Portrait Drawing Week One

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Concepts for this week:
Thumbnail sketch
Making an Envelope and Blocking in
Shape of the head
Look for gesture,
definition of views
angle and tilt,
center line,
brow line
Set the features, guides

Thumbnail Sketch, a thumbnail sketch is small first impression, about 1 ½ by 2 inches, squared off in the corner the drawing paper. Look for the main big shapes, light and darks, no details. Thumbnails are useful in any kind of drawing situation. Jot down “The first look”. Get into this good habit and it will be amazing to see how good your thumbnails are!
Drawing size, Generally a portrait drawing looks nice 7/8 of actual size. Drawing or painting small is very difficult, overbig can be freakish looking, unless you are Andy Warhol or Chuck Close!

Starting a drawing, Artists like to square off. A vertical shaped rectangle is known as portrait format and a wide rectangle is known as landscape format. The only other format is the square. Start looking at how portraits fit into the rectangle. Why would this be important? By establishing your space, you are composing within the rectangle. The outside edges are useful to gauge where things are, and for judging negative space.

Composition refers to the manner in which your subject is positioned relative to other things or edges on the page. More formally, it is the arrangement of forms and spaces within the format of the rectangle.


Project, do quick thumbnail of a dozen portraits this week to see how they are composed within a rectangle. Use newspaper, books, magazines, or go online for sources.

There are 3 ways that I like to think about drawing a portrait. They all work hand in hand.
The first is just to draw what you see, just by observation.
The second is by knowing anatomy and the structure of the head, drawing from the inside with structural knowledge.
The third way is to just draw shapes, especially shadow shapes, thinking more abstractly about, it's not an eye it's just a shape that looks like such and such.

The one thing that is certain, don't draw what you think an eye should look like, draw based on what you see. Drawing what you think something should look like, will only get you into trouble.
When in doubt, look at your subject and measure. You can measure up and down, vertically and side to side , or across the form.

Envelope Method, the envelope is constructed with 3 or 4 lines, just like the thumbnail, hitting the widest and tallest points of the pose. These are just mapping points and will help us as we look closer, measure, and block in, working towards a contour.
The Block in refers to looking at each of our envelope lines, one at a time and making better definitions. Doing this with straight lines is a little easier than working with curves at this point.
Look for correct angles. Look for a particular angle and transfer it to the page. This doesn't have to be “perfect” the first time...we are looking for approximations.
As we move forward with this process, we are creating the gesture and the contour at the same time.


Early on Establish the location of the center line to know where features will be located. This gives us a chance to see if there is a tilt, if the head is looking down, up or relatively straight on. Place the arched cross of the brow line.
What are the different position we will run across?
Frontal view, is there a tilt? Is the head looking up or down? Is the symmetry or asymmetry?
Partial ¾
3/4 View, This interesting view as special considerations of slight vanishing points, “the head as a cube”
7/8 view, not much of the far side is visible
Classic Side Profile, great view to see the shape of skull and ear location.

Let's look at a classic way to establish the shape of the head, this from Drawing the Head by Loomis:
He likens the head to a ball, with the sides cut off.


Shape the head and some helpful guidelines, Using the Allen Loomis method, we can draw a ball for the shape of the skull. (Ball above should be round) We can slice the sides for the compressed shape of the skull. Make a good, 90 degree crossing on the slice. Arch in the brow line. Come up about at a 45 degree angle for the hair line, mark it. Measure same distance down to the base of the nose, mark it, measure same distance to bottom of chin:third third, third. A Man's jaw will be angular, a Woman's jaws will be more rounded. Divide the space under the nose in thirds, Not Half, and mark location of mouth. Try several versions of this. Have the head tilt in different positions. Use the crossing of the slice area to help locate brow line.


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Project Work from photos today, Each drawing will be about 4 to 5 minutes
1.do a thumbnail
2. square off your page
3. mark in the envelope
4.start to block in one side at a time
5.establish the center line. Mark basic features.....No details!
You may want to use the envelope method depending on the pose.
Pass your photo to your neighbor. If you are working by yourself, look through magazines to find portrait photographs and time yourself.

