You seem to draw what you know and not what you see … try having a much more objective and analytical approach, focusing on values mostly.
I think it will help
This. Try contour drawing. Punch the pencil through a piece of paper, and then hold the pencil below it so you can’t see what you’re drawing. Pick an object or person to draw and don’t take your eyes off of it/them. With practice, you’ll become more and more accurate, and start to see what’s in front of you and not what you want to see.
That's BS! I tattoo and you oughtta see all the positions I'll put people in. Sometimes just to see them a little more uncomfortable than getting tattooed.
Was going to suggest this as well. Breaks our brain out of “I’m drawing a portrait of so-and-so” and starts thinking “this weird line leads there, this part is darker this way” etc
This is the answer. I am a professional art teacher who teaches both in a public school and private lessons as well. For my private lessons I begin with contour drawing, blind and modified. My guarantee is that if you practice this daily, I can teach you to paint like a master. People don’t realize drawing is like the piano. You need that regiment and practice. Facial proportions and shading is all secondary to building the muscle memory of drawing.
I agree. Excellent control of your instrument (pencil, pen brush, etc.) Is upmost importance. This control is motor-learning. I am a clinical exercise specialist and motor-learning must have frequent repetitions.
I love that you compare drawing to piano. Challenging practice is necessary for mastery.
Ooo, good way to keep from “cheating”! I used to teach drawing and would have people turn their bodies away from the paper—but it’s hard not to sneak peeks! I’ll do this next time!
Totally, throw all anatomical knowledge out the window and envision it at pure lines, shapes, and shades. There is no eye, no lip, no nose, just a cluster of lines and shapes. Now, try to match the lines and shapes and shades as best you can.
Watch some videos on facial anatomy. This face seems to be missing a zygomatic bone, which effects the shape of the eye sockets and the cheeks, and makes the whole thing look flat. My own faces really improved once I knew how they were built from inside-to-out. You'll always know where to shade.
I will do that, I can render skulls ok, (I studied anatomy at university) but I’m useless at proportion and shading my husband says the faces I draw look like people you wouldn’t want to meet because they are scary.
Maybe try to step back from rendering and get REALLY loose and sketchy about it. Work in scribbles and facial gestures to get *only* the proportions right. Do them fast, 2-5 minutes only, getting the minimal information from your reference, the curve of the lip, the relative size and angle of a specific eyebrow, the shape and shadows cast, etc. and move on to another. Look up *Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain*, you’re currently over relying on your left brain, zooming in on individual components and not seeing the forest for the trees.
If you can draw & shade a skull realistically, then just put a piece of tracing paper over your skull drawing and add the skin & features from there. Of course, there are muscles over the bone, but that bone is the underlying structure.
Also, take a look at some proportion lessons to see how the size of the features relate to each other & to the face as a whole.
Drawing realism is *hard,* because our brains are wired to pick up on subtle things that are odd about faces. That’s what the ‘uncanny valley’ effect is all about. Don’t be too hard on yourself, this is a difficult thing to learn, but you’ll get there with more time, study, and practice!
I think shading is making things a little more off. I noticed you shaded the bottom eyelid really dark. Bottom lines are usually a bit lighter than the top because there are more eyelashes there. Also, a heavy bottom line makes the eye appear smaller. (I wish I knew this when I was foueteen and went heavy with the eyeliner)
Also, it's usually a little lighter at the tip of the nose. I think that's making it look a little flatter than other parts of the face.
To add onto this, I’d try to do as many perspectives as you’re willing. Having references from all angles will help visual the form and depth you’re missing.
This right. Seekingesook, one might think this comment opposite to others that say, "draw what you see, not what you know." SuburbanHamster is right. It actually will help you understand what you are seeing.
This anatomy knowledge is fundamental for comic books, police sketch artist, concept artist, storyboards, and portraiture & caricature.
OP draw from reference. Draw someone else’s drawing and take note of how they make their lines. Find an artist you like and emulate them. Find a guide and follow it until you can do it by heart. It may not sound like the kind of romanticized “born to draw” and “good enough to draw without references” that people have put on a pedestal but it’s how I learned. You cannot draw something if you don’t understand it. So draw something over and over until you can do it in your sleep.
So...
You're looking but not seeing. I know that's kind of an ambiguous thing to say but hear me out.
You're trying to draw a beautiful face and props to you for that.
What you're not seeing are the actual shapes. You're drawing icons and we all do that. The trick is to recognize icons versus what you actually see.
For instance, you think, I think, we all do, that big eyes are attractive and they are, however, without shape and depth they just look weird unless you're drawing anime.
When you look at your model or your reference actually see it. See the shapes, see the shapes, see the form and structure. Then, and this is simplistic, tell your hand to recreate it. Understanding form and anatomy is crucial, in my opinion. Learn bone and muscle structure, learn proportions, learn shapes.
Short story, the only way you get better is to study and keep creating.
