| Sketching in general entails 4 distinct elements: line, | | | | It is important to learn as much as you can about |
| value, texture, and shape. In the special case of | | | | anatomy. There are a lot of books available on |
| pencil portrait drawing we can refine the list of | | | | anatomy for the artist. For a portrait artist it is |
| elements to six: shape, proportion, anatomy, | | | | really important to study the anatomy of the |
| texture, value, and planes. | | | | skull, neck, and shoulders. |
| In this article we will give a detailed description of | | | | Anatomy studies unfortunately include a lot of |
| each of those pencil portrait drawing elements. | | | | Latin terms which makes it somewhat difficult to |
| (1) Form Shape or Shape - The illusion of | | | | grasp. The idea is to learn slowly and a little bit at |
| three-dimensionality in drawing and art in general | | | | a time because it can be very frustrating. |
| has been central to Western art for a long time. | | | | (4) Texture - in portrait drawing expresses the |
| The carving out of shape using line, structure, and | | | | degree of roughness or smoothness of the |
| value was vital to almost all Renaissance art. | | | | forms. The texture of a rhino skin, for example, |
| In contrast, oriental and much contemporary art | | | | is very different from that of a window pane. |
| emphasize flatness of shape although this era in | | | | There are quite a few methods and tricks to |
| contemporary art is drawing to a close. | | | | assist you with the creation of the proper |
| All shape in drawing can be reduced to 4 basic | | | | textures. Creating textures gives you the |
| 3-dimensional solids: bricks, cones, cylinders, and | | | | opportunity to be very creative and to use every |
| spheres. The correct use of these forms | | | | possible type of mark you can make with a pencil. |
| together with perspective and value leads to the | | | | In portrait drawing textures appear in places such |
| illusion of 3-dimensionality even though the drawing | | | | as hair, clothing, and skin. |
| is, in reality, located on a two-dimensional piece of | | | | (5) Value - refers to the degrees in light or dark |
| drawing paper. | | | | of the pencil marks and hatchings. Commanding |
| In portrait drawing, the arabesque of the skull, the | | | | portrait drawings use the complete palette of |
| square structure of the skull, and all components | | | | contrasting lights and darks. Beginning artists often |
| within the skull (nose, eyes, etc.) are all two- and | | | | fail to achieve this full "stretch" of value, resulting |
| 3-dimensional forms that add to the overall illusion | | | | in retiring, washed-out drawings. |
| of 3-dimensionality | | | | (6) Planes - create the sculptural sensibility of a |
| (2) Proportion - includes all sizing and placements | | | | portrait. The skull has numerous planes each with |
| of shape. Proportion refers to the idea of relative | | | | a unique direction and therefore with a different |
| length and angle size. | | | | value. |
| Proportion gives answers to these two questions: | | | | The idea is to think of the surface of the skull as |
| 1. Given a defined unit of length, how many units | | | | a collection of distinct planes with a particular |
| is a given length? | | | | direction relative to the light source. You should |
| 2. How large is this given angle? | | | | try to identify each of the planes and sketch its |
| Answering these 2 questions every time correctly | | | | correct shape and value. |
| will give a drawing with the right proportions and | | | | The correct handling of planes adds a lot to the |
| placements of all forms. | | | | likeness of your subject as well as the illusion of |
| (3) Anatomy - refers in effect to the underlying | | | | 3-dimensionality. |
| structures of bone and muscle of the skull. | | | | |