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Imagine that we have a profile where the skull, arm, and fingers are visible and are in contact. Very often, the beginning artist will endeavor to sketch each of these entities separately|independently. The approach will invariably lead to frustration and in the end often to disappointment. Instead of sketching each entity separately|independently, the first step in your sketching should be to draw the "complete" arabesque, i.e., the complete outline of the figure. The complete arabesque which encompasses parts other than the skull (in this case the skull, fingers, and arms) is called the "construct". For the novice it is best to reduce the construct to its simplest shape thereby ignoring all the minutia such as the bumps in the fingers and the hair. With practice, you will be able to add all these bumps without much difficulty as you go along. A good construct (also known as a complete arabesque) also contains a singular gestural tempo that subordinates all minutia. In other words, this rhythmic gesture exists independent of the minutia. When you are sketching a single entity or skull the inspection of the height/width sizing is rather easy. As a universal rule the width of the skull is checked against its length utilizing the base of the chin as the primary marker. If, for some reason the chin is hidden (e.g., behind the arm or fingers), an other marker must be located. The arm, the jaw, or the lines of the fingers are good spots to find a new marker. Once you have sketched a suitable construct it must be inspected for accuracy. To do this, we can, for example, look for vertical and/or horizontal distances that are supposed to be equal and see if they in fact are equal. Use all your acquired knowledge of sizing. Also use your general knowledge of anatomical placing of the eyes, ears, etc. Once you are pleased that the construct is appropriately sketched you can proceed to block-in the primary light/dark blueprint and take your first tentative stab at sketching the facial area, i.e., the placing of the brow, the eyes, the nose and the mouth. Again, if the usual markers for those elements can for some reason not be employed you should be creative enough to determine proper substitutes. Keep blocking-in all elements as soon as you sketch them. This includes the fingers, arms, and hair if any of them are noticeable in the given profile you are sketching. Remember to always sketch from the general to the specific. Also, always use a sharp pencil, take into account your understanding of anatomy, and constantly look for mistakes and, of course, correct them. Next, the pencil portrait drawing must now be worked-up tonally by cross-hatching with 8B, 2H, and 4H pencils, by stumping down the pencil dust with your fingers or a stump, and by using your kneaded eraser to define the lights. All this should be done in a sculpturally manner. Finally, you can choose how much minutia you want to put into your drawing or how unresolved you may leave the drawing. For example, you can leave some parts of the fingers or the arm unresolved. Or, if you want to emphasize a certain part of the portrait, you can add munitia in that part and leave the other regions slightly unresolved. These are a few of many considerations that go into sketching a more complex portrait that has a construct. One critical thing not to forget is to sketch the construct first so you do not end up sketching one item after another without preserving unity. Following these rules will surely put you on the proper path of sketching more complex portraits.
Article Source: http://www.new.citynewslive.com
Download my brand new complementary pencil portrait draw course here: www.remipencilportraits.com/PPDT/pencil-portrait-tutorial.html target="_blank">Pencil Portrait Drawing Tutorial. Remi Engels is a practicing pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced drawing teacher. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Tips on Pencil Portrait Sketching - The Complete Arabesque.
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