Procedures For Pencil Portrait Sketching - The Contour

In this article we assume that you sketch directly from life or from a appropriate photo. In other words, we assume that you do not use the so-called grid method. This process relies on a grid drawn both on the photo of your subject as well as your sketching paper.

If this is the case, the first thing you will do is to produce a line-drawing. And the very first part of your line-drawing will consist of sketching the so-called arabesque.

In pencil portrait sketching, the arabesque is defined as the entire positive shape of your subject’s skull. In other words the arabesque is the outer contour of the head.

The arabesque includes the proportions, the shape, and the symmetry of the skull. This means that the arabesque expresses pretty much an overall likeness of your model and often a great deal of expressive content.

In trying to realize the arabesque we meet our first challenge as a draftsperson. That is, the test of “seeing the reality”. Indeed, when we note an object a complex mental process is initiated which in part falls short of the level of accuracy necessary to create an adequate portrait.

The mind, for good reasons (one is to sustain our sanity), instantly replace the very complex subject with the an icon it has stored since childhood. For instance, we all know how a child draws a house. It really is more like an icon of a house. But this is what the mind tends to bring up and often even grown-ups draw a house like they did as a child.

Clearly, it is these symbolic preconceptions (a left brain occurrence) that are the enemy of the draftsperson. You must teach yourself to ignore those symbols and really see what the reality of, for example, a house is.

In general, learning to sketch is about the reprogramming of the mind’s eye. To this end, there is a skill-set that has been developed over the ages since the Renaissance.

Applying this new found technique to the arabesque is particularly essential. “Striking” the arabesque is probably the most essential element in the creation of a first-rate likeness. Once you have this skill down path all the rest will follow reasonably effortlessly.

The first step in drawing a proper arabesque is to force your eyes a bit out-of-focus. This condition is called observing with a “soft eye”. With a soft eye proportions and form are more easily seen. It also helps you to avoid the invocation of the symbolic preconceptions we mentioned.

To train your eye to improve your powers of observation you must always sketch first and check second. There is not much to gain from pre-measuring. The habit of pre-measuring of the height and width of your model’s head will hold you back in the long run.

When striking the initial arabesque at all times use short straight, i.e., architectonic lines. This will impart a sense of the skull’s structure and the form of the underlying tissues and bones. Note that round or curving lines are symbolic preconceptions.

Also keep in mind the symmetry of the head. The term “symmetry” in the context of sketching and painting does not so much refer to the correspondence of two parts but more to the attractiveness that comes from correct proportioning and rhythm.

After striking the arabesque (without doing any measurements) you can correct the proportions. Take a measure of the largest width (i.e., the width of the arabesque across the brow line) and set it off vertically beginning at the bottom of the chin. The end point of the width typically ends up somewhere close to the middle of the hair.

The idea is to decide exactly where that end point is situated. Best is to judge the smallest of the following two distances: (1) the vertical length from the brow line up to the end of the measure; (2) the vertical distance from the end of the measure up to the arabesque. The shortest length is likely to be the most accurate. Do not forget, the arabesque includes the entirety of the skull including the hair.

With practice your eyes will develop this critical technique. Then, once the proportion and shape of the arabesque have been established you are prepared to proceed with placing the so-called landmarks.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: pencil portrait tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and skilled sketching teacher. See his work at pencil portraits.

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