How to Draw the Elderly
- 1). Choose an elderly subject for the drawing. Choose a position in the room that reflects a light source. Light and dark shadows on the skin make an interesting drawing. Ask the elderly subject to sit or stand in a desired position.
- 2). Take a picture of the subject with a digital camera, or use an existing photo. Drawing from photographs allows the artist to view the subject in the chosen position for an extended period of time. Remaining in an exact pose for a long time may be tiring for an elderly person and it may be difficult to recapture the same angle from a previous sitting.
Download the image to a computer or directly to a printer and print image. - 3). Choose drawing tools such as graphite pencils. Graphite pencils come in hard or soft leads with each lead type providing a different feel to a drawing. A serious beginner may want to select a range of pencils such as 2B, 4B and 6B, which provide a soft line, ideal for shading. Pencils marked H and 2H provide a hard line, ideal for fine detail.
- 4). Choose a classic cream color drawing paper in an 80 lb. weight, preferably acid-free, which protects a drawing from aging and yellowing.
- 5). Choose a 2H graphite pencil. Beginners may want to draw a bust, which includes the head, neck, shoulders and torso. Draw an outline of the head capturing the chin, jaw and bone structure.
Draw the neck, shoulders and torso, including collars and clothing. Create a vertical guide line lightly across the face to position the eyes. Create a horizontal guide line, center on the face to position the nose and mouth. Guide lines may be erased upon completion.
Note the position of the ears in the photo. Draw the ears just higher than the vertical guide line. Add the nose using the horizontal guide lines. Draw the mouth, eyes and eyebrows paying attention to proportions and placement. - 6). Create wrinkles to the face, neck and around eyes. Draw hair, paying special attention to how it flows around the ears and forehead. Select a 2B or 4B drawing pencil and begin to shade in details.
Study the original photograph for the details that have been highlighted by light. Add roundness to the face by shading around the jaw, cheekbones and under eyes. Shade the folds of clothes with a softer pencil such as 6B graphite.
Continue until the drawing is complete.
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