Moving on to people

By Tissa Hewavitarane

We see human faces everywhere. For a beginner, to draw them and paint them is a difficult task. Perhaps some expect instant skill and are, therefore, surprised to find that it is so. To be good at this is rewarding. People always relish to have their own portrait.

Start by jotting down the accurate outline. Do not bother with details early. It is important to remember the basic shape of a skull, front and side. Notice Fig. 1 - How the outlines can be simplified into sound structures to draw. Think of a head as being like an egg with the broad end on top (front view). Half way from the top to the bottom of this is where the eye line is.

Then halfway between the eye and bottom of the jaw, in the inner side of the nose. Halfway between the end of the nose and the chin is the mountain line. The same applies to a head in profile, but the shape from the side is different because the skull extends further back.

In Fig. 2 - Notice how the dotted lines, lightly drawn will give you the correct positions for eyes, nose and mouth and how the neck lines are also marked. The neck does not pop straight up from the top of the body. It comes at an angle which varies with each individual. These proportions give a fairly accurate form to work with and remember that faces vary. Some have long jaws, or high foreheads or narrow faces and so on, and just as an egg is rounded so is a head.

In Fig. 3 - A shows the basic outline of a face (front view) while B shows a complete drawing of a face.

Fig. 4 - Shows a complete drawing of a female face and a male face in colour.

Notice a pale wash of orange is used for the female face, while a pale wash of yellow ochore is used for the male face.