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Free Guidebook to Oil Paintings

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 by www

There are several reasons why the use of edges in oil paintings is important.

Degree of Hardness - Edges can be used to express the degree of hardness or softness of objects and subjects.

Degree of Roundness - Edges can also be used to reflect the degree of roundness and sharpness of objects and subjects.

Directional Indicator - Edges can be used to lead the viewer’s eye around the painting and ultimately to the focal point or area.

This can be done in such a manner that the viewer is hardly aware of the manipulation. In the West, people’s eyes enter a painting from the left. So, here is an opportunity to design your composition on the left as an invitation to enter your painting. From there, edges and forms can be used to lead and guide the viewer further into the painting and to the focal point.

Of course, you are always free to break these sorts of rules if you have an interesting reason to do so. Also, be aware that in the East people enter a painting from the right.

In real life most edges look soft because our eyes are constantly moving. An edge will only assume its sharpness if we specifically focus on it. Therefore, it is best to keep the edges soft in general unless you want to draw attention to a certain feature as is the case with the focal area.

The other situation in which to use a sharp edge is when you want to make a certain feature appear to advance. But, in general, avoid excessive use of hard edges because they work against the creation of realism. On the other hand, a painting totally devoid of hard edges tends to look uniteresting.

Then there are also lost edges. These edges are usually applied when two neighboring shapes have the same value.

The whole thing starts with a visible edge and when this edge enters an area of equal values it becomes invisible or gets lost. Further down, the edge reappears where the value start to divers again.

The eye has a natural tendency to fill in the lost edge. The use of lost edges is artistically very powerful and should be part of your repertoire of tricks. Allowing the colors of one form to work themselves into the neighboring planes of equal value is a delightful way to loosen up a painting and make it visually dynamic.

In conclusion, there are three types of edges: the soft edge, the hard edge, and the lost edge. Most of the edges are on the soft side. Hard edges should be used sparingly with the intent of attracting attention or to advance certain features. The lost edge is usually used where values of neighboring forms become equal. They serve as a way to loosen up a painting.

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Free Advice to Drawing Backgrounds

Saturday, September 27th, 2008 by www

Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Backgrounds

Backgrounds are useful in enhancing your vision of how you want to represent your subjects. Backgrounds can soften the presentation or make it more energetic or dramatic.

However, whatever you do, make sure that the background works with the subject and not against it. Also, do not forget that the subject is the reason you starting the drawing in the first place. So, do not get caught up in your background to the point where it starts outshining your subject and diverts the attention of the viewer from your subject.

Here are a few tips on how to proceed with backgrounds so that they become a plus for your finished pencil portraits.

Values - Take a clue from the values of your subject when choosing the value scheme for your background treatment. If your subject is very light on one side, it is always a good idea to make the background in that area darker. This will introduce the necessary contrast.

It also solves the problem of white against white. For example, if your subject has white hair, it is always difficult to make it sufficiently show against the white background of your white paper. Introducing a darker background around the hair is the perfect solution.

Lost and Found - The background treatment can also be used to produce so-called “lost and found edges”. These are edges that initially show but then get lost in the surroundings to finally reappear somewhere down the line.

The disappearing act of the edge is accomplished by rendering the edge and the surroundings with the same value. For example, the edge of a sleeve could be partially lost in the background by giving the background the same value as that part of the sleeve. Lost and found effects are always interesting and involve the viewer in the process of completing the drawing.

Location - It is usually a good idea to keep the shading below the eye level of the subject you are drawing. Shading above the eye level tends to weigh down the subject and does not add to the crispness of the portrait.

Extensive Background - Sometimes your client may insist on a detailed pictorial background. First, make sure you increase the fee, because you will often spend more time on your background drawing than on the subject itself.

Second, always be aware that the subject must remain the focal point of the finished product. So, develop the facility for judging what enhances the subject and what detracts from it.

Ideally, a pictorial background should talk about your subject and give the viewer more information about your subject. A background is also very useful to create or enhance a mood. If your subject is portrayed in a certain mood, you may want to enhance that mood by adding the appropriate background.

