Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hi, welcome to my class. My name is Ivan. I've studied visual
communication and I've started created videos on
Skillshare based on my experience
in illustration. I am also interested and
passionate about songwriting, farming wildspaces and swimming. I've already created an art
class based on comics and this art class will serve as its perfect complement
because to draw a story, you will need to know
how to draw faces. Here I will teach you how
to draw a human head with the correct proportion and also the most important
features you need to know. I began to study academic rules of facial anatomy towards the end of college. As I continue studying
illustration, character faces became a
favorite subject of mine. Pass are incredible. They can convey
profound emotions, both pain and joy. They are complex, but
they can be drawn with beautiful simplicity while
remaining full of life. So there is an inherent
truth in the portrait, and creative possibilities
are endless. However, it's very easy to
make mistakes and to draw awkward representations
if you have wrong proportions or lack
of observation skills. However, we won't go too deeply into rigid academic drawing because ultimately I want for you to draw faces in
your own unique style. So in this class, I have designed
four exercises that will include the theory
of head drawing, allowing you to have fun
while recapping the rules. As the class progresses, I will guide you towards
exercises that leave the theory behind so you can draw in a
more expressive approach. The four exercises in this class include creating facial
expressions based on prompts, working from reference photos and finding out inspiration
from the old masters. Wherever you are in
your creative journey, this class is full of tips, easy step by step examples, and also funny prompts. It is designed for anyone
who wants to learn and draw. Does this sound like a topic
that sparks your creativity? Join me and let's get started.
2. Class project: So what exactly will we be
covering in this class? In the first part, we
will begin by discussing the academic rules of the human face across
different perspectives, front, trick router, profile, low and high angles. Then we will also study
how to draw the mouse, nose before moving on to
more practical exercises. The class is divided
in two parts. The first one focuses on more
academic style portraits. Here your observation
skills are required, as we will study faces from different angles
and the second part is completely hands on, allowing you to practice what we covered in part one while
showing your creativity. In the second part, there are four exercises. The first one is about drawing faces from reference
photo and then the second exercise
will be about drawing an expression of a character according
to specific situation. The third exercise is a project involving
drawings of a geisha from different angles
and last exercise explores drawing characters
in a more random manner. At the end of each exercise, I will ask you to pause the
video so you can finish the step you covered at your own pace before moving
on to the next lesson. The goal of this class is to produce a class project that you can share with me at
the end of the course. It can be a drawing from the first part, the
theoretical section, like a sketch of a nose or mouse or the construction
lines of the head. Or it can be a drawing
from the second part, the one with the exercises
like a finished phase. Now, if you want to share this project with me
and the other students, you can take a picture of
your drawing and go to the Skillshare website in the project and resources
section to share it. Finally, if you have any
questions along the way, I'd be happy to answer them, so don't hesitate to ask me.
3. Supplies: What supplies will you
need for these exercises? We'll be sketching and
drawing portraits of various sizes using
different techniques. So at the very least, you
will need tenses and paper. Even a small notebook
will work perfectly. I recommend using squared
or graph paper as we'll be using a grid system to map
out markers on our portraits. You will also need a ruler to draw your construction lines. If you would like to print
out the exact grid template, I used to explain
the academic rules. You can find it under the
project and resources tab. I will often ask you
to draw outlines so you can use black
ink or a fine liner, whatever you feel most
comfortable with. Don't forget an eraser as
you will probably need to adjust your lines a few times to get
the outline right. Some colored pencils will be useful for our very
last exercise. Finally, an iPad if you want to digitalize your faces
and add colors. For this, you will
need a software like Procreate or affinity designer.
4. Academic skills: Front Portrait: Let's begin the first
part of the class with a little bit of theory
for the next five videos. Don't worry, you will still be practicing during this part. But first, let me introduce
you to my friend, Rob. He's a genius who will help us understand the rules of drawing. Rob can only express himself
using speech bubbles. Hello, Rob. How are you doing? During grade, is it okay
if I start the lesson? In this lesson, we are going to discuss facial proportion
from a front view, and then we will move on to the three router
view, the profile, the low and high angles, and we will finish
the first part, practicing the specific
facial features like the mouth or the
nose. Not at all. This is very useful tips
that even the great masters like Michael Angelo were using to produce their masterpieces. Look at those proportions.
It's so perfect. Yeah, it seems like
nowadays nobody cares about academic rules and
traditional accuracy. Everybody wants to
draw Naruto and manga. But even professional
manga car were using and learning basic anatomy and drawing techniques to
produce their work, otherwise, their
characters faces would look too distorted and wrapped. Also, you need to learn
the rules before to break them. Okay, great. First, let's refine a bit
your facial features. Since your head has the
perfect classic proportion, I will use it as a model. Come on, you will look
even more handsome. If you want, I can
give you blue eyes. Hair, but I don't have any hair. You are high maintenance. I don't have a wig, but wait. I will see if I can
do something for you. Here is what I found.
