Guidelines For Pencil Portrait Drawing - Tone And Shape In Relation To Plasticity Article

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Guidelines for Pencil Portrait Drawing - Tone and Shape in Relation to Plasticity

In this article we talk about the idea of plasticity. We explain how we can use a 12-value scale to create the necessary plasticity in a portrait.

Author: Robert Thomson

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* Tone and Form - are two of the 4 fundamentals of drawing. The other two are line and texture.

In this expose we will discuss the concept of elasticity and how it relates to the ideas of value and form.

* Plasticity - is the visual push and pull of lights and darks which, when presented in a united whole, defines the 3-dimensional shapes of a portrait.

The human eye can differentiate between many more values than the 12 we commonly employ in a drawing. That means that the draftsperson must "trick" the eye into believing that it is seeing more than is actually on the drawing paper. To this end we must appreciatehow light behaves and values are perceived.

The trick is to maneuver the eye's natural tendency towards closure, i.e., towards finishing a drawing even if parts are not actually there. But the eye only does that without protest if the elasticity is harmonious. Only then will the viewer emotionally engage.

The subject of creating harmonious elasticity is broad. In this expose we limit ourselves to realistic portraiture.

* Tones|Values - are just degrees of darkness and lightness. We commonly limit ourselves to twelve distinct values.

To appreciate how a form is drawn we need to appreciate how light operates and how values enter into this. There are 2 characteristics of light pertinent to drawing:

(1) Light runs in a straight line and reflects off surfaces.

(2) The intensity of light reduces quickly with distance.

From these characteristics it follows that:

* As a form turns away from the light source it darkens.

* When two planes face the light they will have different values if their distances from the light source are different. For example, the cheek closest to the light source will have a lighter value than the one which is farther away.

* The lightest light on a form is the "highlight". The highlight is invariably on a plane that is directly facing the light source.

* Most of a portrait’s value is so-called halftone. That is, anything in-between pure white and pure black. Halftone drawing is at the same time the most enjoyable and the most difficult part of drawing.

* As a form turns fully away from the light source it steadily descends into shadow, towards completely black (i.e., the absence of light). However, there is more to it.

* There is also reflected light from one plane onto another. Remember, light reflects off surfaces but with reduced intensity. So be careful not to overdo your reflected light.

* There is also the peak of the shadow which is the darkest value on the form. This width of darkness lies between the darkest half-tones and the reflected light. This width of darkness is called the Line of Appelle. It is critical to capture its form properly because it determines the form’s volume.

* As a form turns away from the light, the half-tone plane changes have a soft edge. The quality of this edge is determined by a few factors the most critical of which are the degree of plane change, the intensity of light, and the texture of the surface.

* In portrait drawing there are also cast shadows which are hard-edged and especially dark and are cast by one form upon another. An example is the shadow that is cast by the nose onto the cheek.

A superb exercise for recognizing the concept of elasticity is to draw a white bowling pin. For a more controlled environment you can build yourself a black box with one side open that fully controls the light of one source and blocks out the light of other sources that could disturb the condition.

In closing, the use of the twelve-value scale together with the above guidelines allows you to create the necessary elasticity for your objects.

About Author

Download my brand new Complementary Pencil Portrait Drawing Tutorial here: Pencil Portrait Drawing Tutorial. Remi Engels is a practicing pencil portrait draftsman and oil painter and practiced drawing instructor. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: http://www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Guidelines for Pencil Portrait Sketching - Value and Form in Relative to Plasticity.

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Guidelines for Pencil Portrait Drawing - Tone and Shape in Relation to Plasticity