Timed quick 5 minute poses

If time in class, let's work with a partner to draw from life, each person will model, while the other draws.

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Take Home Project, This week, look at master drawings and copy a master portrait drawing. You will learn a lot about how the artist was thinking, line quality, and composition. This exercise will improve your powers of observation. If the task seems daunting, draw upside down. You will be drawing the abstract shapes upside down, not eyes or lips.
Holbein, portrait artist of King Henry the 8th is a great artist to start with. Try this old master drawing and find more online, if you liked the experience.

Check out this artist's experience drawing old master drawings



Look online for other Holbein Drawings. Try to copy another one if you have time.
Here are drawings from our first class, starting with thumbnails, and then beginning to get the structure of the head.

Portrait Class Starting March 27th

Drawing the Portrait, starting from the beginning. This 6 week class will concentrate on rendering a convincing portrait.Each week 2 kinds of information will be presented, an art concept and a specific portrait concept. Each week will built on the previous lesson to give students confidence and skill to take on any subject, portrait or otherwise. We will work in black and white, understanding the shape of the head, setting the features, measuring, specifics of side view, 7/8, 3/4, and frontal views, lights and shadows, core shadows and reflected light. We will see where different kinds of edges come into play to define a likeness. We will look at specifics of the eyes, mouth and nose.
This class is open to artist of any level, beginners welcome!
Also open to online, long distance learners, can do weekly lessons along with our class. Cost for 6 weeks, $72
For online students, we will communicate via jpegs and gmail.
Sign up at Funk & Junk, 378 2638 or first day of class, Or, online at
anniehowelladams at gmail.com

Week 6, Creating Space in a Drawing

This lesson we are going to consider ways to create space in a drawing. This is useful for landscape drawing, but also useful in any kind of rendering, even in shallow space, like from the tip of the nose to the ear as in a portrait, or the short distance created by few items in a still life. Artists will combine several ideas, vanishing points are one of the most powerful ways to show depth, space in a drawing.
A few art terms to start.
Fore ground
Middle ground
Far ground
Look at drawings or paintings to identify these parts, even if it's a shallow depth.
It is interesting to compare Gauguin and Van Gogh’s work. Here, they painted together in Arles. Gauguin is all about the foreground, that's where he sets up the thesis to each painting. Van Gogh is all about the middle and far ground. Different ways of looking at the world.



Two paintings done side by side Gauguin and Van Gogh.
Both paintings have a sense of space. Gauguin, overlaps, changes the horizon, and diminishes size. Van Gogh, primarily uses one-point vanishing perspective. Van Gogh can get away with the lamps being the about same size, because his vanishing point is so strong. He does diminish the chairs in size. Both paintings successfully render space.



These are the tools we have to indicate space.
Perspective, one two and three point vanishing points.
Overlap
Diminishing size
Diminishing marks
Horizon Line
Ariel perspective
Color and value change
Value contrasts
Edges, hard and soft

We've thought a little bit about vanishing points already when we looked at determining angles on lesson two.
When angles converge to a single point, It's called one point perspective. Da Vinci's Last Supper is a famous examples of single point perspective.


All lines, including the arms, lead to Christ's head.
Two point perspective is something we commonly see, buildings are perfect examples.
Here's the Concept:






The Vanishing Points do not always have to be within the picture plane. Be aware of them when you are drawing, many things have a rectangular envelope, so a sense of perspective will apply. For example, think of an eggbeater or a rowboat as a rectangle and apply rules of perspective to it.

Project, try the exercise just illustrated, on a large piece of paper, draw a horizon line, 2 vanishing points and create several geometric shapes above and below the horizon line.


What's happening inside a room? We see vanishing points from inside the cube. The verticals in a room looks very vertical. We are so close to the walls, that we don't notice the third vanishing point, up. The third vanishing point is commonly seen on tall buildings or trees around here. When you can, stand at the base of a tree and look up. The third vanishing point is a little more subtle, see if you can find it just looking around, or even on a small object. On a small object, like a coffee cup, the third vanishing point will be below.






