Portrait Drawing Week Three

Week Three

Planes of the Face
Light and Shadow
Start of Self Portrait.
Planes of the Face
Back in Lesson 6 on Creating Space, we saw this drawing:


This stylized drawing gives the idea of different planes that will show different amounts of light or different values.
There is no face that looks like this, of course, there are no straight lines on a curved surface. This drawing gets us to think about facial planes, faceted or chiseled flat planes of a particular value.
As an aside, some geometry can give a lot of vitality to a portrait. A straight line can make a curves feel curvier. It's possible to use the background to start composing in this way.

Below, Allen Loomis thinks about the planes of the face, and counts
1 2 3 ... 1 2 3 …. 1 2 3.... where ever he can,
not a bad idea!


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Here are some photos of planar heads with two light sources. What observations can we make?
Facial Planes give the portrait a sculptural three dimensional appearance. This is a way to start thinking of volume of the head.
Loomis liked to think in terms of 1,2,3. Look at the planes and think 1,2,3. Look in the mirror and see if you can find planes of your own face.




Light will hit different surfaces with varying amounts of light. This concept is an introduction to light and shadow. As we start to look more at portraits, we will begin to see light and darks, how they define each unique individual. Typically, after we identify a light source, the face will fall into patterns of light and shadow. The face however is not made up from geometric planes. There are no convenient straight lines....
Remember our axiom about when we change distance, even if only slightly, we change value, even if only one or 1/2 of a value shift. Slightly changing value will indicate a change in planes!!!!Remember our basic concept of how light hits a sphere? Remember our value scale of 1 to 10 values? The same principles apply to the face. Things to think about
Light areas.... 1 to 4 values
Shadows, …...6 to 10 values, start them off massed evenly at a #4 value
Edges.....looking for soft and hard edges.
Cast shadows and Form shadows.
After we establish a good contour, with features correctly places, with line only,
we start to think about the location of the shadows.
In the first go-around of shadows, think of big broad evenly toned shapes.
Let's go back to our side portrait from Week one, Here is a nice block-in




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From the block in (1), shadows are massed (2) into even toned areas, a middle value. A nice pattern of light and dark should emerge(3). Next step is to look into the shadow and look for the darker core shadow (4)It never hurts to measure once you have the shadows blocked in, especially if things look off. Use the new shadow shapes as new measuring points, compare the drawing to the model, with these new shapes to measure & compare.
The darker core shadow will give the portrait a sense of volume. As the curved surface continues around, still within shadow, ambient light will enter the shadow.... there may be a slight lightening. Or there may be some reflected light if a lit surface is nearby. A typical place to see reflected light is under the chin, sometimes under the nose, sometimes along a check if a hand is nearby.
Establishing the core shadow will make your portrait come alive. Once you are happy with the placement of everything, look to see where you can accentuate darker values, accents, or edges.

Shadow Shapes
Cast Shadow and Form Shadow



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Remember our mannikin from last session? Let's look at her again with strong directional light to see:
1. Form Shadow, SOFT EDGES as the form turns away from the light: Head check, chin. Nose only slightly because everything is within a tighter curved radius around the nose.
2. Cast Shadows, HARD EDGES close to the thing casting the cast shadow. Here we see cast shadows to the left of the nose, under the nose, under the lip and across the neck. What happens towards the back of the cast shadow as it gets farther away? The edge softens up! See the edge of the nose-cast shadow above the corner of the mouth. Where else does this typically occur? The Neck! A long distance cast shadow starting with a crisp hard edge, moving into a soft edge cast shadow.
3. Core Shadow, look right at the turn of the shadow by the chin, darkest core shadow.
4. Reflected Light under the chin and under the nose.
That's lot to keep track of!
Once you get it, it's the same for every portrait.

Each person has their own characteristic unique shadows. Through good observations on the contour, measuring and accurate observations on shadow shapes, you can create a likeness of any person, really!

Shadow shapes, generally start in the middle and work out to the outer limited of each shape. Keep edges soft. Crisp up your hard edges where you might need them, darken your core shadow value where you see them.

Project We are going to enter next into a long tradition for artists, the self portrait. Artists to check out for their self portraits are Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Frida Kahlo
This week we are going to use our mirrors to try self portraits. We will do 20 minute poses, you can do an envelope, blockin, and contour, blockin shadow shapes, Maybe start to look for core shadows if time. Self portraits quickly move into the world of shapes and values, it's fun!!
Set up your mirror and your drawing so it only take a very slight turn of your head to see your own portrait. Get as close a look as you would like. Practice going back into the same position each time. Look carefully, memorize, draw, compare...Take your time.
Long term Project Over the next several weeks, at home:
Take all the time you need to do an envelope, block in and contour. In fact take at least an hour + to do your contour and bring it into class next week, please no shadows yet, that will be the following week...
I would like everyone to have the experience of really digging into a portrait study and what better model than yourself!

