Portrait drawing tutorials—lessons on drawing the features of the face, how to draw faces & portraits.

Drawing the Portrait

| Drawing Lips | Drawing the Profile | Structure & Proportions | Drawing the Nose | Drawing Eyes | Drawing Hair | Portrait Art Sketchbook | Don't do that! |


Pencil sketches. These faces were drawn from the imagination (no photo or model reference).

This section delves into each feature of the face in depth and in (sometimes excruciating!) detail. Also, information is given about the structure of the head, things to avoid, and more.

While the information in this section is helpful for any portrait artist at any experience level, some amount of drawing experience is recommended. (If you feel like you are maybe a little bit of a drawing "newbie," please check out my little "Drawing for Newbies" tutorial.)

Knowledge and understanding of the face and head are vital to the portrait artist. With practice and an understanding of proportion and structure, it is much easier to draw evocative and accurate portraits. Also, (as seen in the drawings above) with this knowledge, it is possible to draw portraits made completely from the imagination. (And—it's a lot of fun too!)

 

This book is highly (and frequently) recommended on this site."The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards shows how anyone can learn how to draw, even if they think they have no "talent." (If you are in the UK, look for this book on Amazon.co.uk.) One of my favorite art teachers was a student of Betty Edwards, and he taught her method in his class. It was a great class, and everyone saw great improvement in their work. I am firmly convinced of the effectiveness of her methods. This book is groundbreaking in its own way. Edwards teaches the student how to really "look" and "see" the subject, so they can draw more accurately. She believes that drawing is a skill that anyone can learn. When you get the book, check out the "before" and "after" examples of Edwards' students. The dramatic improvements you see will convince you that her methods do work!

 

| Drawing Lips | Drawing the Profile | Structure & Proportions | Drawing the Nose | Drawing Eyes | Drawing Hair | Portrait Art Sketchbook | Don't do that! |