Don't complain. You are just a piece of
sterofom. Stay calm. Trust me, you will see
it's going to be great. Wow, Rob, you look great. Now we are waiting
for the glue to dry. And while we are waiting
for the glue to dry, I'm going to explain the theory behind drawing a front view face
to the audience. And that way, you
will be ready to look your best for the next video. Now let's break down the
front view of the face. The grid. We start by setting
up a five by seven grid. Next, we draw a novel inside it, centered on the middle
horizontal line. The eyes are placed horizontally
across the center line, specifically inside
rectangles two and four. The third, the top row of squares is reserved
for the hair. Below that, we divide the
rest of the head into three equal vertical
sections or thirds, each consisting of two squares. The hairline marks the beginning of the
third. The eyebrows. The eyebrows sit right at the transition line of the
first and second third. The nose. The nose ends exactly at the bottom
of the second third. Notice that the width
of the nostrils aligns vertically with the
inner corners of the eyes. The mouth, the bottom
of the lower lip sits right in the middle of
the final third section. The ears, the ears span vertically across the
entire second third. That is the general framework. A common mistake is placing the eyes too close to
the top of the head, which results in a non
naturally small forehead. Well, don't worry if
it feels like a lot, we will recap all of these
during the exercises. And those guidelines
are meant to be modified to create unique
and interesting characters. Of course, facial features vary depending on
the individuals. So was it really so boring, Rob? Did you get all of that? Is your hair dry?
Well, never mind. Class. If you want, you can download the
exact layout template from the resources
tab of this class. And now it's your turn,
so let's practice.
5. Academic skills: Three-Quarter View: So welcome back to
our second lesson where I will cover the
three quarter view. Look at you, Rob.
You look fantastic. That's perfect that
you look that way because that's exactly what
we are studying right now. And we will observe how the features shift
compared to a front view. For example, where
are the thirds now? What is the overall
shape of the head? And does the volume of
the nose look the same? What do you think, Rob? Okay, so a head can be drawn from different angles,
profile, front, and everything in between, because the head is a
three dimensional object. Is shape shift depending
on our perspective. Like this, the volume change. And why does this matter? Because it's useful. It allows us to draw a character in a more dynamic situation, rather than just a static
front facing portrait. Look at my position right now. This is the three of
you right in between the profile and the front view. Okay, so let's find our third in the three
quarter view now. And the spacing remains the same compared
to the front view. So the first third begins at the hairline and runs
to the brown line. And the second third goes from the eyebrows to
the base of the nose, and our last third
starts from the base of the nose to the
bottom of the chin. And where are the eyes now? The eyes are still positioned
halfway down the head just below the top
of the second third. And the nose takes on
a diamond like volume. And the bottom of the mouth remains centered
in our lower third. Did you get that, Rob? Never mind, it will make more
sense in the demonstration. Draw a circle to represent
the upper part of the face. Draw a long line
following the curve of the sphere at first,
then straight down. To establish the
side of the head, draw a flat oval ellipse
with a cross inside it. This section should run from the hairline down to just
above the base of the sphere. This step is important
for helping you visualize the head
three the volume. Extend the horizontal
line from your side cross along the curve of the face
to mark your eyebrow line, the start of the second cerd. Sketch a slide
curve near the top of the head to
represent the hairline. The second cerd will end parallel to the bottom
of the side ellipse. Drop down one more equal
section to find the chin. From there, sketch the jaw line back until it connects
with the side cross. Draw another curve on the opposite side to
define the far brow bone. Just below the brow bone line, add a parallel horizontal
guideline for the eyes. Next, sketch the nose using
a simplified diamond shape. We'll cover this picture
in closer detail later. Now begin sculpting
the details as if you are carving
into a solid shape. Sketch two angled lines over the right eye area
like the roof of a house and another
two parallel lines on the left to define
the brow structure. Place the ear inside the lower back quadrant of your side ellipse just
above the jaw line. The bottom of the ear should align with the base of the nose. The bottom of the mouth is
centered in the lower third. Then shape it
according to volume. We will see it in details
in another video. Finally, you can begin refining the contours of the eyes
and other features. And now it's your turn,
so let's practice.
