Instructions On Pencil Portrait Sketching - Rendering Hairdos Article

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Instructions on Pencil Portrait Sketching - Rendering Hairdos

In this expose we discuss the task of sketching hairdos. We explain a few guidelines you can follow to make your hairdos look authentic and lively.

Author: Robert Thomson

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Sketching hair is dictated by several factors: the type of hair, its color, texture, quantity, the arrangement and styling of the hair, the individuality and mood of the sitter or the photo, and the light effect upon the hair.

The contour of the hair is part of the overall arabesque. A correct arabesque is relevant to the likeness of the hair. Many beginning draftspersons begin with the face and grow outward from there. This is however a bad procedure and instills bad practices that will prove difficult to overcome.

In fact, the arabesque is especially relevant when draw a coiffure. Attempting to draw the hair working from the inside out, bit by bit, is a recipe for disaster. The hair will result in being either too small for the skull or too large.

Working within the arabesque of the coiffure, first put in the main darks. These darks are best seen by squinting until an overall pattern of light and dark is seen.

Next, you need to blend the graphite in a painterly manner following the general gesture and movement of the coiffure. For this you can use your fingers, a tissue, or a paper stump. If you use a paper stump be careful not to deaden the look. If you use your fingers make sure they are dry and also wipe them constantly with a paper towel.

Then, use your kneaded eraser like a loaded paint brush to lift out the significant lights. Do not be overly fussy here. A more bravura approach effects a sense of life and rhythm into the coiffure. If you make a mistake just blend the graphite again with your fingers or stump and do it again.

Sometimes when you block-in the coiffure other light parts of the skull pop out. This is one rationale why sketching the skull as a whole is necessary.

French braiding is a gorgeous coiffure style, but extremely complicated and hard to draw. The point is to draw these French braids fluidly and with movement. A balancing act is required here: the intricacy of the coiffure’s styling is best handled by first line-rendering the main locks and braids. As you map out the braids be sure to plumb and carefully measure and position each important lock and braid.

When sketching from a photo there is the pull to copy it down to the smallest detail. You may or may not give in to this pull but you should always make sure that the coiffure retains its liveliness. However, in most cases, you will not need to sketch every detail.

Further block-in the darks taking into account the direction and gesture of the significant locks of the coiffure. The most difficult thing is to refrain from plunging into an region of detail. Not to do this requires mental discipline. Best is to follow a layered procedure that progressively piles the arrangement of the coiffure, lock by lock.

You also should soften the edges of the coiffure line so that it blends into the forehead and sides of the face. Hair does this naturally.

Be sure to used sharp pencils because dull pencils lead to dull, lifeless hair.

Having first mapped out and blocked-in the significant locks of hair makes the rendering of the finer areas much easier, but is still labor intensive. You should be prepared to spend quite a bit of time on a coiffure.

Also, step back from the sketch to preserve an overview of the chief light/dark pattern because detailing can result in a flat mess in which the values close in on each other.

Hold back from rendering bangs too early in the process. This helps ensure that the coiffure and flesh can be unified into a coherent sense of spirit.

Sketching hair so that it reads naturally and has a rhythmic gesture is difficult. Ordinarily it takes as much time and effort to render the coiffure as it does the face and neck. You must spend as much care in preparing the coiffure as you would for the rest of the portrait. If you draw from a model make sure you do the coiffure before your model takes a rest because the coiffure will very likely have changed when the break is over. The strategy, then, is to devote a whole 20 to 30 minutes of a pose segment to the coiffure.

With these instructions you can be sure that in time your drawn hair will look authentic and energetic. Do not forget that rendering coiffure takes time so that you do not get irritated.

About Author

Download my brand new No Cost Pencil Portrait Drawing Tutorial here: Pencil Portrait Drawing. Remi Engels is a practicing pencil portrait draftsman and oil painter and expert sketching teacher. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: http://www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Instructions on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Rendering Hairdos.

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Instructions on Pencil Portrait Sketching - Rendering Hairdos