The Beauty of Portrait Drawing - The Profile View

Master side-view portrait drawing by studying skull proportions—one third segments for eyebrow, nose, and chin—and landmarks like the zygomatic arch and orbital cavities to render three-dimensional form and avoid flatness.

Explore the head muscles from the side, including orbicularis oris, levator labii superioris, nasalis, zygomaticus major and minor, masseter, and sternocleidomastoid, and how they shape expressions and the profile.

Explore the structure of the head in the profile view by simplifying anatomy into planes, blending academical tradition with Lumis and Bridgman-inspired constructive methods for accurate proportions.

Draw a female profile by highlighting softer brows, plumper lips, a rounded chin, and a rounder hairline, using a simple oval-based scheme.

Explore the skull's underlying bones to improve portrait accuracy, from orbital cavities and the zygomatic arch to maxilla and mandible, using three dimensional planes for precise profile drawing.

Explore tilting the profile head from above, below, and front to understand how eyes, chin, and planes shift, forming a three-dimensional, proportional portrait.

Use chiaroscuro to reveal skull form by building construction lines from a circle and analyzing light from above and front. Emphasize proportion, planes, and shadows over portrait likeness.

Explore how light direction shapes form and shadow in a profile portrait, from side lighting to Rembrandt and butterfly lighting, and use reflective light to reveal planes and features.

Master the profile view using construction lines and inclinations—chin to brow, chin to nose, brow to nose—to capture likeness and verify chin-to-eye and ear-to-eye proportions.

Practice the portrait drawing technique of using fixed reference points and principal inclinations to triangulate proportions, ensuring accurate resemblance in live or photo-based drawing.

Begin with energetic, free lines to capture the portrait’s feel, then build a three-dimensional head within a cloud of marks. Turn and refine proportions as you sculpt the form.

Master line drawing for profile portraits by measuring inclinations and key-point alignment, then switch to freer drawing while checking proportions via triangulation of brow, nose, eye, and lips.

Outline the general patterns of light and shadow in a profile portrait, moving from general shapes to details while refining with light pencil layers and paying attention to light direction.

Outline the darker parts to map the line between light and reflected light, then work from shadow to light on hair and skin, embracing rough phases.

Transform a rough sketch into a refined portrait by building middle tones with careful shadows and blending, revealing the nose, lips, eye socket, and neck in a three-dimensional profile.

Draw dark hair as a flat dark mass with light carved to imply strands, then blend into the shadow to let the observer's mind complete the hair.

Finish the profile portrait by balancing light and dark, enhancing contrast, and refining shading and contour to make the subject pop from the paper.

The lecturer demonstrates a quick charcoal and white pencil portrait on coarse paper, using chiaroscuro to build darks, highlights, and three-dimensional form.

Practice frequently and draw a lot to master portrait drawing, because repetition makes techniques natural and the teachings part of you. Watch for the next course releasing next month.