U-03 ADVANCED: FACE AND FIGURES potx

SETTING UP PROPORTIONS AND VALUES: My primary goal is to render a rough sketch of the overall proportions, and establish a small section of the drawing with a full range of values from

Brenda Hoddinott

U-03 ADVANCED: FACE AND FIGURES

This article explores the process of modifying a photo,

choosing different shading techniques for the various

textures, and using graduations to fade the lower

section of a head and shoulders portrait from the

shading into the nothingness of the paper

This article is divided into the following six sections:

PLANNING THE PROJECT: This section discusses the proposed modifications to my

reference photo

SETTING UP PROPORTIONS AND VALUES: My primary goal is to render a rough

sketch of the overall proportions, and establish a small section of the drawing with a full range of values from very light to the darkest dark

CREATE TEXTURES WITH SHADING: I work on various components of the drawing

to establish diverse textures appropriate for each

COMPLETING THE HAT: I work from the top of the drawing downward to complete

each section of the drawing, beginning with the hat

DRAWING HER HAIR AND EAR: I use a full range of values to render her ear and the

hair below the brim of the hat

CREATING THE FORMS OF THE FACE AND FEATURES: I use 2H, HB, and 2B

pencils to add mostly light and middle values to the face, nose, lips, and mouth

ADDING THE FINAL DETAILS: I use 2H and HB pencils to graduate light values

downward and outward from the neck

You will find no step-by-step directions in this article Rather, find yourself a comfy seat and read, until you get to the very end that is; at this point, you receive a drawing challenge! ☺

13 PAGES – 33 ILLUSTRATIONS

Recommended for artists with advanced drawing skills, as well as home

schooling, academic and recreational fine art educators

Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada – January, 2007

PLANNING THE PROJECT

This section discusses proposed modifications to the

reference photo If you decide to work along with me,

but from your own photo, make sure you choose a

large one with clear and in focus facial features

Figure 01: The adorable little Miss Claire

This photo was taken of my beautiful 18-month-old

niece, Claire by my sister-in-law, Francine

I prefer to make modifications to a photo in the

planning stages, before I actually start to draw

After playing with the photo for a few minutes, I

decide that the composition is more expressive and

aesthetically pleasing with her head tilted more

toward the left

Figure 02: Claire’s facial expression is enhanced by simply

tilting the photo

After experimenting with compositional options by placing

a viewfinder frame on my photo, I finally decide to go with

a portrait format rather than a landscape

At this point, I like everything about the composition except

the angle of the neck and shoulders I decide to draw the neck

and shoulders from the original (not the tilted) photo

Figure 03: A vertical (also called portrait) format is chosen

I used Photoshop to copy and paste the neck and shoulders from the first photo Photoshop onto the tilted photo I added a stronger shadow behind her neck and shoulder to better see the outline After a few touches with the eraser and rubber stamp tools, I have my final composition

Finally, I auto adjust

the colors, and then

change the file to

grayscale, so as to

better see the values

Figure 04: The

reference photo is

modified to enhance

composition, and then

changed to grayscale

SETTING UP PROPORTIONS AND VALUES

In this part, my primary goal is to render a rough sketch of the overall proportions, and establish

a small section of the drawing with a full range of values from very light to the darkest dark My paper is more of a cream color than white, so I rendered the scans in color rather than grayscale First, I do a rough sketch, just so I know

how much space the drawing takes up on

my paper My sketch was darkened in

Photoshop so you can see the lines,

which in fact are very faint

Figure 05: Claire’s proportions are very

lightly sketched with a 2H pencil

Then, I sketch the outlines of the various

parts of the eye on the right, and the

highlight with a 2H pencil

Figure 06: An eye is neatly outlined

Shading is added to the eye Light values are rendered with a 2H pencil; middle values, such as those used for the iris, eyelashes, and upper eyelid crease, are created with an HB and 2B; and the pupil is shaded with a 6B The eyelashes are rendered by using curved hatching lines of various thicknesses and lengths Note that they appear thicker closer to the eyelids

Figures 07 and 08: An assortment of

pencils from 2H to 6B, help create a full

range of values

I plan to use squirkling for the

shading of the hat, face, and neck,

hatching for her hair, and

crosshatching for the tiny section of

the dress that is visible

When drawing young children, I

prefer to use mostly light and middle

values for their faces and features,

with the exception of the focal

points, the eyes

Figure 09: Light values identify the

forms of the face around the eye

CREATE TEXTURES WITH SHADING

I’m now ready to plan my shading strategy and get started on the really fun stuff! In this part, I work on various components of the drawing to establish diverse textures appropriate for each The hat’s bumpy texture is easily

created with loosely rendered

squirkle graduations I begin with

the top section and work my way

downward

Figures 10: Light and middle values

are added to the hat with 2H and HB

pencils

I continue the shading and outline the

embroidered flowers on the front of the hat

The hat’s texture is enhanced by adding numerous C-shapes throughout the fabric (see the close-up in Figure 12

on the next page)

Figure 11: Three flowers are outlined, and darker shading is added to the left with HB and 2B pencils.