6. Academic skills: Profil View: Do you know what perspective
we are covering next? Don't worry, my
skeptical friend. I will keep it
short. We are going to quickly look at
the profile view. So turn to the side. From the side, the head is shaped like two
interlocking ovals. So one like this and
another one like that. And the entire
silhouette fits neatly into seven by seven
squared grad, leaving just enough space
for the nose on the side. The nose is essentially
a triangle shape. And vertical thirds remain the same as our previous views. So hairline to the bra to
the nose and nose to chin. The lower lip of the mouth
centers in that lower third. And the ears sits well
towards the back of the head. Easy tip to remember
is that the corner of the mouth aligns vertically
with the middle of the eye. So sounds simple, Rob. No. So let's jump into the demo. Start by drawing a seven
by seven square grad. Sketch two interlocking ovals to map out the
profile of the skull, ensure the entire shape
fit within your grad, leaving a bit of room on
the left side for the nose. Draw a small curve to
mark the hairline, then divide the high of your face into
three equal thirds. Add a clean triangle in the second section to
block out the nose. Place the eyebrow at the
top of the second section, slightly below and behind it. Sketch a small wedger or
triangle pointing inward to form the As always, position the bottom of the mouth right in the middle
of the lower third. Position the ear in the lower rear quadrant
of the skull mass. Draw the line of the jaw extending from the chin
up towards the ear. Finally, refine your profile
line by softening the lips, shaping the nose, and adding details like the
hair and neckline. Wow, great effort. Let's take a look at a
few areas we can improve. The ear sits too
far in the back of the head and it's a bit
too low. Should be here. Then the eye is too big
but well positionated. I think you try to draw it
as if it was a front view. Here, have a look to the
profile image of reference. Have a look to the
size of the eye. You can find this image in
the resources of the class. I usually takes a lot of time to practice to get these
proportions accurate. Remember that the rules we
talked about in this lesson is a foundation that help us understand the underlying
structure of the faith. Once you are comfortable
with those rules, you can deconstruct them and create more
expressive artwork. That said, knowing them well is the best way to avoid
obvious mistakes. Now it's your turn, pause
the video and practice.
7. Academic skills: Low and High Angle: In this video, I'm
going to show you the basics of drawing faces
from high and low angles. And the facial
features we need to change depends on
the perspective. So I'm going to hold Rub in my hands to explain
those perspectives. So considering that
the head is square, when it tilts forward, you see that the guidelines
become curved like this. When the head is
seen from above, those guidelines are
concave like this. But when it is seen from
below, they are convex. And also the features follow those lines and
adapt to the curve. So everything is
a bit distorted. Observe what changes compared to the previous views
regarding the other elements. For example, where are
the ears positionated? You remember, in the front view, they were at eig level. But in low angle view like this, they become down at chin level. So now, look at this
photo and tell me Rob. Where is the nose and
what shape is it? Yes. And now, tell me what do we see the
most in this view? Very good. And what else? Yes. And what do we see less of? Yes, great. Okay, and now I'm going to do
a demonstration. Nice. Now as a little exercise, try to draw the general
shape of the face. I think it fits
nicely in a circle. Then draw the curves to
represent our three thirds. You remember the first
starts at the hairline. The second passes through
the base of the nose, and the third passes through
the bottom of the chin. Of course, this
time they won't be spaced at equal distances. The smallest is the first one and the biggest
is the last one. Then add the features as you see them in the photo,
following the curves. Imagine where are the ears
and refine your outline. Now it's your turn, pause
the video and practice. Repeat the same exercise
with the high angle view. Where are the ears
now in this view rub? It seems like they are
toward the back of the head. So everything is
a bit upside down compared to the low angle view. This time, the overall shape of the head looks
more like an oval. Then I draw the three thirds. The first one is the biggest. Then I add my features. So the perspective makes the
upper lip becoming smaller and also the space in
between the upper lip and the nose becomes smaller. Then I draw the eyes, which are pretty much
similar to the front view. But the space in between the eyes and the
eyebrows is smaller too. Then I continue with the ears. So we noticed that they
are above the eye level, like in the back of the head, and then I refine my outline. So now it's your turn.
8. Academic skills: Mouth and Nose: Hello, Rob. How are you doing? We are now going to
practice drawing some facial features like the mouth and the nose.