Master drawing to copy, Nicolai Fechin!

Portrait Drawing Week Two

This week we will roll up our sleeves and look at:

Mapping Features

Review of creating an envelope,
leading to a block in. and contour

Observational drawing.

Mapping features
It's helpful to have an idealized set of proportions that can help get things started. As you proceed with your drawing, look for where the model may differ from the idealized proportions, that concept will help achieve a better likeness. A lot of conventions in setting the features work best for frontal views. Here are some things to file away in the back of your mind.
Last week we learned about Loomis method for drawing the head. Using the brow-line (eyebrow line), we measured 1/3 to the hairline, 1/3 to the bottom of the nose and 1/3 to the chin.
Find the center line of the portrait, this will show the tilt of the pose.
Crossing exactly 90 degrees to the center line is the eye line, arching around the face.
Another big standard measurement is that the eye line is halfway from the top of the head to the chin.
Sometimes it's tricky to place big important axis line correctly.Check them.
Remember the beginning of the drawing is the most important part of the drawing. Take time to set it up and check yourself by measuring.
We will want to check a few measurements at this point and see if the model fits “the ideal” or has unique individual proportions. How do we measure? Take a holistic view of the portrait and start comparing shapes, move your eyes back and forth. Find a unit of measure, hold out your pencil and measure side to side and up& down measurements.

Some specifics to file away.....
eyes are one eye width apart
the tear ducts mark the outside of the nostrils
the pupils mark the corner of the mouth
The ears will only line up with the bottom of the nose if you have a head on view, otherwise the ears change location depending on the tilt of the head.
The neck extends behind the ear and is considered part of a portrait drawing.
It's easier to measure up and down than it is side to side: Measure across the form!

Review of the Envelope
Check out this great youtube video, measuring and creating a block in!


Start with the major height and width marks,and correctly viewed angles.
Here is the initial block in of the portrait seen in lesson one:




Look for Major line ups,look for angles.
Go back, line by line, for a closer look.
Now would be a perfect time to measure, how are shapes comparing? How are distances between shapes? How does the drawing compare to the model? Is that the best line?


Take your time doing the block in. Slow down your looking and compare shapes.

Project, Let's work from our photos again and pick a head, and do an envelope, then refine to a block-in. 15 minute pose. We'll do 2 in class and practice several more at home this week.
Here is another good example of the envelope, then refining to the block in. This sets things up for an accurate final portrait hours later.



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Notes on Observational Drawing. A la Ted Seth Jacobs

Drawing is thought, it takes a lot of sustained concentration. Drawing is an active process, not an end goal. It is an accumulation of the artists knowledge, ability and state of mind.

In symbolic drawing, we draw what we think, not what we see...”I'll just draw “an eye” here....”
When we get lazy, we go to symbolic drawing. Symbolic drawing is what we think of as an eye, not what we observe. The head is a stronghold of symbolic drawing, work to keep an open mind!

In observational drawing, we have no preconceived opinions about what is there, it's all freshly seen. How does the form, the line or shape that is drawn compare to what is observed on the model?
How can the lines on the paper be more like the model? To draw with accuracy, the key is to compare. Look at the model, look at the paper. Challenge what is on the paper against the model. Is that the best line? Let the inaccurate lines show what the model does not look like and use them to make corrections.

Good drawing skills:
Observation
Memory
Constant Comparison and Correction
Measure
See Shapes
We want to train ourselves to see shapes, not nameable object, let our visual side take over, like looking thru a viewfinder.
To see shapes we look at angles, tilt, orientation, ratios of height& width, uniqueness of each shape, and spacing. We can use the negative and positive spaces for measuring.

The envelope, there is no “right way” to do an envelope, mark height &width, angles, connecting high points. Use the envelope to set the composition, and have basic lines to correct. Subdivide small areas, deal with the fewest possible problems at a time.
Shape the head first. Establish the tilt, the features will fit within that structure. The head comes out of the neck, it is part of the pose. Try to see the portrait as a whole, not isolated features. The nose comes out of the forehead, a piece of light can connect the forehead with the check.
Draw lightly in the early stages, a heavy line will grind into the paper.

Rest of Class, work again in groups of 3, let's try working towards a contour by doing the envelope and the block in. Observe, memorize, compare, correct. 10 minute poses, take your time to do your block in, no values please, just line at this point.




This week's take home Master Drawing to copy is by John Singer Sargent

Do a slow, accurate, block-in before adding any values. Go online and look at more Sargent Portraits, "Madame X" may be one painting you are familiar with. You can right click and save this image in your art file to print out.







Here are some great drawings from today's class, everyone is concentrating on making good observations, making corrections, doing the envelope and block in, to get to a great beginning.