Art of Drawing People

Simple techniques for drawing figures, portraits, and poses

Debra Kauffman Yaun, William F. Powell, Diane Cardaci, Walter Foster

• Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781633227958
• eBook ISBN: 9781633227965
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

Learn to draw one of art's most interesting and challenging subjects. Packed with practical advice, helpful tips, and fundamental drawing techniques, The Art of Drawing People explores how to capture detailed poses and likenesses in graphite pencil.

With step-by-step instruction from a variety of artists, you’ll find plenty of helpful tips on choosing the right tools and materials, fundamental drawing techniques, developing value and shading, and setting up an effective composition, as well as important information about the influences of anatomy, bone structure, and musculature. Detailed examples of facial features, hands, and feet will help guide you through the most challenging aspects of drawing people.

Whether drawing from life or from photographs, this comprehensive drawing guide is the perfect first step for beginning artists. Follow along, step by step, as professional artists reveal their drawing secrets. With practice, you’ll soon be able to capture amazing likenesses in your own pencil drawings. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

REALISTIC
PORTRAITS

ADULT FACIAL PROPORTIONS

Understanding the basic rules of human proportions (meaning the comparative sizes and placement of parts to one another) is imperative for accurately drawing the human face. Understanding proper proportions will help you determine the correct size and placement of each facial feature, as well as how to modify them to fit the unique, individual characteristics of your subject.

Establishing Guidelines Visualize the head as a ball that has been flattened on the sides. The ball is divided in half horizontally and vertically, and the face is divided horizontally into three equal parts: the hairline, the brow line, and the line for the nose. Use these guidelines to determine the correct placement and spacing of adult facial features.

Placing the Features The eyes lie between the horizontal centerline and the brow line. The bottom of the nose is halfway between the brow line and the bottom of the chin. The bottom lip is halfway between the bottom of the nose and the chin, and the ears extend from the brow line to the bottom of the nose.

Looking Up When the head is tilted back, the horizontal guidelines curve with the shape of the face. Note the way the features change when the head tilts back: The ears appear a little lower on the head, and more of the whites of the eyes are visible.

Looking Down When the head is tilted forward, the eyes appear closed, and much more of the top of the head is visible. The ears appear higher, almost lining up with the hairline and following the curve of the horizontal guideline.

Exploring Other Views

Beginning artists often study profile views first, as this angle tends to simplify the drawing process. For example, in a profile view, you don’t have to worry about aligning symmetrical features. But the rules of proportion still apply when drawing profile views, as well as the more complex three-quarter views.

Simplifying the Profile To draw an adult head in profile, start by blocking in the cranial mass with a large circle. Add two curved lines that meet at a point to establish the face and chin. Place the ear just behind the vertical centerline.

Placing the Features Use the large cranial circle as a guideline for placing the features. The nose, lips, and chin fall outside the circle, whereas the eyes and ear remain inside. The slanted, broken lines indicate the parallel slant of the nose and ear.

Drawing a Three-Quarter View In...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Getting Started
• Basic Heads & Faces
• Realistic Portraits
• Drawing the Body
• Drawing Children
• About the Authors
• Copyright