What do you think? Oh, that's enough of that. Just listen carefully
because you will need that in the fun part. The fun part is like
drawing expressive faces, creating portraits, and making your own personalized character. So have a look now. Mouth from the front
view can easily be drawn by making three
ovals like this. Then the corners of the lips follow the curve of the circles. Then same goes for
the top and bottom. Don't forget the
small concave curve right above the top lip. After that, you erase
the geometric shapes and go over the lines again
to define the outline. It's really not complicated. Then include the element in your portrait using a
grade if necessary. Here, the expression is neutral. Yes, a closed mouth is
a rather simple shape, but what about the shape
of an open smiling mouth? For an open or smiling mouth, you can start by drawing
a half moon shape. Then add the upper
lip like this. Next, add the teeth and tongue, and then the lower lip. First, sketch it
with pencil and then draw a proper
outline with a pen. Here are some examples
of stylized mouth. Rob, what is the
shape of a nose? Yes, almost or more
simply a pyramid. For the front view, you
can draw a trapezoid for the top bridge and two slanted
rectangles on the sides. Add a small trapezoid
for the front tip, then add two ovals
for the nostrid. By adding a curve on top, you represent the
tip of the nose. For three quarter side view, you can draw a
trapezoid for the top, another one for the side, and a smaller one below
alongside the two ovs. Then you can refine
the details at the edges of the
nostrs on the sides, define the nostril
openings, and so on. With practice, you won't have to draw these geometric
shapes every time. You will be able to draw a nose directly as
you imagine it, making your work flow
more spontaneous. For more information about academic drawing faces
or the body in general, I recommend Michael
Hampton's book. However, it's interesting
to study anatomy, but you don't necessarily
need it right away. So just by observing,
for example, looking at things you want to
draw will form your vision. And like Roland Bart
says, the semiologist, there is the reference like
the image of a nose in the reality and
its representation like what you are
drawing on the paper. And then finally, there is the
image we hold in our mind. Everyone has a personal image
of a nose in their brain. So what I'm trying to say
is that between a nose, a real nose in a photo
and a drawing of a nose, there is a difference
in interpretation. And also, that what
I mean is that strict rules can be limiting. So do you understand, Rob? What I'm saying is that there
is not an absolute reality. Otherwise, every one's
face would look the same. And for example, there
are all sorts of nose. Take, for example,
famous noses like Napoleon Bonaparte or
Jean Paul Bel Mondeaux. Then finally, we will
see that by changing the direction of the guidelines we've seen before
with the third, we can alter the
facial expression. And in the second
part of the class, we will leave the theory to move on and create faces
with more freedom. So in the next video, we will start
drawing real people, not like Robs Puppet. But now it's your turn to practice the nose and the mouth.
9. Ex 1: Portraits from a Movie: So for the first exercise, uh, we are going to draw faces
related to Kurosawa and Kurosawa is a Japanese director who made the seventh samurai. So I use photographs from
old Japanese magazines. Yeah, but I like it. The most important is
to draw faces featuring the three angles we study. What are the three facial
views we study before rub? No, I mean their names
for the portrait. Yes, and Okay. Not exactly. The three quarter view. So for this exercise, I offer you to draw those
views from photographs, merging the academic
rules we've study before and real faces. For this exercise,
you need a pencil, squared notebook and black ink
with a brush or black pen. Not really. First, for this first view,
the front portrait, we are going to draw on a grade
of five by seven squares, and then you will add
geometrical shapes in that grad with a pencil and then
we will draw over those shapes by looking
carefully at the photograph. You will see that's
not so easy because the real face looks completely different from the
theoretical models. Yes, you can use the geometrical shapes to
draw the general form, but then you will
also need to add the details to see them
as they are in the photo. Yeah, let's go. Now
I will demonstrate. Here is the photo we
are going to draw. So a front facing portrait
leaned slightly to the right. I will take a few
seconds to observe it. Observation is key. Next, I will use
the grad to help place the facial features
in the correct spots. Because the head in the photo
is leaned to the right, I tilt my grad a few degrees. Then I will draw the oval of the head and the geometric
shapes for the mouth, eyes and nose according
to our academic rules. You will notice that the
features won't match up perfectly with the standard
academic template. To solve this problem,
look closely at the photo specific features, the mouth, nose,
hair, et cetera. Then deviate from your ignition geometric guidelines so the
drawing resembles the photo. To this first in
pencil and then use ink or a pen to draw
the final outline. Don't hesitate to erase
and redraw as you hunt for the shapes that actually match the photo rather than
the academic model. Feel free to zoom in on the
photo for extra detail, but the most
important thing is to capture the general essence
of your subject first. Now it's your turn. Web. I will summarize the steps here
and display the photo. Go ahead and post the video. Were you able to complete