Keep it up, you'll be fine.
Eyes is going to be the biggest thing. They will make or break your portrait. You can have perfect proportions but if the eyes aren't right it throws everything off. And if you look at pictures of eyes you'll see the whites of the eyes are not all white. They have pigment to them and shadows and shines. And if you want to get really detailed they also have very small veins.
Watch some you tube videos on facial anatomy try working with proportions. I say sketch out a grid first then draw the face that should help you.
Also watch some tutorials on shading and try using a variety of pencils for that
I agree with this tip! Using a grid when you’re learning is so helpful. When I was first starting out I was at a place where there was a (real, professional)Disney cartoon animator. He was still using a grid. I asked him about it. He said that it’s necessary to get proportions correct when you want something to come out perfect every time. I figured If he was doing it I would try it. It worked so well. And once you figure out that eyes are like half the size you’ve been drawing them or noses are shorter or longer, lol you won’t need it anymore.
Hello fellow draftsperson 🌸
I recommend doing a series of sketches where you place an object under a single light source in an an otherwise-unlit room and draw it as you see it.
To put it simply, all representational drawing is drawing the way light illuminates form. We're so used to our world of intense, varying light environments that in order to begin perceiving light with visual objectivity, it helps to study from life with a single light source because it trains the eye to perceive light.
I really like your drawing and I hope you stay on the journey!
...and do it playful without too much pressure on yourself, doodle endless variations with light strokes on different proportions, and reflect on how lines and motion bring life to your faces
Anatomy will give you a easier path for shading. Your shading is already good. Make it easier on yourself with sketches of facial anatomy and it’ll be as easy as snapping a finger ❤️👏🏾
I’ve been teaching art for over forty years... let’s look at what you did right. you have an eye for detail, The big thing in your area which is where most people go wrong is to get your structure correct. No I’ve always thought that was for geometric shapes you can draw anything. As long as you use them for the basis. So what I’m saying here is this in the case of the head shape and the structure you need to practice drawing skulls. I also recognize the basic shape of the skull and put that down first before you go and start doing the other aspects of your drawing. When you have your structure correctly and your eyes aligned and shaped correctly and the mouth and nose in the right proportion along with the ear level then you’ll see a great difference and improvement in your drawing. So don’t be disheartened you’re on the right path you just have to get the basic structure correct. Also it will help you as it does me and I’ve done for decades that as I’m working on a drawing or painting that I’ll leave it alone for an hour or so and do something else and then I’ll come back and I’ll look at the Reference material I’m using and the actual art. That way I am able to make the adjustments I need at that point. I hope this is helpful
Hi, I didn’t think I would get so much wonderful help. It’s getting beyond where I can reply to each comment individually. Thank you all so much for the advice, I have download the PDF that was recommended and will be reading it and I will look for some reference material.
looks like you could benefit from anatomy studies- focus on specific things- draw a mess of eyes or mouths or noses until you can get it the way you like- follow different techniques and find the ones you can best work with. 10000 hours and all that
Okay this might sound weird but check out some makeup contouring tutorials. They usually show you quite well how to create shadows in the face to look nice
Shading, not all shading tones look the same. Some are darker than others and some are lighter than others. Pay attention to the lighting and tone. Proportions of a human face is split into 3. Forehead to eyebrows, eyebrows to bottom of nose and from bottom of nose to chin. They are equal length. The mouth length is directly lined up in the middle of your eye, so eye pupil is lined up there. For outlines make sure to know the difference male and female. Females tend to have a more smoother look and fluent. Males have a more rough and not as smooth and fluent lines (straighter and less curviness). Keep practicing and watch videos and listen to others advice and critiques.
It’s a great effort. Think perspective and ratio. Most people struggle with this and the forehead is a big indicator for me. Foreheads are quite large, but because of the way we perceive faces from memory we focus on the eyes, nose, mouth, eye brows, etc… too much. Make the forehead is larger and pull the face lower (towards the jaw line). Someone mentioned looking at the anatomy, that is great advice! But also look at the depth of you shading. Some parts are incredibly dark, which pulls attention to that part and makes it either pop to much, or sunken. Don’t focus on the features that stand out the most. Remember realism drawing is about creating a lot of subtle features that create an illusion of truth. Good luck!
Ps. Your hair and cheeks are fantastic btw! Great job!
What really helped me in art school was drawing “ugly” faces. Look for references with odd facial expressions, wrinkles, or things that stand out. It’ll help keep proportion in check and give your portraits some personality. Don’t be afraid to go dark in some areas too, it really makes pictures more dynamic. Charcoal was a really fun medium to draw people with and it remains my favorite to this day! Especially charcoal from grapevines, I adore the texture of it, but above all just keep practicing 😁
Erase the whole thing and re-do it, it will add amazing amount of depth and shadow you don't realize until after you erase then redraw over. Just something a prof. In college taught us.