The C-shapes are lighter in value wherever the base

shading is light Conversely, the C-shapes are more

plentiful and very dark in the darkest shadow

sections

Figure 12: The wonderful texture of the hat is created

with squirkles and tiny C-shapes

Claire’s second eye is rendered in much the same

way as the other

Figure 13: The shading for the

other eye is completed

I outline a few strands of hair and add a dark shadow on her forehead, under the brim of her hat The texture of the

eyebrows is created with short curved hatching lines Finely rendered squirkles define the facial forms around the eye

Figure 14: The visible sections of her face and hair are shaded with a full range

of values

The shadow side of her cheek and nose are shaded with HB and 2B pencils To keep her face looking soft in the shadow sections, I use mostly light and middle values; dark values are added very sparingly (Refer to Figure 15 on the next page)

The forms of her face on the left are

enhanced with dark shading

A thin section

of light shading represents the reflected light along the edge

of her face

Figure 15: A foundation of shading has identified several facial forms

Hatching lines are perfect for capturing the texture of an embroidered satin stitch

Figure 16: Directional

guidelines create a shading

map for the flowers

An HB pencil and hatching

help bring out the texture and

forms of the flowers

Figure 17:

Hatching lines provide the illusion of a hand stitched design of flowers

Crosshatching graduations work beautifully for creating the textures of numerous fabrics

Figure 18: Crosshatching and 2H and HB pencils provide texture to the shoulder section of Claire’s sundress

COMPLETING THE HAT

With all the shading techniques identified for the diverse textures, I now work from the top downward to complete each section of the drawing, beginning with the hat Squirkling combines with C-shapes for shading the hat

The hatching of the embroidered flowers provides a distinctive contrast in textures

Figure 19: The main section of the hat is complete

The brim of the hat needs to illustrate the soft folds and bends

of the fabric

The shadow sections are

darker than in the photo

My goal is to capture a

more natural lighting than

that of a flash on a

camera

Figure 20: The darkest

shadows on the hat are under

the brim on the left

Figure 21: An overview of the various values and textures used throughout the drawing

At first glance, the stitching appears rather large for the hat; however, keep in mind that the hat is on the tiny head of a baby

Figure 22: The brim of the hat on the left

is made up of mostly middle and dark

values

Figure 23: A shading map is sketched for the complex section on the right that has her ear and fine strands of hair overlapping the hat

Figure 24: Dark values are used for the shadows of the

sections of hair and hat, under the brim on the right

Figure 25: The center section of the brim is rendered with

mostly light values

The shading of the hat is completed with 2H, HB, 2B, and 4B pencils

Figure 26: A full range of values, from very light to almost black, create the illusion of a three-dimensional hat

DRAWING HER HAIR AND EAR

In this section, I use a full range of values to render her ear and the hair below the brim of the hat

Shadows on the center sections of her forehead, are not as wide or dark

as the shadows on the sides

Figure 27: The strands of hair on her forehead are lightly sketched

The ear on the right is shaded softly with 2H and

HB pencils, so as

to not take attention away from the eyes

Figure 28: Curved lines complete the hair and squirkling brings out the forms

of the ear

CREATING THE FORMS

OF THE FACE AND

FEATURES

In this section, I use 2H,

HB, and 2B pencils to add mostly light and middle values to the face, nose, lips, and mouth

Figure 29: Shading accentuates

the three-dimensional forms of the

lower sections of the face

I completely erased the outlines

around the lips and teeth before

added shading The two front

teeth are very light in value

Figure 30: A rim of light values

around her mouth, especially on the

right, accentuates the forms of the

mouth and lips

Before I continued on

to her dress and upper body, I took several breaks, coming back after each and making tiny adjustments to sections that didn’t look quite right

For example, I made the lower edge of her cheek

on the left smaller, touched up the mouth

on the left, and softened the shading of the outer corners of the eyes

Figure 31: A few touch-ups are added to the face, and shading creates the cast shadows under her chin Light values create a foundation for shading the forms of her upper body

ADDING THE FINAL DETAILS

In this section, I use 2H and HB pencils to graduate light values downward and outward from the neck Very little shading is added to her dress and upper body; rather, graduations of light values allow these sections to fade gently into the cream-colored paper

Figure 32:

Gradations of light values gently fade away into the nothingness

of the paper

Figure 33: I check over my drawing carefully, erase a few smudges, and touch

up a few small sections

of shading

CHALLENGE

One of the most common problems with beginner portraits is created when the lower section of the portrait comes to an abrupt stop, rather than graduated into the nothingness of the paper This abrupt stop often creates a visual line that takes attention away from more important aspects of the drawing

CHALLENGE: Render a head and shoulders portrait from a photograph, using the technique of

fading out the edges of the lower sections (introduced in this lesson)

Brenda Hoddinot

As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, conté crayon, and oil paints

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and

academic Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter,

the quest for knowledge also becomes enjoyable

>Brenda Hoddinott<

BIOGRAPHY

Born in St John’s, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook She developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning, and the aid of assorted “Learn to Draw” books During Brenda’s twenty-five year career as a self-educated civilian forensic artist, numerous criminal investigation departments have employed Brenda’s skills, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police departments In 1992, Brenda was honored with a commendation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a Certificate of Membership from “Forensic Artists International”

Her home-based art career included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and painting classes As supervisor of her community’s recreational art department, Brenda hired and trained teachers, and designed curriculum for several children’s art programs In 1998, Brenda chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more time to writing, drawing, painting, and developing her websites

Drawspace http://www.drawspace.com incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to curriculum development This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult Students of all ages, levels and abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach This site is respected as a resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities throughout the world

LEARN-TO-DRAW BOOKS

Drawing for Dummies: Wiley Publishing, Inc., New, York, NY, this 336 page book is

available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing People: Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book of the

Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education – Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally

You Can Draw Animals: to be published in 2007