the portrait rub? Okay, great. I see you
made multiple attempts. You search for the correct
shapes and also what I want to highlight is that to keep looking back at your photo
while you are drawing, so you can see really how
the facial features sit. And look at the
angle of the mouth. It's not completely straight because the head is
slightly tilted to the right or the mouth is open and the eyebrows have their
own particular shapes. So observation is important. Another great tip is to squint
your eyes so you can blur a little bit your vision and get a better sense of
the overall shape. This way, the
underlying structure of the portrait reveal
itself to you. Shall we do another one Rob? What is the next one? No,
it's the three quarter view, and what shape do we
use for this view? No, it's a circle and then
we draw a line dropping downward to signify the
volume. Let me demonstrate. So here is the photo, and we use the same process
as before utilizing the geometric shapes
and marks from our theory section and then adding the specific
elements from the photo. For a three quarter view, I start with a circle and then
the line descend below it. I'm already looking at my photo so that I can mimic
the exact angle, and you can see that the
head tilt slightly forward. Then I can draw the curve that sweeps down toward the bottom. I will draw across on the right side because
the head is facing left. It starts at the hair line and end just before the
edge of the circle. Then I draw the ellipse
around my cross. I can mark my three thirds
on the main vertical curve. The first start at the hairline, the second starts at the
horizontal line of my ellipse, and the third starts
at the bottom of the ellipse and
ends below the circle. Just repeat the same length
as the previous third. Now I can lightly
sketch the eyebrows, nose and mouth using
geometric shapes. Remember to use a diamond
shape for the nose, for the mouth, the bottom lip sits right in the middle
of the final third. I will draw two circles below the eyebrows where I see
the eyes positionate. Are you following me Rob? You can already see the
volume taking shape. Remember, you can carve
your features into the head just like you
would with a sculpture. Note that the hair extends
well beyond the sphere. You need to imagine
its shape in space. Next comes the
observation phase. Again, look at the photo
during 10 seconds. Carefully look at each
part of the face in the photo and try to reproduce the features as you see them. There is a unique
expression to catch in every face, so
observe carefully. Notice that you need to
rethink the shapes of the face because in this
Japanese portrait style, everything is
shaped differently. The eyes are thinner,
for example, forget the rigid theory
for a moment and focus entirely on what
you see in front of you. Here, there are a few details so we can draw with
shades of gray, but continue to observe the particularities
of this portrait, the eyebrows, the
dark of the eyes, or the wrinkles at the
corners of the mouth. Finally, in
everything, correcting any lines or shapes that
don't quite match the photo. Now let's move on
to the last view. Rob, wake up. I need your drawings to point
out the mistakes. Rob, we don't sleep
in a classroom. Are you sure you don't
want dessert tonight? Okay, so will you draw the
profile? Great. Let's go. For the profile, you can
use a grad that is a bit larger than the one we
use for the front portrait, seven by seven squares. Then sketch two ovals inside. Look here, I leave a
little bit of space on the right for the nose
and at the top for the hair. Then I quickly add a
triangle for the nose. I draw the hair after
the first square line, I map out the three third which equals two
squares per third. I place the eyebrows at the end of the first third with a triangular eye shape
sitting right underneath. The bottom of the mouth rests at the halfway point
of the final third, then I split my weeds in half and add the ear to
the back section. Finally, I sketch the shape
of the hair and the neck. Now I have my structure
ready to build my botrid on. Now I will reference
my photo and draw the profile again according
to the facial features I see, modifying my initial sketch
based on my observations. The thirds might even change a little bit too. Trust your eyes. Observe carefully because
every tiny pencil stroke gives a distinct
expression to the face. That is why it's quite
difficult to make a drawing accurately
resemble a photo. Go slowly and constantly check your reference to ensure
you are drawings, the mouth, eyes, and contours
exactly as they are. You can also cross check the distance between
features while you draw. It requires a double vision. As I'm drawing, I'm constantly checking that one element is at the correct distance from the others and holds
the right proportions. My eye is always
comparing my work to the photo to see if it
captures the same look. The more you practice, the
more you will be able to do all those things at the same
time, taking the photo, drawing, maintaining
good proportions or managing distances between
the elements, Rob. Yes, one more piece of advice is to check
the negative space. Of course, you don't know
what a negative space is. It's simply the space
outside of the portrait, and it's easier to evaluate because it's completely white. So you can compare
the negative space of your photo with the negative
space of your drawing. When you do this, you
can make sure that the profile outline matches up. Show me what you did, Rob. Great. So here are
a few mistakes. For example, the
ear is too close to the front or the
mouth is a bit too high. Yes. But that's great.