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Find Out How to Draw Multiple Subjects

Friday, September 26th, 2008 by www

Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Multiple Subjects

When it comes to multiple subjects in one pencil portraits drawing, there are two possibilities: (1) all subjects appear in one photograph; (2) the subjects appear in different photographs. We will be concerned with the second possibility.

It will not take long before you will get a request to make one portrait out of several photographs. This can be done but you need to be aware of a number of difficulties.

Here are a few guidelines to follow when combining photographs.

Lighting - Check the light source in each of the photographs. Your portrait drawing needs a unified light source. Hopefully the light source is the same in all the photographs.

You will have to adapt the lighting in some of the pictures when you draw your composite portrait. This is a difficult but necessary challenge.

All shadows and tones have to be consistent otherwise your composite portrait will have a strange look to it. This, now, is a matter of experience and knowing how a subject looks like when lighted in a certain manner.

You may try to find a photograph or image of some other subject where the light source is located in a suitable location and deduce from that how the shadows and values are distributed.

Gaze - Try to make all your subjects gaze in the same general direction. You can do this by adjusting the location of the irises. You do not want each subject staring in a different direction because this will make them look disjointed.

Composition - When you have different photographs you have the opportunity to create your own composition. The standard overall compositional shapes are: the circle; the rectangle; the triangle, and the square. Choose one of these and arrange the subjects within it.

Size - Another problem you will encounter is that the subject in the different photographs will be portrayed in different relative sizes. One subject will be small, the other will be large.

Therefore, you will need to go through the process of reducing all subjects to the same scale.

If the subjects are of different ages, say a child and an adult, adjustments must be made in the measurements according to the known average differences of such subjects. For example, a child’s head has different average measurements than that of an adult. If you have a photograph of the two together then you can study the differences and draw accordingly.

Much more can be said about merging different photographs into one pencil portrait drawing but the above suggestions will point you in the right direction.

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Free Helpful Tips to Drawing Composition

Thursday, September 25th, 2008 by www

Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Composition

Composition refers to the manner in which your subjects are positioned relative to each other on the page. More formally, it is the arrangement of forms and spaces within the format of the page.

Balance - The main characteristic of a good composition is that it creates a feeling of balance in the viewer’s mind when looking on your pencil portraits. This balance should be present on at least two levels.

First, there is the balance of position. This means that the forms and spaces out of which the portrait is made up should be balanced relative to the vertical and the horizontal going through the center of the page.

Second, there should also be a balance with respect to value. The darks and lights should balance each other out in an overall sense. In other words, having too much black on one side or a complete lack of it is not the recommended course to take.

Experiment - Having said that, do not be afraid to experiment with the distribution of forms, spaces, and values. Sometimes an unexpected deviation from the perfect balance gives excitement and interest to a drawing.

Follow your artistic sensibility. With practice, this sensibility can be developed and soon you will acquire a natural sense for good composition and how and where to surprise the viewer.

Shapes - When considering the composition of your drawing you should think in terms of four major shapes: the triangle, the circle, the rectangle, and the square. Any of those shapes can be the point of interest of your portrait.

All other shapes should be arranged in support of that point of interest.

Focal Point - One common compositional mistake occurs when the subject matter outside of the focal point is arranged in such a manner that the viewer is led in a direction away from the center of interest. In other words, the viewer is discouraged from looking at the area the artist thought was the most interesting.

In this regard we should remember that in the West, the viewer’s eye tends to enter a drawing or a painting from the left (just as we do when we read from left to right). Therefore, a good composition often has an entry point on the left of the drawing and from there leads the viewer’s eye to the focal point.

Detail - The focal point should also be the area where you add the most detail to your portrait drawing. Areas deemed less important can be less developed and left to be finished by the viewer’s imagination.

Ideally, the personality of both the subject and the artist should be reflected in the end product.

Check Balance - Another way of assessing whether or not you have a good composition is to cover up one shape or another and see if it improves the balance or not. A good composition is such that if you remove one shape, the whole drawing is clearly thrown out of balance. If you feel that by removing a certain part of your drawing the balance improves, by all means, leave that part out.