The third point can be above or below, Bird's Eye view or Worm's Eye view. Try it! Sometimes a lens on a camera will exaggerate three point perspective. If you are working from photos, you may have to compensate for this distorted view of a wide angle lens.


More convincing ways to Creating Space
Overlap is a great way to indicate space.
Diminishing size is also a way to indicate space, often artists combining overlap and diminishing size together. Diminishing size is related to perspective vanishing points. Think of a row of trees along side a road.
Diminishing Marks, less details as thing go back.


Here is a Van Gogh drawing



Project, Draw some of the corn stalks in the field above using diminishing marks.

Change in Horizon line indicates space. This is a wonderful phenomena we see here in the San Juan Islands, a change in Horizon lines, check it out next time you ride the ferry. A change in horizon can be used in a close view, like a still life, the viewer will know it's a different distance away.
Another Van Gogh drawing, simple objects with a different horizon line and overlapping.

Ariel Perspective means a couple of things. Think of the concept as “adding air” things get lighter and bluer as they recede in space. Observe the way land masses lighten up and “blue up”. Color as it relates to Ariel Perspective: yellows and reds advance. As space recedes, yellow drops out, then red drops out and we are left with blue, blue gets lighter and lighter.Blue recedes. Warmer colors advance, cool versions of the same color go back.

For painters, note, the same color and value reads as the same place in space. So if you want to create a sense of space and volume, slightly change your color and/or your value. For example, across the planes of the forehead, change color and values slightly if you want to create a convincing volume. This important rule of thumb can be applied to any situation in drawing and painting. In other words, when something changes, even it it's only slightly, change your value and/or your color, even if it's only 1 degree different. This will applies to the planes of the face, and just about everything else. Here's a stylized hard-edge drawing of the planes of the face, showing how the planes change value and would be color.

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Value contrast, High contrasts advance. 1 to 10 value contrast are forward. Useful for creating a pictorial event. 1 to 10 value contrast draws in the viewer. The farther back, the less contrast. Instead of a 1 to 10 value contrast, there might be a 4 to 7 value contrast, the farther back in space. Find a long distance view and check this out.

Last but not least, Edges
Hard edges advance, especially if you can combine with a 1 to 10 value contrast.....Good for a bold punctuation mark.
Soft edges recede, Use this knowledge when ever you want things to go back in space.
It's common to have edge issues, remember to soften your edges in the far ground.


This week's project, draw the view out your window, try several windows.
Use your viewfinder, draw the contour lines, add some shading. Voila!
I hope everyone can join us for the portrait class, starting March 27th

Week Five, More on Lights and Darks

Week Five, Continue Study of Values, Shading Light on a Sphere.



Last lesson we started to think about values, 1 to 10 values, we made a value scale as a way to talk about light and dark values. Even though we were drawing white on white, toilet paper rolls against a white wall, our drawings were anything but white. Light hitting surfaces controls everything! Shadows define shapes. We used cool natural light coming in from the window on a simple cylinder shape. In looking at values, it's a process comparing this to that. “This is two shades lighter than that.....” Early on, when I suggested it's best to develop your drawing all over simultaneously, it's because of this comparing activity. We compare one shape to the next shape. We get the values correct in relation to neighboring values. We also compare sizes and angles, how is this shape compared to this next shape over....We don't want to get too invested in a bunch of details to realize they are in the wrong spot. HOLD OFF on those details!!