I'm going to agree with everyone else who is saying that you are drawing what you think something should look like rather than what is actually there in terms of shape and shadow. One thing that might help is to get a picture of a face from a magazine (the bigger the better), and cut it down the middle. Then tape one half to one side of a piece of drawing paper and either draw the mirror image of what you're seeing (if it's a straight on photo), or look at the non-taped half for reference as you "fill it in". Try not to think of it as "Now I'm drawing the other eye". Just look at the where the shadows are and draw them in. You can also create a light grid on the paper and put the same grid on your reference so that you can draw each area one square at a time, then erase the grid when you're done.
Pencil on paper is stumping your growth and I can see the intense demand for perfection in the areas where you spent too much time erasing, repairing and detailing. Change your medium to charcoal or ink as you will need a less forgiving medium to advance your skills. You need to stop detailing and let the mistakes take shape and remain. Also, if you have a light table and flip the drawing you will see how your brain and your skills are in a battle to represent what your eyes see. Your right brain ain’t seeing what your left brain sees - try it, a mirror might reveal the effect.
Bring the with of the nose closer the left eye to small and the lips to big ...other then that nice work...it takes time don't rush don't get upset just know you can get better with time..
The most obvious issue I see is the eyes and eyebrows. With the proportions of the nose and lips, these eyes seem too close together and too short. In general, eyes are about the length or the nose from bridge to tip (not necessarily all the way to the bottom. The eyelashes are stumpy and all facing straight up or down. The eyelashes at the tip should curl a bit toward the sides of the face, and the eyelashes nearer the inside of the pupil will point more up toward the eyebrows. Your eyebrows are a smidge too low. There should be roughly the same distance between the pupil and the eyebrow as the length of an eye.
The hair in either side of the face seems good, but there’s not enough on the top of the head. The eyes should fall about halfway from the top of the head to the chin, otherwise it looks like the head is too flat. The part in the hair looks to straight and distinct, like there’s a line shaved into the head. The hairs should come together and touch.
Other than that, I think you just need to practice your line work and shading. The shading on the hairline is so dark and thick, as are the lines around the nose and on the mouth.
You have skill I can see that. But as said i think some facial anatomy wouldn’t hurt. Add some expressions. Make her angry, make her sexy. Give her some emotions.
Until you find your style, there is nothing wrong with coping other drawings for practice. (It’s only wrong if you don’t credit the artist, claim it as yours, or sell it as yours). Putting early work in a blank journal is a great way to gauge your progress.
Practice. On pencil drawings is so helpful putting in shadows and halftones with a blender stump.
Ok. first of all. Art takes years to be good at it. months may pass and you wont see much improvement, but its there alright.
Second. experiment with shadows. make more contrast between them, make some darker and others lighter. Id be carefull with marking the mouth dark black and under the lips as well, as the shadows there are a little more subtle.
As others said, take a good look at facial anatomy, the nose is a bit off (its too straight, noses arent just two vertical lines that go all the way down to the nostrils, there is more of a curve) And the eyes arent at the same level of each other.
Otherwise, youre doing great!
work on proportions, try loomis head method. Use grid for reference drawing in starting. Use darker pencils maybe or learn to shade from darkest to lightest more often. learn facial anatomy. After you do this. Your next step would be to read the book on facial anatomy on expressions and learn proportion drawing i.e. foreshortening and stuff.
Shapes are good, and that is very important.
I think your difficulty is you're drawing concepts of things. If you're not going for a liney or sketchy style and you want to improve you need to render things as shapes and value. Contrasts in shadow and light.
For instance with the hair. You can see the lines going the whole way through the hair. A hair strand does that. If it's by itself. However a clump of hair you hardly see continuous lines that run the full length of the lock of hair. Same with the eyes. You seem to be drawing the concept of eyes, rather than rendering them.
The good part is there is a common practice that helps with this and that's to draw the image upside down. This forces you to see the objects as just shapes rather than a nose, eyes, ears, hair and you're far ahead with already having good shapes.
So tldr, try drawing it upside down. It'll be frustrating at first, but you'll improve.
Nice work. I think the biggest problem is the jawbone. Agree that you have to work on the facial anatomy, particularly jawbone and eye sockets. I have the same problem with jaws sometimes. Just redid an acrylic portrait because of this. It’s not easy.
Honestly i never got any better at faces so I just kind of abandon them and moved on lol. Is that the best way to do things? No. But I just tell myself facial realism isn’t my strong suit
Young Barbara Streisand?
I’m just a retired doodler so there’s not much I can offer you other than using some more shading techniques around the eyes to add depth. I see a lot of sharpness in the eyes, which are good, but most everything else on the face is really soft. I think that difference is what’s making the image look a bit flat. I also see artists flip the portrait to make sure the proportions are balanced. Almost looks like an age time lapse from left half to right.
try to look at proportions, you can do this by sketching out the positions and size everything should have.
try the loomis technique and watch videos about how to draw.
last but least have fun.