Much more can be said about composition. Entire volumes have been written about compositional rules and processes. However, developing the idea of balance on the levels of position and value will give you a very good start.

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Free Useful Techniques to Drawing Hands

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by www

Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Hands

Drawing hands takes much practice. Hands are typically quite complex with many smooth transitions between darks and lights. Shapes overlap and need to be studied very carefully to yield acceptable realism. There are also lots of edges, crevices, and creases.

Hands are much more angular than our ingrained memorized image would suggest. Therefore, it is very easy to make the mistake of portraying the hands too chubby and rounded which leads to an unnaturally rounded.

Here are a few pointers that will give you the basic memory pack for drawing hands. I mean a set of memorized issues about drawing hands that should be in the foreground of your thinking whenever you draw hands. This is a facility you should develop with each feature of a portrait such as eyes, ears, etc.

Simplify - Generally, any kind of photographic subject will have so much detail that it becomes necessary to simplify, i.e., leaving out much detail. Of course, you must develop a facility to leave out the right details and keep the important ones. This is where your artistic sensibilities play a major role. Making the right choices makes all the difference.

Ask yourself the question: What can I eliminate in this picture while still retaining the essence of the subject? In fact, as you get more experienced you may ask yourself the question: What should I add to obtain an even more convincing rendition of the essence of the person I am portraying?

The same is true with drawing hands in pencil portraits. The hands have usually so much detail in them that you must discard the unimportant details. At first, keep your eye on the major shapes, the so-called large masses. You do not want to miss those.

Remember, at this stage, try not to think too much of how a hand is supposed to look like, just draw the shapes as they are.

Males and Females - There are many differences between male hands and female hands. On average, male hands are larger and squarer. For example, the fingers are less tapered and thicker than those of the female. The female hand is slender and the finger tips are much more tapered compared to the male fingers. The fact that females (generally!) do not have hairy hands adds to the lightness in color.

Values - First, avoid outlining the hands at all cost. Let the edges be formed by applying the correct contrast in values. Study the hand very carefully. Note where one finger overlaps another and be sure to include all the cast shadows.

Also, it is very important to render the reflected light on each finger because that is what will give the finger its roundness and three-dimensional look.

Angles and Planes - Hands are surprisingly angular, not as much rounded as we sometimes think they are. The joints and knuckles have various planes to them which need to be carefully rendered.

Blending - Keep the blending of the hands very smooth. Blend the darks into the surface they belong to. This way there is no confusion as to which surface the dark line belongs to. Again, do not forget the reflected light between the fingers. This will create the illusion of roundness of the fingers.

The hands can be used to enhance the visual impact of your pencil portrait drawing. For example, the addition of hands to a baby picture makes the whole thing much more endearing. Therefore, adding hands to a portrait is always something to consider. With this, I think you can have a good start at drawing hands. And remember, practice, practice, and practice some more. Drawing is a hands-on art, so to speak.

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Free Guide to Drawing Clothing

Monday, September 22nd, 2008 by www

Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Clothing

Drawing clothing can be quite challenging. The challenge usually centers on the drawing of the folds. There is a lot of reflected light, lots of darks, and many lights. But it is exactly this variety of values that makes the drawing of clothes very attractive but also challenging.

Here are a few tips to memorize:

Folds - There are five types of folds we must recognize when drawing clothing:

1. The column fold

2. The drape fold

3. The inert fold

4. The coil fold

5. The interlocking fold

Of course, in a typical situation, more than one of these fold types are present. Here are the definitions.

Column Fold - This type of fold is the most common and is typified by its cylindrical shape suspended or originating from one point. The value pattern is that of a cylinder which involves a hard edge followed by a parallel line of reflected light, a shadow edge and a soft edge. The column fold also shows highlights here and there depending on the location of the light source. You can find such folds frequently in scarves, curtains, and skirts.

