lip is heavier and fuller. It consists of two stretched shapes that give it a more squared-off look than the top lip.

A little below the vermilion border of the lower lip is a raised edge that develops laterally and is more conspicuous at the corners.

The vermilion border of the bottom lip should not be sketched with a hard line, it has to be suggested more than drawn. Otherwise it will look like lipstick.

The lower lip is an up-plane and will often catch the light. Like the top lip, the ridges of the middle vertical fibers of the orbicularis oris shape the texture of the bottom lip.

The base of the mouth region is at the mentolabial. Forming at the lower edge of the lower lip’s two stretched shapes are two columnar tubes that radiate diagonally downward. These are the Pillars of the Mouth. This is a down plane and thus will lie in shadow.

With this we end the general account of the things that make the mouth and in the end the smile.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: portrait drawing course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert sketching teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits.

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Most people have the fixed idea that the head is more or less formed like an oval. Actually, the head is much rectangular than we suppose. The oval ideas is one of those simplified preconceived symbols the mind uses as a means for quick identification.

Most beginning students will usually sketch the face on paper as a flat disk or oval which it is not. Also, compared to the entire head, the face is quite small particularly in babies. Your hand can fit the whole face. Place that same hand on top of your head and you will know straight away how large your head really is.

To appreciate planes and thus obtain a sculptural sensibility in your drawing you must understand and use simple geometric shapes.

In general, the head can be framed within a rectangular box. More correctly, this rectangular box should be modified to a phalanx-like box with the face on the smallest side. The head tapers towards the front which is the face. This is the essential shape of the head in the front view.

In the profile view the skull is generally a cube. The difference is the facial angle (the “muzzle”) that slopes a bit forward at the chin. In the 7/8 profile, the cube has simply been rotated in space.

Again, it is very critical to think about the head in terms of simple geometric forms. Once you have located the big plain forms you can start locating the smaller shapes inside the big ones. Very soon that group of simple shapes becomes quite complex and starts resembling a skull.

Keeping the above in mind you can start with striking the complete arabesque which is the entire outside contour of the head, hair included. Then you break down the construct into its different sections such as the hair, ear, jaw and neck.

As you block-in the darks and think of the head as an assortment of simple geometric solids you will by now begin to see the three-dimensional result, even at this early point.

The key is to think simply and big. At this early time, do not pay attention to the minutia – they tend to mislead your sense of distance and direction.

Once the important items are established establishing the features (eyes, nose, etc.) becomes relatively easy. But, if you do not locate those elements correctly you will never be successful.

The frontal view of the portrait poses a exceptional challenge. If you are not cautious you can end up with a flat, 2-dimensional face. In this view, the plane changes are often quite subtle and hard to situate.

Be sure to note all plane changes in this frontal view and render them carefully in your drawing:

- Showing the forward tapering of the sides of the head is important to achieving a subtle 3-dimensional result in this front view.

- The front of the face lies more or less in one plane.

- The plane of the foreskull changes bearing as you move towards the top of the skull.

- The plane along the cheek has a different direction than the neighboring one along the temple.

The idea is to carefully observe the directions of all the different planes that make up the skull and take these differences into account when you draw. If you do, your drawings will possess a sculptural, three-dimensional sensibility. It is not necessary to draw out the geometry of the actual planes, but the differences in direction must be plainly rendered.

In conclusion, it is very important that you are aware of the fact that a subject’s skull consists of planes with different bearings and is not just an egg. This sculptural structure should be reflected in your drawing because it is critical to the likeness and to the illusion of three-dimensionality.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced drawing teacher. See his work at pencil portraits.

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For untutored artists the problem with seeing lies in the conflict that exists between the concrete visual reality of an item and the way the mind attempts to represent our perception of this reality on the drawing paper. This attempt invariably involves the propensity to draw our symbolic preconception instead of the actual reality.

Iconic preconceptions are part of a involuntary visual language that uses symbols to represent known objects. This lingo of icons evolved as a mechanism to help us survive as a species. These symbols aid us, for instance, to instantly recognize food sources or treacherous predators.

When we observe an unknown object, our subconscious mind instantantly tries to form a new symbol to characterize and store the item in memory. Often novice artists will more accurately draw unknown entities than familiar ones because they are not yet wedded to the new icons.

However, when they try to sketch the same object a second time, it is likely that a more symbolic picture will emerge because ready to use symbols have already been stored in the brain.

Consider, for instance, the word “head”. At once an picture comes to mind which is symbolic for the head. Unfortunately, this symbol is only a iconic picture of a head and is invariably a gross simplification of a real head. Nevertheless, there is a strong involuntary pull to draw the icon instead of what we actually see.

It is this conflict that artists must learn to overcome. This is particularly a difficulty for pencil portrait artists. When sketching a portrait the artist must resolve numerous layers of symbols to reach a realistic effect.

We now will describe a very good exercise to learn to overcome the problem of icon sketching.

We will be sketching from an upside-down photograph. This way our symbolic preconception of the head is interrupted. We will be forced to draw without our icons. The result will be a purer drawing experience unfettered by a contaminated observation.

As you draw the lines and block-in the tones you will feel quite awkward in your sketching. This is a good thing. Do not be concerned with the quality of your drawing. This is an exercise in seeing.

When practicing line and tone this way, starting artists often get better results than from the right-side up way. Trust yourself and throughout the exercise only look at your photo in the upside-down position even though it may feel quite uncomfortable.

You will learn to see and draw value as shapes and will be able to break down hard edges into short, straight lines instead of the common symbols your mind will give to the nose, the ears, etc.

Thinking of and naming perceived items will lead you down the garden path of oval shaped eyes, two circles for nostrils, a cluster of lines for hair, cauliflower ears and something that looks like the letter M sitting on a bowl for a mouth instead of what is actually there.

Artists will never be free of symbolic fixations. The schematics actually change and become more refined. It is only by constantly analyzing and abstracting form that we are able to sketch realistically.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced drawing teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits by Remi.

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