Put your eyes into the soft lens of looking without seeing details.
Often with this kind of tonal drawing, lines will disappear, and that's good. A drawing becomes shape next to shape. Original contour lines acted as a guide for shapes. This is a painterly approach. Here's a developed drawing, drawn from life, where the original guiding contour lines have disappeared. The drawing is about values, shape, 3-D volumes.
The values come right up to the next shape. See cast shadow under breast defining left arm. The background wall comes right up to the right leg, defining the leg shape. There is no obvious line there. The line served it's purpose as a guide, and now is absorbed into the shape.
Project, Let's go back to our set ups from last week and try this approach.1. make a nice contour line drawing in a #2 or #3 value, a light pencil drawing. 2. Then work up values right up to edges.
Let the shapes make the edges. Now is a good time to use a gummy eraser as a
drawing/blending tool. We are going to take this week's drawing much farther, we are going to develop our drawings. For example, spent 30+ minutes with your contour, spent 30 minutes to an hour+ with your shading.
Steps:assemble and sharpen tools
set up a simple arrangement
check the lighting
look, just look, what are you seeing?
Start with a contour drawing
measure
check angles
mark in shadows, cast shadows
what's happening in the background
shade in all shadows at about a number 3 value, pattern of dark and light areas
now go into specific areas and start to compare degrees of darkness, degrees of light
compare one area to the next, "if this is a 6, then this is a 7"
work this way all over the drawing
same in the lights, "if this is a 1, then this is a 2"
be aware of soft, hard and disappearing edges
look to decide where you might want to punctuate some marks
stand back from your drawing.
Second Project Try something experimental with a value scale, like stacking up values. Here's an example:
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Erasers can be very useful for tonal drawing, especially when you need to pull off some graphite to lighten an areas. Or if you've gone too far. Eraser can work as blending tools, they can tend to darken graphite before removing graphite,if gummed up, experiment. Also a light pencil, an H or a 2H can also be a blending tool, they don't put down too much material, but can even out a passage, try it! Shading, there's no “right way”, it depends how you like to move your hand. Some people use a stump, to blend....... I prefer to see a person's individual marks. Be energetic in shading passages, Experiment!
The most important thing to remember is when you have a soft edge, like a form shadow, come across the form, there is almost no other way to make a soft edge with a pencil.
Art term, disappearing edge When two values are the same along an edge, they merge, the edge disappears. This is a way to have edge variety. I like disappearing edges and try to find them.
Hard edge
Soft edge
Disappearing edge
When you look at drawing and paintings of other artists start to notice their edges.



A note on equipment....
Some people sharpen their pencils with a razor blade to expose a lot of the lead,and have a longer working time before having to stop and sharpen again. This is a good habit, keep your drawing equipment in a little basket, pencils, razor, eraser, and sanding block for extra nice tip sharpening.
I'll demonstrate in class. Youtube clip here
Paper can be taped or clipped to a piece of foam core or a drawing board, with a few sheets of newsprint to soften the surface underneath. If its necessary to protect the drawing while working on it, a piece of glassine will do the job nicely and it's cheap at art supply stores. Try better quality drawing paper.
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Back to shading and light, Light on a Sphere.......
If light on a sphere is understood, there will be an understanding on more complex forms.
It is difficult to “make up” light, make observations from life.
Light, coming from one source, either the sun or a primary lamp, will be consistent across the drawing.

Let's look at the sphere. We see 2 kinds of shadows, form shadow on the wooden ball and a cast shadow on the table.
The form shadow starts with a soft edge. The cast shadow has both kinds of edges, sharp near the ball softening as the distance increase. The darkest shadow on the ball is the core shadow. The lower part of the ball has reflected light bouncing off the table. Always look for the dark core shadow right as lit area turns into shadow, look for the "tideline" of core shadows just at the turn.
The lit side of an object will be in the 1 to 4 value range
The shadow side of an object will be in the 7 to 10 value range.
Keep the lights light and the darks dark. Here's a synopsis of how light and shadow hits basic shapes. See the darkest core shadow just past the lit areas. Do you see anything wrong here?


How would you have drawn the cast shadows?
Week 5 Take Home Project
Try a still life at home with natural light, daylight, and the same still life, using artificial light in the evening.
Compare different light conditions, were there any differences?

Here are some examples by Mary Beth Mckenzie, paintings desaturated into black and white images to see the Value Structure.
Check out her website to see these examples in color.


Above, a pastel, below an oil both by Mary Beth McKenzie Look at her value structure in her paintings. Look at her edge control, Look for soft, hard, and disappearing edges.