Drape Fold - This fold comes about when a piece of fabric is suspended from two opposing points. The fabric in between the two points is long enough so that it can hang freely and form a somewhat semi-circular shape. The picture is that of a series of alternating narrow dark and light semi-circular strips that begin and end at the two points. This type of fold is often found in blouses.

Inert Fold - This type of fold occurs in a piece of fabric that is not suspended but lies on a surface without being stretched. Here, the folds can go in many different directions. However, each fold relates to its neighbors in a particular manner. You should study these patterns and render them in a consistent way although the whole thing seems at first to be a mess. You can observe this type of fold when a woman’s dress is partially resting on the surface she is seated on.

Coil Fold - A piece of fabric that is wrapped around a circular rod will invariably show this sort of fold. It has a spiral-like appearance and it can be found in sleeves and pant legs when the sleeve or pant leg is somewhat twisted around the arm or the leg.

Interlocking Fold - Fabric that is piled on a couch or is wrapped around someone’s neck will often show folds within folds or on top of each other. With this sort of fold it becomes imperative that you trace how each fold works itself into the other and apply the appropriate cast shadows.

As mentioned above, in typical pencil portraits involving fabrics, you will find combinations of these different types of folds.

You should identify the areas where the fabric is in tension and where it is not and see where the darks and lights are. In addition, there will always be hard edges and soft edges that must be rendered faithfully for your drawing to look realistic.

Finally, there is also something called: “lost and found” edge. A lost and found edge is an edge that, at first, can easily be seen, but then peters out and becomes invisible, only to reappear a little further down the line. Although the edge consists of two disconnected lines, the eye through the brain recognizes that the two disjointed line pieces belong together and form one edge.

As you can see, drawing clothes is not all that simple. But if you know that they are not so easy, you should not feel bad if, at first, your clothes drawings do not look very realistic. Sorry to say, but learning the art of drawing clothes requires much practice and careful observation.

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Understand How to Draw Hair

Sunday, September 21st, 2008 by www

Drawing hair takes quite a bit of time to make the result to look real and natural. In fact, it usually takes two to three times longer to do the hair than it does to do the rest of the portrait drawing. So, do not get frustrated and know that you will have to spend the time.

Here are some pointers to help you succeed at drawing the best hair possible.

Line Drawing - As always, the first step is to produce a line drawing that shows the overall shape of the hair and maps out some of the main value areas. At this stage, you should look at the hair as a shape and ignore all details such as strands.

Values - Next, using the map you created on your line drawing, start laying in the major values, i.e., the major darks and lights. Make sure you always follow the growth direction of the hair. Follow the flow.

Blending - At this stage, you can blend the darks out towards the lights. Then, reapply the darks and pull them into the light areas using a tortillon or a pencil (if there is not enough graphite on the paper). Work from the dark areas into the light areas. After that, use a pointed kneaded eraser as a drawing tool to pull the lights into the darks.

This process should be repeated several times until you reach the desired look of fullness.

Curls - If your subject has curls, you should treat each curl as a separate object with its own darks, lights, and highlights. At the same time, make sure that each curl fits into the overall layout of the hair. This means, for example, that a particular curl should flawlessly connect to its neighbors.

Shadows - Often the hair cast a few shadows onto the forehead. These cast shadows should always be rendered in the correct value. You will be surprised how much they contribute to the realistic appearance of the hair and the subject in general.

Forehead - When the hair falls over the forehead, it is important to apply the same forehead value to the areas of the forehead that are visibly located under the hair. If you leave these areas white, you will loose a lot of realism and it is a veru crucial thing in the pencil portraits.

Gray Hair - The illusion of gray or white hair is created through using pencil strokes sparingly and through more blending with a tortillon or a paper tissue. A soft and silky look can be created by using the kneaded eraser to lift out the appropriate.

Much more can be said about the drawing of hair. This includes such subjects as hairstyles, men’s versus women’s hair, thin hair, hair color, etc. However, the above remarks will suffice to set you on the right path. Later, you can always consult an advanced work on hair drawing.