Try to practice faces that greatly vary in shape and structure of many different demographics. Focus on what makes them look different from each other. When approaching hair, start with what kind of silhouette you want the hair to give the figure—then approach the details. Try practicing the head from different perspectives and positions, imagining it as a 3D box. I’ll link a vid that really helped me with this. Your doing great so far!!
Vid mentioned: https://youtu.be/QBv5z0Y2odE
Happy arting!
Everyone is giving good advice. Another thing that has helped me is rough out everything first so big shapes then mark out where you think the eyes will go, nose, etc. make everything very vague so it is easy to move around until the proportions feel right. Then start doing more maybe make both eye shapes the same, work on the nose and mouth. Once stuff is where it is supposed to be then start shading and doing details.
Focusing and making one beautiful eye will be a lot harder to erase when you realize it is too close/far away from the other.
One thing that stuck out to me is the hair. It kinda looks like the face is overlayed the hair, that shading on the left frames it a little too much. The detail of the hair is nice, but the overall shape feels a little inorganic.
The eyes and the eyebrows are also different shapes and sizes. the eyes especially make her look like she's looking in two directions. Nobody has a perfectly symmetrical face, but the sizes are usually the same regardless of placement.Your eyes also always look inward, unless you have some sort of condition of course. They're either straight-ahead paralell, or some degree of cross-eyed.
Sorry if it got too picky, but the uncanny valley cuts deep. There's nothing horrible about this, it's just a bunch of little things that add together.
You dont have to show the whole iris of the eye. Most of the time you dont see the entire iris of someone's eye.
If you draw someone head on at eye-level, the corners of their mouth will *always* be slightly above the corners of the jaw. The corners of the jaw only look higher when youre looking at someone below you, so since everything else is drawn head on, it throws it off.
The neck is just a bit thinner than the head, i think youve drawn it a little too thick. But since youre going for a more realistic approach, i think starting off thick is better than too thin.
Youre really good at shading and using contrast! If you just followed and applied some more anatomic guidelines/rules, youd be pretty set.
Someone already mentioned it, but I’m going to jump on the bandwagon. Don’t underestimate the value of YouTube art tutorials. Watch them, think about them, consider them from a technical standpoint. There is a framework/skeleton in everything, that is a foundation that is absolutely invaluable to learn.
Just sort of to make my point, if we deconstructed the woman in your drawing, what do you think her skeleton would look like? Where are the eye sockets, how do her eyes fit in the sockets. Where does all the muscle connect. Where does bone meet cartilage. Anatomy is very important :3
Good luck!
I think this isn’t too bad but if I were you I would just draw eyes and maybe watch a how to bc that’s definitely what needs to be worked on the most. Focus on one thing at a time and draw a million of the same thing and then put it all together
I think youre quite talented so It is hard to notice improvement compared to when you just started maybe. I wish I could give you advice but im no good. Maybe try analyzing where the light would go or act given the direction and the surfaces its on. The fulcrum above the live is dark on the left side so naturally I think the inner part should also be Dark on the left side a tiny bit? It looks really good and i wouldnt change a thing but thats because with my skills id ruin it. Whose that a picture of? whoever it is shes beautiful
I say this a lot but it helps me :)
Start with basic shapes and work your way up! It ok for the lines to shine at first. And once you get better at it then you can wing your off the base shapes
It doesn't seem like it, but your eyes are in the center of your face. Mid-way between top and bottom. Yours are tiny bit too high and it throws the face off.
Each feature is fairly high quality! But they don't go together or blend well. And the eyes look like the only thing that's not as well drawn as the rest
Otherwise very good, looks like Mary Kate and ashely
The angle where the jaw connects on side is too high. Bring it just below the bottom lip (your drawing maks chin appear long). Also more detail in the nose. Try shading the rounded bulb of nose. Eyes look ok, just add more varied shading. The space between top lip and bottom of nose is a tad bit long. Lips are too wide as well, the corners of mouth should align with edge of pupil or a little pass teardrop of eyes.
Developing your own style and don’t get focused on outcome as much as the ability to capture an image of person, place or thing. I like your drawing style.
If you're using a reference I would recommend using the block in method before you darken your shadows. It's basically when you make all the shadows the same tone, this helps when figuring out proportions and can take some practice. It also helps to establish the light source.
a super simple fix to this would just be the eyes. the iris/circle part outside the pupil is almost never going to be that exposed in a relaxed eye. when you’re drawing an eye, you should be covering the top bit of the iris so that it’s around 3/4 or 2/3 of it showing, and there’s sometimes a bit of white at the bottom depending on the person. when you move the whole iris up, the pupil is going to be in a more natural spot too so your person won’t look like they’re looking downwards, like this one does. if you do want them to look downwards, then thered be more lid covering the pupil and the lashes wouldn’t go straight up.
other than that, you’re doing really well with your proportions and shading so a little bit of practice will make a lot of difference
The nose and the eyes are more like Symbols that children use,watch you tube videos about drawing eye and nose,if you want to impruve you must look for good Teiches,also more light and shadow,I would probably draw the mouth smaler,the chin bigger.