10. Ex 2: Expressions: So, Rob, what are we going to
do for the second exercise? Ultimately, I would like you to draw as freely as possible. Remember, Rob, when
you were a child and your mom used to feed
you with a little spoon, something I still have to do for you since you
can't eat by your own. So the grad and the external
aid is just like that. Something you have to let go of. Yes, sorry, Rob, but I want you to understand that you need to practice without relying on the grid or
circles all the time. When you are out with your
sketchbook and on the bus in a cafe and you draw
a comic or whatever, you can map out a
grud every time. Otherwise, it breaks
the spontaneity. That's why you need to hold the features that define
faith in your mind. And by the way, we haven't talked about
expressions either yet. In this exercise, we will draw eight pass based
on situations that evoke specific emotions and fit your shift when a face
expresses an emotion. Meaning your theory and construction lines
will have to change. So to practice these
new scenarios, I will give you sentences
describing a situation. And then it will be up to you to draw the face that
fits that situation. In this exercise,
you will have to be a little bit more spontaneous without using the grad or maybe still sometimes use
geometrical shapes. I know it's not easy to
imagine an expression, so that's why I
recommend using a mirror and also taking a photo
of yourself if you want. So I will give you an
example for inspiration. Imagine somebody you don't
like tagged you on Instagram. You might be a little
bit suspicious. First, you try mimicking this expression in
front of the mirror, and then you might
take a picture of yourself and finally, you draw on the paper the face
that match this situation. All right, Rob? What
did I just say? Well, I will summarize what the second
exercise is about here. You can first make a sketch
in pencil then ink it. We can work inside small
squares, for example, seven by 7 centimeters.
Try it, Rob. You will see it's fun.
You can look at a photo of yourself while drawing the expression or draw it
from your imagination. Remember the three thirds
framework we saw for portraits. You can use them here.
However, in this case, one third might end up
longer than another. For instance, if
you extend the jaw, try to mentally tap into the emotion while
you are drawing. If you are not satisfied, you can erase and try
again before inking it. This way, you will discover the exact strokes necessary
to convey the emotion. Now I will demonstrate eight emotions that you
should practice too. So pause the video
after each expression. One, terrified. Imagine someone seeing a
ghost. He's terrified. What are the characteristics
of a terrified person, Rob? I mean, how do the
facial features look? Great, and the eyes
are wide open too. Try to recognize
which characteristics belong to an expression. Sometimes two expressions
can look very similar. Joy and fear, for example, in both cases, the mouth
and eyes are open. It's the small details
that distinguish them. Two, mischievous. You are secretly
laughing because you just played a
pronk on a friend. What can we say about this Rob? There are wrinkles
at the corners of the eyes and what eyes. Yes, very good. And the corners
of the mouth turn upward. Once again, it's important
to observe closely. Three, Oti. An emperor facing a curtsan. Very outi indeed. What about this considered
expression Rob? True, but look at how
he pursues his mouth. Notice the backward tilt of his head or how he looks
down his nose at you. Four, surprised. Someone who just won at the slot machines,
very surprised. Here you see the eyebrows are raised very high creating
wrinkles on the forehead. Can you see that Rob? Five, wind swept. Somebody on his motorbike with the wind rushing into his face. The eyes are squinting
against the wind. Six, a gentleman trying to look highly
attractive, a bit proud. Here, every element looks
relatively neutral but sharp. What is the name
of this view, Rob? Not at all. I'm talking about
the angle of the portrait. It's a three quarter view, we draw a circle, then a curve
descending below it, and finally, the is on the side. Seven, SAD. An expression that
is almost sad, perhaps because he couldn't watch a nut class
until the very end. What do the shapes of
the eyes look like, Rob? Yes, a bit closed, but notice the concave curve
on the upper eyelids. Eight, overjoyed. Someone who is ecstatic
to see their friend. Tell me, Rob, what do you see? Exactly. Everything is wide open and the corners of
the eyes crinkle upward. Now it's your turn and see
you for the next exercise.
11. Ex 3: Portraits of a Geisha: So for the second exercise, we will draw two portraits of geisha and one front
view and a profile view. Look at how beautiful they are. Because they wear
traditional makeup, it will be much
easier to distinguish the facial fixtures since the
outlines are much sharper. Also, if you want, you can still use grad and what the grid dimensions are
for a front view portrait. No, it's five by seven. Also go ahead, prepare
some colored pencils and what color do you see
on her face, Rob? Yes, very good.