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Free Guidelines to Drawing Eyes

Saturday, September 20th, 2008 by www

Tip on Pencil tattoo tips - The Eyes

As with all features of the human face, it is important that we do not draw the preconceived ideas we have about eyes. The eyes are the windows to a person’s soul and reflect much of the emotionality and personality of that person. Therefore, they must be drawn exactly how they are.

There is much to be said about the different parts of the eye, but here are a few guidelines that will get you started in the right direction.

Complexity - Like the ears, eyes are rather complex forms and therefore we need to be patient and spend the necessary time to draw them as realistic as we can. Here are the important parts of the eye:

- The surrounding bone structure
- The eyebrows
- The eyelids
- The eyelashes
- The eyeball
- The iris
- The pupil

Eye Structure - The eyeball sits deep inside the eye socket. The eye socket has a protruding rim at the top on which the eyebrow is situated. You can trace your finger all around the eye socket and get a good idea of its shape. It is within this rather rectangular shape that we will draw the eye.

Eyeball - The eyeball has a rather large spherical shape. In front there is a protruding egg shaped bulge where the lens is located. The eyelids are stretched over the eyeball.

For drawing purposes we are interested in that part of the eyeball that we usually refer to as “the whites” of our eyes. Now, those whites are in general not white at all but have shadows on them which, at times, can be quite dark. Remember also that the whites are part of a spherical surface. So when shading the whites, we should think of the elements of shading that are applicable to a sphere.

Eyelids - The eyelids are stretched over the eyeball. Therefore, the curvature of the eyeball gives the eyelids their shape. This is something to understand and memorize.

It is important to capture the exact shape of the eyelid lines and to recognize that they follow the curvature of the eyeball. Also, when the upper eyelid is retracted, it leaves a clearly visible crease which must also be rendered accurately.

Finally, notice the peculiar little shape in the inside corner of the eye where the upper and lower eyelids join.

Eyelashes - The eyelashes sprout from the eyelids. They grow in clumps and should be rendered that way. Spend some time observing how eyelids grow and are directed. Notice that very often the lashes on the upper eyelid are much larger than those on the lower lid. Eyelashes belonging to a particular clump are frequently entangled. The eyelashes are usually drawn at the very end.

The Iris - The iris is the circle of color in the middle of the eye. It is crucial for a good likeness that the value of the color is rendering correctly. A dark brown or a pale blue, for example, will appear very smooth and even. Green and deep blue irises, on the other hand, will have the most design and contrast in it.

The Pupil - The pupil is situated exactly in the middle of the iris. As is the case with the iris, the pupil is an exact circle (if a frontal view) and is always black.

Very often there is a circular highlight situated just where the iris and pupil meet. This highlight adds quite a bit of life to the portrait.

Eyebrows - The eyebrows play a very important part in the appearance of a person. They also have a lot to do with the expression on the person’s face. They follow the shape of the upper rim of the bone structure in which the eye is placed.

Placement - The distance between the two eyes is on average exactly equal to one eye-width. Drawing a vertical line from the inside corner of the eye down to the nose should touch the outside of the nostril. Of course, these are average values and there are individual differences.

It is important to get a good impression of the shape, angle, width, and exact location of the eyebrows. Carefully observe the direction of the hairs and how they are intertwined.

Much can still be said about drawing eyes. For example, we could talk about the differences between the eyes of men, women, and children. Or, we could talk about capturing expressions of anger, laughter, or sadness, and much more. But the above guidelines will give you a good start.

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Free Tips to Drawing Ears

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 by www

Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Ears

Drawing ears is not easy. There are many different parts to an ear. However, here is where working with a grid can help you enormously. If you work with a small grid, the problem is reduced to that of a puzzle with plenty of hints as to how the pieces fit together in your pencil portraits.

Here are some guidelines that should make the drawing of ears a cinch.

Be Forewarned - The ear has many nuanced parts to it. So be prepared to spend some time one drawing the ears of your subject. If you know this, you will not get frustrated. There are many curved surfaces and therefore there will also be many changes in values. There will be cast shadows, reflected light, highlights, halftones, and anything in between. Be patient and spend the time.

