Tips on Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Profile Pose

A strange thing about drawing the profile view is that novices find it much easier than the other views. Yet, the advanced artist can find the profile quite challenging.

For the advanced artist the test lies in the effort to affect a three-dimensional sculptured quality.

Looking at the arabesque in the profile view observe how the skull is broken down into straight lines. Using these architectonic lines expresses a firmness of shape.

In the start, you should keep the shapes simple. Also at this point, do not place all the profiled features. There are 2 reasons for this:

1. It is very likely that even the most accomplished artist will be off, and

2. Once a line is drawn the language center of your brain will consider that relationship as correct one. Therefore, it will look correct to you but everyone else will see the error.

There is a better way. You begin with striking the arabesque using architectonically straight lines. The primary worries are putting in place the general proportions and shape correctly. At a more advanced level you should also consider rhythm and movement.

Instead of at once including the nose into the arabesque you should employ the facial angle, i.e., the line from the forehead to the chin that breaks at the bottom of the nose. The landmark reference for the bottom of the nose is the tiny ledge-like protuberance.

A plumb-bob is an superb device for correctly placing the bottom of the nose. A plumb-bob is a length of thread (preferably black carpet thread) that has a weight attached to it. The plumb-bob is employed to check vertical alignments (when working with life models) and their relations to that vertical line. The vertical line is called the plumb-line.

Aligning the plumb-line to the chin allows you more correctly to see the relation of brow to chin. The brow is set back from the chin. By the way, the entire area of chin and mouth is called the "muzzle".

Having established that the initial arabesque and facial angle are correct you can now proceed with positioning the facial proportions, primary anatomical landmarks, and the hair-line. So, at this point do not even think about rendering the full nose. Rendering the nose at this point is a sure prescription for disaster. The angle of the nose and the construction of the tip require a high degree of precision.

Instead, begin to draw the general light/dark pattern.
The lights are taken out using a kneaded eraser. The look we are looking for is that of a ghost image. That means, above all, not to add minutia. In addition, work from the general to the specific.

Once the general light/dark pattern is developed then the profiled features can be done. employing a very sharp pencil you can sketch upwards from the chin to the forehead carefully seeing the shape. As you sketch mumble the anatomical definitions of each feature that you construct. You would be amazed at how that clarifyies the sketching process. Having an idea of the facial anatomy will set your portrait sketching miles ahead of those who do not.

The end of the nose, particularly, demands anatomical reconstruction to get it correct.

A common error beginners make with the profile view is placing the eye too far forward. The eye sockets are recessed quite considerably into the skull. If you drop a plumb-line from the inside corner of the eye you will see that the eye aligns itself with the corner of the mouth.

Further sketching and cross-hatching tones are done with 2H and 4H pencils. Decideing how far you want to take your sketch is an visual choice you have to make yourself. If you wish, you can leave the portrait somewhat unresolved.

In closing, sketching the profile view involves the same general ideas relevant to any view. In this case, the arabesque is particularly major. The major thing to recall is not to place the actual full features of the skull too early in the process.

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Download my brand new Complementary 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 skilled sketching instructor. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Tips on Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Side View.

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