Procedures for Pencil Portrait Drawing - Drawing a Chin Supporting Hand Including Shoulders

Including a hand in your portraits adds a significant measure of excitement but can quickly destroy an otherwise fine portrait if done badly.

The goal is to integrate the hand so that it is not only proportionally and gestural right, but is congruous in personality with the expression of the face.

For instance, a pleasant facial expression juxtaposed with a clenched fist may not yield the effect you desire unless you intend to add an ironic twist to your portrait. On the other hand, a hand supporting the skull goes very well with a stern scowling expression.

First, absolute novices should not be trying to sketch both the hand and portrait together. Things will quickly get muddled. The lesson for the absolute novice here is to get a grasp of the importance of acquiring a solid foundation of your craft.

In a pose where a hand supports the skull there is a subtle forward tilt because the model is a little bit hunched and leaning forward. For the draftsperson, this situation translates into the presence of a subtly foreshortened and reclined portrait. In the hand/skull case this means that the chin is slightly receding relative to the forehead.

As always, you should start with the construct, which in this situation, includes the hand and the shoulder. If you first sketch the skull and then attach the hand to it you are definitely asking for problems. The hand and the skull will lack harmony and will give the awkward impression that they are two different objects that are coincidentally next to each other.

When sketching the construct be aware of the negative as well as the positive spaces. Also, do not pre-measure any aspects of the construct. It should be drawn with as much flair as possible without losing your sense of proportion. Draw first then verify.

Further build upon the construct by establishing the face, hand, and shoulder marker
s and sizes. The internal architecture of the construct is initiated by blocking-in the primedarks and painting out the lights with a putty eraser.

What you are doing is to set the stage for drawing the facial features, the hand, and the shoulder. The hand must be located and proportioned in accordance with the skull and the facial features. The compression of the jaw into the palm must also be reckoned with.

Using a sharp pencil you can now further develop the tone and shape with blending, stumping down, and painting out. In this, you will be going back and forth hoping that you know when to quit. Drawing is about making decisions, i.e., knowing what to build up and, just as relevant, knowing what to leave out.

In the hand/skull situation you have to be extra careful how far you develop the hand. The hand should be seen as an extra element, that is, a supporting element that should not be part of the focus. Do not feel compelled to finish every element in your drawing. Everything in sketching is about equilibrium and transferring your meaning directly to the viewer's eye.

In conclusion, it is critical to see the hand and the shoulder as parts of one whole. Starting your drawing with striking the construct will help you greatly with maintaining this harmony. Treat the hand and shoulder as props that surround the face. This means that you should sketch them in a subordinate role.

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Download my brand new No Cost Pencil Portrait Sketching Tutorial here: www.remipencilportraits.com/PPDT/pencil-portrait-tutorial.html target="_blank">Pencil Portrait Sketching Tutorial. Remi Engels is a practicing pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Procedures for Pencil Portrait Rendering - Rendering a Chin Supporting Hand Including S

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