Realistic Portrait with Graphite Pencil

Understand the simple shapes that make up the eye. This lecture will help build on the knowledge needed to render a realistic eye.

Vales and Edges are a crucial element that separates the amateur from the professional artist. Throughout the course you will gain new insight into values and edges. this lecture is a starting point and the foundation.

Lighting is one of the most misunderstood concepts.  This lecture breaks it down to simple concepts and opens the doors to infinite possibilities when it comes to lighting your subject. Understanding how light creates interest in your subject and how light helps us tell a story.

I keep the tools to a bare minimum and leave the guesswork out of using them. This lecture I introduce the tools. In the lectures to follow I put them to use. And as the course progresses I will always remind you how to use the tools.

Introduction to one of my favorite blending tools "the blending stump". Included in this lecture I go over the different ways to hold your pencil and why it is an important concept to grasp (no pun intended) in order to control values and gradients.

We are getting closer to finally drawing the eye in this course, but on our way there I made a mistake and fortunately I knew how to fix it. This mistake is so common and can ruin your work and I must admit, I have done it so many times. And so I pull out my trusty kneading eraser. Just roll and roll and the mistake disappears.

The sphere is the foundation of any drawing course. It is found continually in the human face. All round surfaces on the face, especially the eyeball, nose, forehead and chin. Cast shadow, shadow edge, reflected light and direct light are apparent on the facial features and understanding the sphere and the relation it has with light helps facilitate your process in portraiture.

A loose, quick approach is sometimes necessary when quickly sketching your ideas. Many artist prefer to tell a story with few "brush strokes" as possible to keep from "over-working" their art. The choice is yours and only you can decide. I like to combine both techniques. Very detailed and realistic on the eyes and nose and loose and gradually more abstract as I move away from the eyes and nose.

My favorite facial feature to draw. I show you how easy it is to draw one of the most complex parts of the face. Using what we've learned in "The Sphere" video, we can easily approach this facial feature.

We take all the concepts learned up to this point and begin drawing and rendering the side profile of a female model. The previous videos have laid the foundation for you and now we can tackle this project together with a wealth of information at our fingertips and blending stump.

Shutting your brain off is a crucial component to understanding shapes, values and edges.  If you tell your brain “I am going to draw an eye, nose, mouth etc...” you basically set yourself up for failure right out the gate.

However if you approach the facial features with the notion of looking for shapes, values and edges and not calling it an eye, nose, mouth etc... you give your brain an opportunity to do just that, look for shapes and nothing else.

Let's prove this theory.

We take all the concepts learned up to this point and continue drawing and rendering the side profile of a female model. The previous videos have laid the foundation for you and now we continue to tackle this project together with a wealth of information at our fingertips.