Information on Pencil Portrait Sketching - Sketching Children
The sketching of kids demands freshness and directness of purpose. Regrettably, there are not too many quick and ready rules. Let us just say that kids' portraits demand a keen and patient eye.
For those who intend to do professional portraiture the good news is that kids' portraits can be rewarding. There are very few artists who can capably sketch kids.
Soft lighting works best for portraits of kids. The kid could be looking towards a intense light source. This sort of light source will light up the kid's face and produce an introspective facial expression. The tone range goes from light to medium with the eyes really dark.
Addressing the facial proportions of kids in a general sense is somewhat of a waste of time. Their facial proportions change dramatically within a time span of six month.
Suffice it to say that the younger the kid is the smaller the face in relation to the skull. The eyes also appear larger although this can be misleading. A kid%u2019s nose can be a nightmare to sketch %u2013 there is nothing really to hold onto. And the mouth is very about the same width of an eye. Again, we must emphasize that these proportions are only a general rule and individual face proportions can vary. The above general rules can be utilized for comparison purposes when you do your own careful observations of a particular face.
As always, start your sketch by striking the arabesque and then correcting the height/width proportions as necessary.
After establishing the primary facial proportions (i.e., the brow, nose, mouth, etc.) block-in the major light/dark patterns. Then, stump down the graphite using your fingers or a stump. To render and re-shape the lights utilize a clean putty eraser.
Now the features are carefully placed, sized and partially rendered. There are two points to remember here:
1. Your pencils must be real sharp, and
2. At this point, you should never fully finish a feature. Draw each feature no more than 50%.
Once the features are sized and located as best you can, you can now further expand them. Do not neglect the hair and sides of the face. All should be advanced together. As you proceed to sketch you should always be on the lookout for errors in proportions and tone.
In closing, the fundamental processes utilized to sketch a kid's portrait are of course always the same. Above, we listed most of the differences in size and shape between an adult head and that of a kid. Your frame of mind when sketching a kid should be one that reflects the innocence and the softness of a kid.
For those who intend to do professional portraiture the good news is that kids' portraits can be rewarding. There are very few artists who can capably sketch kids.
Soft lighting works best for portraits of kids. The kid could be looking towards a intense light source. This sort of light source will light up the kid's face and produce an introspective facial expression. The tone range goes from light to medium with the eyes really dark.
Addressing the facial proportions of kids in a general sense is somewhat of a waste of time. Their facial proportions change dramatically within a time span of six month.
Suffice it to say that the younger the kid is the smaller the face in relation to the skull. The eyes also appear larger although this can be misleading. A kid%u2019s nose can be a nightmare to sketch %u2013 there is nothing really to hold onto. And the mouth is very about the same width of an eye. Again, we must emphasize that these proportions are only a general rule and individual face proportions can vary. The above general rules can be utilized for comparison purposes when you do your own careful observations of a particular face.
As always, start your sketch by striking the arabesque and then correcting the height/width proportions as necessary.
After establishing the primary facial proportions (i.e., the brow, nose, mouth, etc.) block-in the major light/dark patterns. Then, stump down the graphite using your fingers or a stump. To render and re-shape the lights utilize a clean putty eraser.
Now the features are carefully placed, sized and partially rendered. There are two points to remember here:
1. Your pencils must be real sharp, and
2. At this point, you should never fully finish a feature. Draw each feature no more than 50%.
Once the features are sized and located as best you can, you can now further expand them. Do not neglect the hair and sides of the face. All should be advanced together. As you proceed to sketch you should always be on the lookout for errors in proportions and tone.
In closing, the fundamental processes utilized to sketch a kid's portrait are of course always the same. Above, we listed most of the differences in size and shape between an adult head and that of a kid. Your frame of mind when sketching a kid should be one that reflects the innocence and the softness of a kid.
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