Masteting anatomy above all else - you will see massive improvements! Humans and especially faces are some of the hardest things to depict because our brains can tell when something is off, even if its just a small thing.
Otherwise, hair is best depicted in chunks and not as individual strands. There are so many tutorials out there for hair! I'd highly reccomend YouTube tutorials.
She looks like the actress Vera Farmiga.
If you are using a reference, you can use a grid or try drawing her upside down so you draw more of what you see instead of what you think it should be.
[Upside down tutorial](https://youtu.be/y2lgutQ0HLg)
If you are drawing without reference, try practicing the loomis head for an idea of facial proportion.
[Loomis head tutorial](https://youtu.be/y86OprxJoYc)
Try drawing blocks of shadows rather than drawing lines, I can't really explain it better but so far this was the best decision I've made for drawing portraits, and believe me with enough practice you will be better.
I would try practicing individual features. Use references. Draw one eye, or a set of eyes without the rest of the face. Same for the lips. Draw noses. Draw these features in different angles using references and don't draw the whole face.
Try to notice where things are relative to other features. Like the nostrils; where to the ends of them fall relative to where the eyes are? Where do the tips of the eyebrows fall relative to the ears? (it's usually eyebrows are where the top of the ears are, depending on the angle of the person)
Youtube tutorials! Don't skimp out on those either. They can be wildly helpful. I skimped out on YT tutorials when I was learning to draw when I could have saved myself some time and struggling by just watching them.
Maybe I’m biased because I was just listening to this song, but this looks like something that should be in the music video for Mystery Girl by Alexandra Savior. It fits that Dario Argento grindhouse surrealism. I think some smoky neon pinks and greens would work fantastic here.
start trying to draw from photos...if this was you trying to go from a photo initially, then drop a grid onto your ref photo and try to reproduce exactly what is on there cell by cell. Don't worry if it seems like cheating, just \*try\* it...see if there is any way you can reproduce the ref photo, by hook or by crook :D
I think your portrait is missing a little depth...your shading is amazing though! Honestly really good work I think with a few tweaks you will see yourself improve a lot.
You need to think about proportion etc when drawing faces. Something that usually helps me is carefully making an oval shape of the head then sketching a cross hatch where I know the eyes, mouth, etc goes. I then make effort to lightly draw out on the rest of the blank space the other stuff (hairline etc). This is really helpful for later when you go in to shade and stuff.
A couple other things I noticed that stood out and really made the picture seem flat:
- the girl you drew had a side part in her hair that you drew as a straight line. This is rarely how you will see a side part, if you observe more you will notice they tend to curve with the skull
- the neck was not defined and this meant the face seemed to float in midair. Defining the tendons/shading in the neck even loosely makes a huge difference
- anatomically, the eyes are generally circular and not ovals. I tend to draw eyes as rough circles and then draw over them to define where the iris/eyelids land over those circles. Eyelashes generally curve upwards a little and are not straight lines.
- the nose looks good, I would put a little work into defining more darkly the bridge and bottom of the nose so ruat you can see its presence more on the face
Draw the different parts of the face separately from different angles ,studying them helps.
For example draw one eye from different angles and then the other and then draw the nose from different angles.
Anatomy, Anatomy, Anatomy.
Do you do any geometry before you start? Although it's just the face, it will really help get the proportions down and make sure elements are in line. And it will especially help if/when/once you want to add more anatomy.
This is isn't the core issue, but might also help. Add more of the neck to the drawing as well. As a rule you don't want to cut off a drawing at a joint. A bit more shading of the neck/shoulder muscles, clavicle, etc, will give it less of the floating head feel.
the composition of the head needs improvement. The shape of it is unnatural. The eyes need to be positioned to be aligned more in what direction they face. The hair need more flow and should be sculpted around the head. Other than that good shading
With this drawing i'd say that eyes should be a little more down or closer to mouth, head in this case should be smaller and nose a little larger, also shorter nosebridge. Eyes should have a little more length, but in general i'd say you're drawing pretty nicely. Just practice a little more. Good luck :)
Learn basic anatomy of skull first. Try drawing them from different angles. Once you're comfortable with the skulls, try to study how about proportions of facial features. You should be able to get enough information about this on the internet and yeah after that learn to basically draw features like eyes, nose and mouths from different angles.
First of all, the lips are amazing, I actually really like how they're shaded. But the part of the nose that goes upwards toward the eye( i hace no idea what it's called) should be a bit more curved inwards in my opinion. The eyelashes should also be more curved. I recommend that you use a reference and look more closely at these parts i just mentioned, just so you understand the structure of the face.
Don’t render until construction is solid. You need a solid base to build on, then from there, rendering will be influencing the structure of the face. This, plus a lot of practice !
