Sketching and Pencil Shading – Portrait of the Front face

by Shravani | Nov 4, 2020

If portraits have excited you, this month we do a 8 day module on ‘Front Face’ Portraits of Men, women and children, learning anatomy – features of the face, how to express emotions through facial features and shading techniques to enhance the portrait.

We will cover the following:

1. Understanding Anatomy and Features of Men, Women, and Child

• We will be learning anatomy and to draw the various features of the face (front facing face) in proportion, the difference between the face structure and features of men, women and children.
  • Men: Typically feature stronger, more angular jawlines and broader shoulders. The brow is more pronounced, and the body structure is generally more muscular.
  • Women: Often have softer facial features, with more delicate jawlines and a generally slender neck. The eyes might be slightly larger in proportion to the face compared to men.
  • Children: Characterized by larger heads in proportion to their bodies, rounder faces, and softer features. Their expressions are more pronounced and can be more exaggerated to convey emotion.

2. Capturing Emotions through various expressions on face

• Students will learn how the various facial features can express emotions. For e.g – The key to capturing emotion lies in the eyes and the mouth. Paying attention to the curvature of the mouth and the shape of the eyes. We will learn how subtle changes can significantly alter the expressed emotion or Eyebrows – We will learn how the positioning of the eyebrows change the emotion conveyed, from raised eyebrows indicating surprise to furrowed brows showing anger or concern and more. These and the rest of the facial features to express emotions.

3. Impact of Light Source on Drawing

• Direction: Students will understand how to use light to focus on the features or expressions etc. For eg. The direction from which light hits the subject influences shadows and highlights. A light source coming from above will create shadows under the nose, lips, and chin, while a light source from the side accentuates the texture and features of the face.
• Intensity: Students will learn how the intensity of the light source affects the contrast between light and dark areas. Stronger light sources create deeper shadows and brighter highlights, adding drama to the sketch.

4. Highlighting and Shading Techniques

• Shading: Students will learn techniques like hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, and blending can be used on the face. Each technique provides a different texture and depth to the drawing. For example, cross-hatching adds volume and density to the shadows, while stippling is great for a more textured look.
• Highlighting: They will learn highlighting techniques. The key areas, usually the forehead, tip of the nose, cheeks, and chin. These highlights align with the direction of the light source to create a realistic appearance of the portrait.

We will move on in the next month to the next module of creating Side portraits and later Figure Drawings for those intending to take up the next modules.

Details –

When: Tue & Thu (4.30-5.30pm IST)
Fee: Rs 2500 for the course (8 classes)

About Bloom and Grow:

Bloom & Grow facilitates artist-led art & craft workshops in studios and also, conducts art based corporate workshops across India.

To get zoom link for joining the free session and to stay updated with the upcoming sessions, join WhatsApp group with the link https://chat.whatsapp.com/HSaoCDNtvd8FxRV8rZckhi