But you will find that your photograph only shows a small part of the ear and with women the ears often do not show up at all.

Shapes - Look for interlocking shapes and take note of how they fit into the overall structure of the ear. Never deal with a local shape by picture.

Shine - The ear is made of skin that is oilier than, say, cheek skin. Therefore it will be quite shiny. So, expect quite a few highlights and don’t forget to put them in because they are exactly what will make the ears look natural. Also, because of the many creases and crevices, there will be many small dark cast shadows present.

Edges - There are many edges to the ear and they need to be studied very carefully. There are soft edges and hard edges. There is also quite a bit of reflected light. The ear is off-set from the skull, so it will often cast a shadow and therefore the edge of the ear will show some reflected light. It is important to include this reflected light because that is what gives the ear a rounded three-dimensional look.

Placement - There are a few pieces of information you must memorize in relation to the “average” ear. First, the ear does not sit straight up and down along the side of the skull. The ear is angled backwards.

The top of the ear lines up with the base of the eyebrow and the bottom of the ear lines up with the bottom of the nostrils.

The length of the ear is equal to the distance between the bottom of the nostrils and the bottom of the chin.

In a side view, the ear sits halfway between the back of the head and the front of the facial plane.

Individuality - We just discussed the “average” ear. Of course, each individual will slightly deviate from this average in one or more ways.

However, when you have memorized the “average” measurements and locations and have them at the ready, it becomes easier to spot the unique features of each individual.

Some people have wrinkles on their ears. Others have lobes that merge into the jaw line while still others have long dangling lobes. So, look out for these peculiarities because they are present in every pencil portrait subject.

This should do it for the ear guidelines. The main thing with ears is to be patient. The ear is quite challenging and when completely visible takes quite a bit of time and effort to render adequately.

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Free Helpful Tips to Preparing Photograph

Saturday, September 13th, 2008 by www

Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Preparing the Photograph

Once you acquired an acceptably clear subject photograph from your customer, what do you do with it? Well, you prepare that photograph to be used as a reference for your pencil portraits drawing effort. TOf course, as you get better at pencil portrait drawing you may want to adapt the procedure to better suit your own working habits. So, here we go.

First, I scan the photograph into my computer at as high a resolution as I can muster.

Then, I bring the scanned image into a graphics computer program such as Photoshop and adjust the brightness and the contrast so it brings out the best in the subject. This is also the time to transform your color photograph (if that is what the customer gave you) into a black and white (grayscale) image.

Next, I adjust the size of the image. For that, I focus on the vertical distance from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin. The best distance to work with is between 9.5 and 10.5 inches which is about life-size.

Keeping the size of the head fixed, now I crop or expand the image to a size corresponding to my drawing paper. For example, if I am going to draw on a 14 by 17 sheet of paper, my image will be about 10 by 13 inches. At this stage I also pay attention to the composition, i.e., the layout of the final image, the relationship between the subject and its environment, and how much of the subject, other than the head, I will represent. Make sure you do not change the already established size of the head when you manipulate the overall size of the image.

You can draw a grid onto the image. I often use a grid consisting of 1 by 1 inch squares. So for a 10 by 13 inch image you will have 130 squares to work with.

Don’t worry, using a grid is an age old tradition and does not constitute “cheating”. Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Edgar Degas, to name only a few, all made use of grids. However, you should also keep on practicing without grids and draw directly from the real world where the sizes and proportions usually differ from the corresponding ones on your drawing paper. Later, when you get much better, you may want to increase the size of the squares and eventually dispense with them altogether. But, for now, we will rely on grids. They are, after all, just the ideal tool to use when drawing from photographs.

Finally, it is time to print out the manipulated image in black and white (grayscale). You are now ready to start drawing your pencil portrait. Note, that after you scanned in the original photograph you do not need it anymore. Put it away carefully so you can give it back to your customer in its pristine condition. Do not loose or misplace the original photograph.

Above all, do not burn it! With this, you are now ready to create your first pencil portrait masterpiece.

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