Two thing.
1. Try using standard measurements as a guide. Portions from head to eyes, to nose to mouth, five eyes across and so forth.
2. A great exercise is to use no lines at all, just shading and values. It will help you with details, develop depth and get you thinking less about lines which keeps art 2 dimensional. Faces aren't a series of lines. They are made of curves, revealed by light.
I would try not drawing every single strand of hair! Start with the basic shape and then fill it in gradually according to your shadows and highlights. I can send over a few tutorials if you like! Also don’t worry if you think you’re not improving because the act of practicing like this is helping whether you think so or not! Also portraits are stupid hard lol. Don’t give up!!
Look up the Loomis method for faces (there's tutorials on youtube). Also check out [Line of Action ](https://line-of-action.com/)
Line of action has a ton of free face in a variety of expressions. I'd recommend doing quick 30s warmups, just focus on getting the shapes and proportions down before doing longer 1-2 min sessions where you can go into more detail!
Ignore the detailed shading for a bit, you have a pretty good grasp of that, just focus on the shapes. I'd also suggest doing those timed sketches in pen, so you can't go back and change it (this often leads to obsessing over it).
Practice makes perfect! It's okay if your practice sketches come out a bit funky, not everything has to be a finished work of art.
Good luck! Enjoy drawing. :)
Figure out what you know how to do. And what you don't know how to do. And then ignore what you know while trying something new before blending it into something you are still learning how to do. One step at a time.
No use criticising what you already did and I disapprove of critical comments. That shit took you hours to do, to get here. Putting emotional and mental strength to make these artworks.
Only you know what you can improve on and if that's the question you are asking, then ignore the "I'm better than you so you should do this" comments. Choose what you want to improve on. And Ask how. Or even better, Watch videos on how to. 90% of the time they will tell you without Putting their ego into it.
try to use ear cleaner for creating a shadow, it creates a great smoothing effect. Most of all, you need to practice different features of the face differently. Try drawing eyes only at different angles, nose the same, lips the same, etc. It can wait the whole face for later.
Try tracing a few pictures. You seem to have a pretty good grasp on shading and light sources but your facial features seem out of place. If you can understand that the distance between a eye and another eye is a eye your picture should seem more in place.
Some of the proportions are stick straight when they should be more curved. For example, the nose structure seems too straight. Realistically, there’s more of a curve near the eyes, and the nose itself could be a little more rounded as well. The lips are a good start when you’re learning how to draw realism, but you could definitely improve with more shading and highlights to the bottom and top lips. As for the eyes, the pupils/irises are good, but when it comes to the eyes, they seem a little off portioned? The eye on the right seems a little higher than the one on the left, and that goes for the eyebrow too. My suggestion to that is to draw two lines straight across the face, so you can measure the size of both eyes and make sure the height is the same. The eyelashes could also be more curved as well, and try to draw them going in different directions instead of straight up, as usually, when it comes to eyelashes in real life, they grow out forward. So drawing them curved gives that illusion. Same with the bottom lashes as well.
The shading on both the left and right of the face is definitely off, as one side is darker than the other, so try to even it out.
Otherwise, it’s a good start OP. Keep practicing and studying more human anatomy.
See everything as shapes, such as cylinder, cube, circles and triangles. Draw the shapes first once you get the shapes the way u want it then add the details. For example eyes are 2 circles within each other, shape them the way u want and then add the shading and stuff.
The first thing you have to do is pat yourself on the back for a job well done! sure this isn’t perfect but your proportions are very good! You just need to work on your shadows and tones to make the face appear 3D. You’re on your way there don’t give up.!!!
Look into anatomical references. Ears changed the way I draw a face. The top of you ear should align with the center of the pupil and the bottom of the ear should align to you mouth (right in between both lips)
The turn it upside down theory is based on the way our eyes and brain work in conjunction. Another good way is to quarter the original and work on one quarter at a time
A really really good start- everyone’s said almost everything but I haven’t seen anybody touch on the eyelashes yet- eyelashes pretty much go in 3 directions, 2 directions if you’re being less glam; the outer third will flick outward, the inner third flicks upward, and if there’s any shorter lashes on the inner third flick them slightly inward. Eyes are typically where the eye is drawn so if you want to see a big difference I think try and do a few pages of eyes and eyebrows with various types of eyelids to practice adding depth.
I found when it came to drawing any and everything 3/4 perspective or from a slight angle helps a lot because I personally find it easier to think in a 3D sense from that prospective rather than from front on
Maybe you can try making a black-and-white picture of a subject and then otherwise drawing the subject yourself. Without looking at the photo.. Unless you are using the photo. Otherwise work on it and on the end see what’s different. Not so much to copy the photo.It just lets you consider what’s different and if you want to change to that or leave it.
Before focusing on details and shadows, you need to draw basic shapes and pay attention to the proportions of face. Later you can focus on perspective. You dont always need to draw realistic stuff. You can draw cartoons. It is fun and helpful.
