🎨 Learn to draw portraits
Start portrait drawing with one reference, simple proportions and repeated sketches that help you see your progress.
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Plan the experience
Planning estimates, not a price quote or a deadline. Your version may vary.
- Time
- An initial sketch session and several shorter studies.
- Cost
- Paper, a pencil and an eraser are enough to begin.
- Where
- A well-lit table; use a consenting sitter or a photograph you may use.
Before you start
Pick one clear reference with a straightforward angle. Work from a photograph you took or have permission to use. Set aside a page for a rough study so the first drawing does not have to become the finished portrait.
How you would actually start
Place the large shapes
Sketch the head shape and the relative positions of the eyes, nose and mouth lightly. Compare distances in the reference rather than drawing symbols for individual features. Step back before adding texture or eyelashes.
Use a few values
Look for the biggest light and shadow areas. Shade those simply, keeping the lightest areas of the paper clear. If the drawing stops resembling the reference, revisit the large proportions before adding more detail.
Draw the same person again
Date the first study, then make another using the same reference. Choose one thing to improve, such as the angle of the jaw or the space between features. Keep both drawings so you can compare them fairly.
What counts as done
You have made a portrait study, identified a specific improvement and applied it in a second drawing.
A likeness is a useful challenge, not a test of whether you are an artist. Repeating one reference makes progress easier to notice.
When you finish, mark it fulfilled in My list. You can remember it in your weekly journal.