Also there is red, yellow, black and gray. Now let's start
the demonstration. Okay. Let's begin. I'm going to set up my grad and
draw my oval inside it while looking closely at my photo because the face isn't pointing
completely forward. I'm also tracing the
outline of the hair. Then I'll add each
element of the face, carefully observing
the distances to the surrounding figures. Of course, I will draw the shape exactly as I see them
in the reference. Do you remember
Rob how many times the wides of an eye fit across
the widths of the head? No, it's five. I'm moving very
slowly because I'm looking at the facial
features as I draw them. I pay close attention to the distance from the
surrounding elements, and I check their proportions against the overall
shape of the head. I want to make sure they convey the correct expression
I see in the photo. These are the general
rules when copying anything from
reference or reality. I mean, checking the distance from the surrounding elements, look at the proportions and
check the correct expression. What is the facial expression
of the geisha, Rob? While done, she is happy. Her mouth looks like a moon. Her nose is very
delicate and demands my full attention with wrinkles running down each
side to frame her mouth. They almost look
like parenthesis. The mouth is often the
most important element in the overall
expression of her face. If you give it the wrong angle or if the corners
aren't quite right, it completely changes the mood, correct it if necessary. Here it's a bit tricky because the upper lip blends smoothly
toward the teeth line. No distinct shape of the teeth. I'm applying a vibrant
red to my geishas lips. Now, what do we do, Rob? Yes, a purple red. I forgot to mention the eyes. They are almost completely black because of
the eyeliner and their shape is uniquely
stylized. Next, the hair. I'm finishing the
overall shape before outlining the
decorations in the hair. I want to show the texture of the com lines passing
through the hair. I'm going to take
a dark gray pencil and draw clean lines
next to each other. By using a slightly
blank pencil tip, I can create a
wonderful texture. Finally, I'll color
the decorations, yellow and add some red makeup to the corners of the eyes. I can also add a
skin toned shade at the wood of the hair on the ears and around
the edges of the face. Don't forget the hints
of purple here and there near the eyebrows
and on the cheeks. There's even a bit
of blue on the chin. I'm going to smudge it lightly with my finger to
soften the shadow. To finish, I'll outline
everything in ink. Keep your hand relaxed to
ensure long steady lines. Try practicing your line, wait next to the drawing
first if you need to warm up. You can find the photo in
the resources of the class. Let's move on to
the profile view. This requires two ovals
inside a seven by seven grad. What stands out
about this woman up? Yes, very good. She's a geisha. Her head tilts
slightly forward and her features are beautifully
soft and rounded. Because of this, our first oval will tilt slightly forward. Next, I'll map out the
three thirds of the face. Then I will start
sketching her profile, including the exact position of the eye, the
mouth, and so on. Afterwards, I'll map
out the massive shape of her hair along
with its decorations. I'll place her here in the back half of
the head structure. Finally, I'll color it in
and layer the fine details. You can try a looser
more expressive style here to speed up the process. I like to lightly lift my
pencil sketch with an eraser before adding colors so the graphite doesn't
smudge the pigments. You can work faster by sketching the outlines of
the hair ornaments in pencil and then
rendering the details directly with your
colored pencils. Next, I continue defining
the strengths in the hair. I add skin tones to specific areas of the face around the ears
and down the neck. Finally, I add a few bold
touches of black ink, especially in the hair to create a dynamic contrast
and establish volume. I fill in any remaining gaps with small stroke to
unify the entire drawing. In our next exercise, we will create expressive faces in a much more casual
free hand way.
12. Ex 4: Expressive Faces: How do you go from a
face that resembles rigid academic drawing to one that is simplified
and more expressive? That's what we are going
to see in this exercise. In remote parts of the world, two travelers began to depict the world
through drawings and texts and only an
original approach could convey the strange
reality they saw. Look at Terry Verne drawings. They are directly drawn
from life at first glance, they don't seem to incorporate
the theoretical rules, but yet they fully
integrate them. Perhaps the artist
didn't map out the grad or calculate the rule of cert to
prepare his drawings. But he knew them because when
we look at those drawings, they are well proportioned. Don't you have something
that really stand out? Well, that's fine to
have different opinions, and I think that those
drawings are very strong. It doesn't matter if you
like this style or not. What I want to show
you here is that these use the exact same views
we've been studying, front, tree cutter, profile,
complete with expressions. That's fine. Let's look at another one here look at
Canton Blake's drawings. They are very
expressive. I love them. Rob, tell me what
expression can we see on these drawings
Bravo and this one? Yes, that's it. Next. Well, it looks a little offended to me as if it just
been criticized. This Yes, truly
joyful and her Rob, she has lived her full life. Look at the two
lines on her cheeks. That's enough to signify
old age and her. Admiring I'd say, and him. Yes, completely stunned. And him? Yes, that's it. And him? Yes, that's it. All those faces
communicate something. What is it, Rob? Yes, an emotion, and that's what we are going to
do here to detach ourselves from the
theory and try to create a simplified drawing
that expresses an emotion. It's a bit like a
previous exercise when we build a face
based on scenario. But this time, it's
even more spontaneous. How are we going to do this rub? Yes, pretty much, that's
true that faces look a little bit like scribbles and the process can be a bit random. But I heard that
Mr. Blake repeated the same drawing many times until he found
