The class project will be a finished freehand graphite portrait from a reference photo of your choice. It will be a forward view of a person with eyes open, and mouth closed.

In this class you will:

Sketch together in real-time with the video, placing each of the features.
Draw in detail each feature of the face using the techniques learned in the lessons.
Start with the eyes, nose and mouth.
Render the features with shading and blending.
Finish with the hair, and optional neck and upper body.

The portrait may not look just like the photo, it can just be an inspiration. The important part is that the face has symmetry and is appealing on its own.

The final project will be a fully rendered portrait with a complete face and hair, using shading techniques that give it depth and dimension.

Be sure to post your drawing to the Project section of the course. I’d love to see how you did! You may also post your practice drawings. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback. See you in class!

Deliverables:

Alignment Guide
Eyes, Nose, Mouth drawings
Full Portrait

The materials needed are:

Graphite Pencil (soft lead 2B-4B)
Eraser (kneadable, foam, or other)
Straight Edge (clear ruler or thick paper for making straight lines)
Reference Photo (printed from attachments, or use a magazine, or use a digital tablet)
Optional 3 colors of markers or colored pencils to draw the proportion lines on the reference photo.
Optional drafting compass.
Optional index cards or edge of blank paper.
Optional woodless pencil or compressed graphite stick.
Optional to draw digitally and use the same tools.

Clara Varela

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