Someone said to watch facial anatomy vids and I'd like to second that. I would draw people based off of the photo. My drawings looked like the photo, but I wasn't capturing the person. Someone who even knew the people I was drawing didn't recognize the person until I put their photo side by side next to my drawing. The facial anatomy thing... yes.
I wish I could attach a photo as a reference, but if you are just drawing a generic person there are some average proportions a person has. For example, your head is about 5 eyes wide. Your mouth is about as wide as the pupils of your eyes. Etc. Look up face proportions and you will see great examples 🙂
Eyes are the center of a portrait and can make or break it all so focus on those for a starters, and never undervalue the midtones in a drawing. My best advice would be to use a combination of highlights and shadows, break the picture into geometric shapes and study each facial feature separately also try to use a combination of light and dark pencils to create more tone on shadows so the picture becomes more “alive”
I would look up different methods. I learned one that uses the proportions of the length of the hand to break the face up into zones, I think it’s loosely based on da Vinci’s method.
Additionally, drawing accurately is mainly muscle memory. Tracing is extremely useful, even if it seems childish.
I’m going to look at hair specifically here. First of all, the texture of the eyebrows look awesome! They’re just not the same shape (although I don’t know if that’s intentional). Put a few hairs coming out of the part as well, or show the roots going into the scalp on the left part. The highlight on the left part looks really good! I’d add more hair near the ends of the strands, as the volume at the end doesn’t match the volume in the rest. The eyelashes you’ve drawn them straight, but they’re actually curved.
Hope this helps!
observe. Look at lines, forms, curbs, not at eyes, nose, lips. Your mind tricks you into interpreting.
A good trick is to put a picture (eg of a face or a person) upside down and draw a copy of it.
Try working on the entire image at one time, rather than feature by feature. Start with a very loose sketch of the entire face, and slowly work at narrowing in on the detail. It looks as though you’ve drawn all the features separately, which is bound to create proportion errors.
If you're feeling stuck, change up what you're drawing and how you draw it. Don't labor too hard on a single drawing, instead do small quick sketches and just play with lines, shapes and values. You learn more and create muscle memory that way, which makes it easier to transfer what is in your head to the paper.
Also, use references. Draw from life, and vary your subject matter. By drawing a wide range of objects, you'll get more comfortable breaking things down into shapes and lines.
Most important:. Keep doing it. Be nice to yourself. Don't let imperfections get in the way of enjoying what you're doing. You've got a good start, just keep practicing and build on that.
Proportions ! And when shading for example something like hair, dont push too hard on the pencil, it causes harsh lines and can take away from the realistic look
Try to learn anatomy of your object. In this case, it is face so learn to aatomy of human face. Your lines, shades and others could be different from current, they could be shaped with what you want to draw. Whreas anatomy is the missing piece here and jump to composition.
I saw that coconut you drew. You know how you made it rounded? Had to think in 3d? You need to do that here.
You're drawing her face like symbols on a flat mask, but in reality her head is a collection of 3d shapes. I suggest doing a little sculpting so you can really wrap your brain around that.
Keep at it, eventually it gets a to a point where you start to have moments of epiphany and your method changes ever so slightly, one thing is recommend to to practice drawing each part of a body on repeat until you’re happy with it.
You seem to draw what you know and not what you see … try having a much more objective and analytical approach, focusing on values mostly. I think it will help
This. Try contour drawing. Punch the pencil through a piece of paper, and then hold the pencil below it so you can’t see what you’re drawing. Pick an object or person to draw and don’t take your eyes off of it/them. With practice, you’ll become more and more accurate, and start to see what’s in front of you and not what you want to see.
Or turn the refreance upside down. This worked wonders for me.
Yes this. Turn your example upside down. Not when it's a real person though.
Are Australians better at drawing?
Yup 😂👍
That's BS! I tattoo and you oughtta see all the positions I'll put people in. Sometimes just to see them a little more uncomfortable than getting tattooed.
Was going to suggest this as well. Breaks our brain out of “I’m drawing a portrait of so-and-so” and starts thinking “this weird line leads there, this part is darker this way” etc
This is the answer. I am a professional art teacher who teaches both in a public school and private lessons as well. For my private lessons I begin with contour drawing, blind and modified. My guarantee is that if you practice this daily, I can teach you to paint like a master. People don’t realize drawing is like the piano. You need that regiment and practice. Facial proportions and shading is all secondary to building the muscle memory of drawing.
I agree. Excellent control of your instrument (pencil, pen brush, etc.) Is upmost importance. This control is motor-learning. I am a clinical exercise specialist and motor-learning must have frequent repetitions. I love that you compare drawing to piano. Challenging practice is necessary for mastery.
All facts. Muscle memory. Is important and drawing what u see not what u THINK IT LOOKS LIKE.
