How to draw a realistic portrait | Freehand style

Portrait painting is a tough task for most, just because they aren’t aware of WHERE and HOW to start it. The features, their lengths and their placements; the angle measurement and the angle of the face; together create a portrait. There are several other parameters like the vertical and horizontal space measurement between the features; everything together creates a concrete inhibition. During my initial days of portraiture; I used to find it hard too to create a portrait. However, all of these aren’t as difficult as it seems.

Few right measuring techniques can make the portrait painting simpler; and they will help the artist to go through without any fundamental errors. Avoiding basic mistakes is more important than achieving the similarity that most of us strive to bring in with the reference subject, i.e. the character. First, we must know that no one is out there to question if the portrait doesn’t match the reference (provided it is a commissioned work). On the other hand, the basic faults will be surely noted.

I have been practicing freehand portraits for 12 years now, I have done several drawings from life and from photo just for the sake of practice. I have come up with a technique that will help you create flawless portraits, that technique is taught in my course — Realistic face drawing which you may find helpful for your portrait study

Mentioned below are 5 Simple Steps to create a Flawless Portrait:

The key ingredient is the SHAPE OF THE FACE

SHAPE of the face is the foremost important aspect in portrait drawing. You must have noticed an OVAL face, LENGTHY forehead etc; such inputs make a good model for a portrait. There is an artist in all of us; don’t think much if your viewpoint about the face (your understanding of the shape-OVAL or ROUND or SQUARED) is correct or wrong; just go by what you actually feel. TRUST your instincts and it will turn up to be a good one.

How to perfectly position your features

Each and every feature of a portrait is equally essential. But how does one go about placing or analyzing them? How to measure without sensing the person who may be a model sitting or in a photo? It all gets perfected by practice. You must have noticed models with different features, short forehead, big nose or a wider mouth. Even a negative point might work at times-inexpressive eyes for instance. These may sound as demerits to commoners but for an artist who is into portraiture they work as a judgment and help in right placements of features. In the given case, it is not wrong in pointing that she has a long forehead as it highlights her face making her one of the best models. In my personal view, a big forehead always completes a face.

The first layer of value as our reference

Skin is the most beautiful creation in the human body; it is interwound with blood, flesh and several veins hidden beneath. I select a mid-tone for the first layering and then go about building the following layers. The mid-tone layering makes it possible to have a full capacity reflection under all lighting conditions. A perfect painting in my knowledge is a mixture of dullness and the shine combined; the same is eligible for portrait drawing. Darkening it in areas wherever needed; but see that you go step by step and keep it slow; just so that it doesn’t get messed up.

Value augmentation & patterning the hair

You have to keep adding values as the portrait gets developed layer by layer; in this manner the portrait gets nearer to the subject. However, be careful as you may spoil it if it is overdone. So, go slow. You may need to go back to previous step unless your portrait starts resembling your character. Hair is an important portion as it makes your portrait similar to your reference by 30–40%. For the hair, always choose a mid tone and keep bringing in the values wherever required. Hair is a part that needs a lot of uncertainty and this can be achieved by utilizing a kneading eraser. Trying to copy the hair exactly as it is in the reference is a wrong way of approach.

I have been practicing freehand portraits for 12 years now, I have done several drawings from life and from photo just for the sake of practice. I have come up with a technique that will help you create flawless portraits, that technique is taught in my course — Realistic face drawing which you may find helpful for your portrait study

Soul to the painting through highlight

Vast highlights in different modes enable the portrait to end up lively. There’s one kind of highlight that requires mixing completely with the skin and another kind is that stands out not matching the skin. I call the second type as the reflection of light; it is the light that gets reflected when it falls upon the subject. Skin has the capacity to reflect light completely and IT WORKS, try it and you will know how.

That would be the outcome of my portraiture. How is it guys!!!!!!!

I hope this article was of good help to all those “not in touch” artists, who would want to start up again. The aim of this write-up is to refresh you and inspire you to begin the practice session again; all by yourself.

I have been practicing freehand portraits for 12 years now, I have done several drawings from life and from photo just for the sake of practice. I have come up with a technique that will help you create flawless portraits, that technique is taught in my course — Portrait drawing which you may find helpful for your portrait study