the perfect version. The great advantage is that the final results look like
they were done very quickly. We can try this approach. Above all, we won't make
our drawings too big. Well, what I'm
suggesting is that we try to experiment with
raw shapes and lines, which we use as raw
material to create faces. You will see. Are you with me? For example, if I do this, what does it make you think of? Or the profile, here you have the eye
and here is the mouth. If I had hair and color,
it becomes a character. What could we do for
front facing face? For example, what if I do this? What does that
make you think of? These are eyebrows. We'll keep exploring to find elements and
you should work on it too. Now we are going to make
some loose scribbles and see what we can
pull out of them. The shape, for example, could be used for
hair or for a mouse. If I make a infinity symbol
and draw it several times, let's see what
expression it gives. I can also sketch little
scribbles for the nose. Sometimes we try things and it doesn't look
like anything at all, but that's perfectly okay. We are allowed to fail. Let's continue our exploration. I can also create
a drawing using, for example, only
horizontal lines. I'll decide to draw a face using only movements that go
from left to right. What original graphic shape
can we imagine for the eyes? We can try to create an
unexpected angle, for instance, if the angle of the eyes makes a V and the eyebrows
follow that same angle, the character will look a
little mean or even devilish. What happens now if I
draw random lines or curves first and then place our facial features
on top of them? This can create
interesting expressions. A cross shape, for example, we suggest an angry face. We can also block in a
solid black shape for the hair first and then
imagine a face underneath it. If you're still having trouble drawing facial
features intuitably, just think about the rule
of thirds in your mind. Or make a pencil sketch using circles or ovals depending
on the view you want. A oval for the front view, a circle for the
three quarter view, and two ovals for
the profile view. But we can also replace
ovals with funnier shapes. For a fun facing portrait,
instead of an oval, let's try something else like a shape that is
very wide at the base. In this case, the face
will look chubby. If you flip it upside down, so the forehead is big, the character will
look very smart. Explore different shapes, irregular shapes and
asymmetric ones too. Treat them like potatoes. Sometimes you will be very
surprised by the results. How about the chin shaped
like a sharp spike? You can also create drawings using scribbles for
the whole face. It's almost like drawing without ever lifting your
pencil from the paper. You capture all the elements with a single continuous line. Forget the conventional shade
you're used to drawing. A quick tip, go slowly. That way you give
yourself time to build and imagine your
drawing as you go. When you reach an area where
an eye or a nose should be, scribble a little more intensely as if you are looking for
the shape while drawing it, maintain an open, relaxed
posture to let yourself be carried away by the movement and welcome
what is created. Practice. Finally, use colorid pencils to create flat areas of color. For example, use one color for the shaded areas and
another for the highlights. Then bring in a third color to add fine details
over the top. I know this is a lot of different techniques
for a single exercise, so I'll summarize
everything here. Then Rob will show us the
beautiful drawings he made. I want to share
another technique using Affinity Designer. Though I'm sure you can
recreate this in Procreate too. It's a look at how
I digitalize and handraw my face and
add a pun background. This is just an idea
for inspiration and I'm sure you can use
your own creativity to create other results. First, I use my iPad
to take a photo of a character from
my physical notebook. It doesn't matter if the
original face was drawn in pen or pencil because we
are going to trace over it. I import the image
into affinity, select the pen tool, choose an appropriate
stroke width, and start tracing
over the photo. Here I'm using a wide of eight. It's much easier if you
drop the opacity of your reference photo
layer down to 20%. Finally, I create a
beautiful background using gradients in
whatever shape I want. For example, let's create a large oval that is slightly
bigger than the face. Pull the shape using the selection tool and then pick a brush
with a nice texture. We'll need two colors. First, I'll take a purple and fill in almost the entire shape. Then I will fill the rest of the shape with a bright pink, adding extra strokes
to build up a texture. Use the lighter color
strategically to emphasize the volume of the face or adding
lighting effects. Now you can repeat
this process much as you like with all
your other characters, adding other colors and so on.
13. Conclusion: Well done, you made it to
the end of the course. This was a long journey,
but a rewarding one. Let's see what we've
accomplished here. Remember, in the first
part of the class, we focused on academic rules. You should now be able
to divide the faith into three equal cells across
different angles. We learned about
geometric shapes, construction lines,
and proportion grads. Meaning you are now able to draw structurally
sound portrait. In the second part of the class, we took those tools
and practice them. We drew portraits from a movie, explore
various expressions, drew geisha from
different angles, and with a bit of randomness, we embraced original characters. We experiment with scribbling, distorting the head shape using abstract guiding lines and
applying blocks of colors. Rob was here to show us
his stunning examples. How was the class for you, Rob? Did you enjoy it? What is your style, Rob? Are you trying to tell me
that I'm old fashioned? No, clearly, it isn't don't
know what is truly trendy. Excellent fundamentals
never go out of style. Well, if you enjoyed my class, please take a moment
to leave a review and also check out my
work on Instagram. As I mentioned
before, you can also check my companion class
on visual storytelling. Thank you so much for joining me and see you in the next one.
Yvan Mermod, Illustrator
