Realistic Portrait Drawing Tutorial Part 1

Portrait Drawing Tutorial: Part 1

Blocking in the Portrait

The first half of this portrait drawing tutorial is all about drawing the
'block-in,' which can be thought of as a map or blueprint. It is a
detailed line drawing that addresses proportions, placement and
construction of the head and features, shadow shapes, and even
edge quality.

(Not sure what 'edge quality' is? Take my free video course on the 6
stages of a realistic drawing to find out!)
At the end of this page, make sure to click through to Page 2 of the
Portrait Drawing Tutorial, where I demonstrate how to shade (or
render) the drawing.
Let's get started!

:
Step one! Decide how large you want your drawing to be on your
paper.
Jot down a measurement that will indicate the height of the drawing,
as I have done here.
As always, work from 'general to specific'.
This means that you start with the largest, most general
measurements (such as the height and width), and then move to
incrementally smaller measurements until you get to the smallest,
most specific ones.
To figure out the width of the head, I measure the height with my
pencil, from the chin to the top of the head, and then compare it to
the width. Learn how to use comparative measurement in my free
:
mini-course.
I notice that the width is slightly narrower than the height, and
indicate this on my drawing.
:
I begin to map out the general shape of the head.
I draw with light, straight lines so that they are easy to erase and edit.
Visualizing the Angles of the Head

:
There aren't many truly straight lines when drawing something
organic (like a person!).
Everywhere you look, you get some degree of curvature.
However, creating the angles of the head with straight lines as

opposed to curved ones will result in a more accurate drawing later
on.
To help yourself visualize straight lines, extend your pencil in front of

you to see the angles of the head more clearly.
:
I begin to refine the contour of the head by breaking up the angles
into smaller, more specific segments.
Something I want to emphasize in this portrait drawing tutorial is to

look for lines that flow into one another.
:
For example: the hairline flows right into the line of the shadow being
cast onto the neck.
When connected, these lines create a beautiful S-curve.
The more elements you can relate to each other on the face (such as
these two lines), the more accurate and organic-looking your block-
in will be.
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Drawing the contour of the profile
As you begin drawing the contour of the profile, imagine vertical axis
lines from which you can measure certain points on the face.
:
For example: I can imagine a vertical line originating at the front of
the model's chin.
This helps me to see how far the lips, nose, and forehead extend to
the right of the line.
I can also imagine a straight vertical line at the tip of the nose.
This clearly shows me that the forehead almost reaches the line, but
not quite. The nose extends to the right ever so slightly more than
the forehead.
Now I know where to draw the forehead in relation to the nose!
You can create these imaginary axis lines anywhere, and use them in
any way that they are helpful to you.
:
How did I place the ear?
Since I have already found the approximate location of the nose, I

imagine a horizontal line through the tip of nose, and look to see how
far above this line to place the ear.
:
Refining the contour of the face
:
To refine the contour of the face, I again rely on the axis lines I used
earlier.
Remember the vertical line that I imagined at the tip of the nose?
Look at the shapes created between that line and the contour of the
face.
These are called negative shapes (or negative space). "Negative"

refers to the space where there is no form. So, naturally, the
"positive" shape would be the shape of the actual subject (the face).
Negative shapes are extremely useful in refining the contour of the

face!
How to use negative shapes:
As you draw, try to forget that you are drawing a face. Forget that
you are drawing a forehead, a nose, lips and a chin. Instead, look at
the negative spaces as abstract shapes, and draw them as such!
This slight change in perspective may not seem like much, but it
often results in a more accurate drawing.
:
I use straight lines to block in the profile of the face, just as I did
when I was blocking in the large angles of the head. Straight lines
help to clearly indicate the high points (the most protruding points,
or boundaries) on the profile.
Once I am confident in the placement of the features, I begin

constructing them anatomically. This stage of constructing the
features is a combination of what we see and what we know.
Because we often can't see the construction of the features clearly,
it's essential to have an understanding of what is there in order to
construct them accurately.
:
For example, light may wash out certain information on your model,
or hide it in shadow; you might not be sitting close enough to the
model to see enough detail, or perhaps the model has very soft
angles that hide elements of the construction of the face.
In all of these cases, it's important to have an understanding of head

and feature construction so that you can fill in these visual gaps.
View my tutorials of the features of the face listed on the portrait

drawing page to start learning about their construction.
:
Voila! Here is my completed block-in for this portrait drawing
tutorial.
I have constructed the features, drawn in the shadow shapes, and

indicated some of the differences in edge quality. I have also left
some of the flowing rhythm lines, because they remind me that every
element in my picture relates to something else, and that nothing
:
exists in isolation. If I keep this in mind as I render the portrait, I am
more likely to create an organic-feeling, unified picture.
What next?
Download an infographic of this lesson below, and don't miss the

next page of the portrait drawing tutorial, where I demonstrate how
to shade it realistically.
Happy Drawing!
Continue to Page 2 of the Portrait Drawing

Tutorial
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Download a free infographic of this portrait drawing tutorial block-
in
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If you enjoyed this portrait drawing tutorial, you might also be

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Related Pages
How to Shade a Portrait
5 Proportions of the Face to Know
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
How to Draw Realistic Lips
How to Draw an Ear on Toned Paper
Return to Portrait Drawing from Portrait Drawing Tutorial
Return to Drawing Tutorials from Portrait Drawing Tutorial
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What are the steps to block in a portrait?

What are the steps to block in a portrait?

How does the artist refine the contour of the face?

How does the artist refine the contour of the face?

Portrait Drawing Tutorial: Part 1

Blocking in the Portrait

Let's get started!

As always, work from 'general to specific'.

Visualizing the Angles of the Head

Everywhere you look, you get some degree of curvature.

However, creating the angles of the head with straight lines as

To help yourself visualize straight lines, extend your pencil in front of

Something I want to emphasize in this portrait drawing tutorial is to

When connected, these lines create a beautiful S-curve.

Drawing the contour of the profile

Now I know where to draw the forehead in relation to the nose!

Since I have already found the approximate location of the nose, I

These are called negative shapes (or negative space). "Negative"

Negative shapes are extremely useful in refining the contour of the

How to use negative shapes:

Once I am confident in the placement of the features, I begin

In all of these cases, it's important to have an understanding of head

View my tutorials of the features of the face listed on the portrait

I have constructed the features, drawn in the shadow shapes, and

Download an infographic of this lesson below, and don't miss the

Continue to Page 2 of the Portrait Drawing

Enjoyed this page? Please share it!

If you enjoyed this portrait drawing tutorial, you might also be

How to Shade a Portrait

5 Proportions of the Face to Know

How to Draw Realistic Eyes

How to Draw Realistic Lips

How to Draw an Ear on Toned Paper

Return to Portrait Drawing from Portrait Drawing Tutorial

Return to Drawing Tutorials from Portrait Drawing Tutorial

Return to the Homepage

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