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Every good artist knows that the techniques they use can make or break their drawings. Even the picture frames you choose to put the finished product in can make or break the ultimate effect. Here is a series of tips that will help you to perfect your talent.
Draw What You Like A good artist pleases him/herself. Draw the faces you want to draw when you are practicing. If you do this, you are more likely to stick to it and perfect your talent.
Practice Portrait Drawing Everywhere Draw people wherever you see them. You'll get a lot of practice in quick sketching, since the people will be moving about and you may only have a minute or so to produce the sketch. Working from the television is a good way to do this.
Use a Mirror - Did you know that looking at your drawing in a mirror will make the flaws jump out at you? You will see where you have drawn something lopsided or not quite right. Over time, you'll start to "see" where your drawing problem areas usually occur and you can work to improve them, in general.
Upside Down If you look at your drawing upside down, you'll see all the flaws in the facial features. You can even correct them with the drawing turned upside down. This gives you an opportunity to draw more abstractly, and usually in better detail. Try it out and see the result!
Carry a Sketchbook Sometimes, you'll find the most interesting subject to draw in the most unusual place. Were you in the grocery and did you find the most perfectly balanced pumpkin? Did you want to make a sketch of it? Did you have your sketchbook handy?
What about the day you took a walk in the woods and found the most amazing tree with wonderful branches and leaves?
Did you have your sketchbook?
Were you able to capture this bit of nature?
Keep a sketchbook handy it'll prompt you to take a few minutes to draw when you find something intriguing. Whatever you put in the sketchbook may become a full-on picture later on.
Tracing is Fun, but . Yes, it is fun to trace a portrait from a photograph and then fill it in with charcoal or paint. But it's not nearly as much fun as drawing the portrait using your own eye to define it. It's quite amazing what a little bit of practice will do for you. There is a satisfaction that comes from rendering the portrait using your personal talent and your own good eye.
It's Done When.,.. - Sometimes, it's hard to know when the drawing is done. It's best to err on the side of it being "underdone" than "overdone." The best thing to do is to set the drawing aside for a few days, then look at it again. You might see that you missed something or want to add another feature. This happens because you gain your objectivity when you've stopped working on the drawing for awhile. It's a good thing to do and is just a part of the process.
Prevent smearing When you draw with graphite pencil, it's pretty easy to smear the drawing as you move your hand across the paper. If you just put a small piece of paper under your hand as a shield, you'll have less chance of ruining your work.
"Fixative" If you seal your drawing with a spray fixative, you'll also prevent it from smearing later on. Remember that once you spray the paper, you cannot do any more drawing on it.
Be Thickskinned Not everyone will like all of your portraits. That's OK. You are doing the work to have some fun and it doesn't much matter what others think. Listen to them politely, but don't take too much to heart. Your art is YOURS and you must execute it in your own way.
When Not to Draw if you don't like the subject, try not to draw it. Your distaste will show up in the drawing. People can sense when the artist wasn't loving what he or she was doing. If you are doing a portrait of someone else and aren't enjoying doing it, try to focus on one feature that excites you. Or maybe it's the context and background that excites you. Find what you like in the portrait and pay close attention to it. This will help you overcome not liking the subject.
There are thousands of tips to keep you happily drawing for years to come. With just these few, you ought to be able to move forward in joy and have some fun. I emphasize the part about having fun, because that is what portrait drawing is all about. And when you've completed the job, you can have even more fun finding just the right frame to put your portrait in.
Maybe a touch of color in the frame will bring out a feature of the portrait. Or even just making sure the mat in the picture frame matches the decor of the person's home might ensure that it gets hung on the wall. Use your skill, your sense of design, and you common sense to make your portraits the best they can be.
About the author
Stefanie Spikell is a writer and artist who excels in watercolor, mosaic and acrylicpaintings. Stefanie writes for a1paintings.com and other business and art websites.
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