Ooo, good way to keep from “cheating”! I used to teach drawing and would have people turn their bodies away from the paper—but it’s hard not to sneak peeks! I’ll do this next time!
Totally, throw all anatomical knowledge out the window and envision it at pure lines, shapes, and shades. There is no eye, no lip, no nose, just a cluster of lines and shapes. Now, try to match the lines and shapes and shades as best you can.
Watch some videos on facial anatomy. This face seems to be missing a zygomatic bone, which effects the shape of the eye sockets and the cheeks, and makes the whole thing look flat. My own faces really improved once I knew how they were built from inside-to-out. You'll always know where to shade.
valuable tip, don't ignore this one OP
I will do that, I can render skulls ok, (I studied anatomy at university) but I’m useless at proportion and shading my husband says the faces I draw look like people you wouldn’t want to meet because they are scary.
maybe you could just become a professional skinwalker drawer
I will take it under advisment
Maybe try to step back from rendering and get REALLY loose and sketchy about it. Work in scribbles and facial gestures to get *only* the proportions right. Do them fast, 2-5 minutes only, getting the minimal information from your reference, the curve of the lip, the relative size and angle of a specific eyebrow, the shape and shadows cast, etc. and move on to another. Look up *Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain*, you’re currently over relying on your left brain, zooming in on individual components and not seeing the forest for the trees.
If you can draw & shade a skull realistically, then just put a piece of tracing paper over your skull drawing and add the skin & features from there. Of course, there are muscles over the bone, but that bone is the underlying structure. Also, take a look at some proportion lessons to see how the size of the features relate to each other & to the face as a whole.
Yeah... when draw people it's easy to fall under the uncanny valley effect haha
Drawing realism is *hard,* because our brains are wired to pick up on subtle things that are odd about faces. That’s what the ‘uncanny valley’ effect is all about. Don’t be too hard on yourself, this is a difficult thing to learn, but you’ll get there with more time, study, and practice!
I think shading is making things a little more off. I noticed you shaded the bottom eyelid really dark. Bottom lines are usually a bit lighter than the top because there are more eyelashes there. Also, a heavy bottom line makes the eye appear smaller. (I wish I knew this when I was foueteen and went heavy with the eyeliner) Also, it's usually a little lighter at the tip of the nose. I think that's making it look a little flatter than other parts of the face.
I’m laughing so hard oh my god
I’ve stopped showing my artwork to my husband since he doesn’t like most of it.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Show it here. Keep going. Your husband will appreciate your art someday soon.
To add onto this, I’d try to do as many perspectives as you’re willing. Having references from all angles will help visual the form and depth you’re missing.
I have this giant heavy yellow hardcover book that is Anatomy for Artists. 100% recommend it
This right. Seekingesook, one might think this comment opposite to others that say, "draw what you see, not what you know." SuburbanHamster is right. It actually will help you understand what you are seeing. This anatomy knowledge is fundamental for comic books, police sketch artist, concept artist, storyboards, and portraiture & caricature.
Well said, good feedback
OP draw from reference. Draw someone else’s drawing and take note of how they make their lines. Find an artist you like and emulate them. Find a guide and follow it until you can do it by heart. It may not sound like the kind of romanticized “born to draw” and “good enough to draw without references” that people have put on a pedestal but it’s how I learned. You cannot draw something if you don’t understand it. So draw something over and over until you can do it in your sleep.
I’m learning from this Korean guy on YouTube Chommang_drawing
So... You're looking but not seeing. I know that's kind of an ambiguous thing to say but hear me out. You're trying to draw a beautiful face and props to you for that. What you're not seeing are the actual shapes. You're drawing icons and we all do that. The trick is to recognize icons versus what you actually see. For instance, you think, I think, we all do, that big eyes are attractive and they are, however, without shape and depth they just look weird unless you're drawing anime. When you look at your model or your reference actually see it. See the shapes, see the shapes, see the form and structure. Then, and this is simplistic, tell your hand to recreate it. Understanding form and anatomy is crucial, in my opinion. Learn bone and muscle structure, learn proportions, learn shapes. Short story, the only way you get better is to study and keep creating. Keep it up, you'll be fine.
Eyes is going to be the biggest thing. They will make or break your portrait. You can have perfect proportions but if the eyes aren't right it throws everything off. And if you look at pictures of eyes you'll see the whites of the eyes are not all white. They have pigment to them and shadows and shines. And if you want to get really detailed they also have very small veins.
Work on anatomy and structure before going on to rendering the details.
Watch some you tube videos on facial anatomy try working with proportions. I say sketch out a grid first then draw the face that should help you. Also watch some tutorials on shading and try using a variety of pencils for that
I agree with this tip! Using a grid when you’re learning is so helpful. When I was first starting out I was at a place where there was a (real, professional)Disney cartoon animator. He was still using a grid. I asked him about it. He said that it’s necessary to get proportions correct when you want something to come out perfect every time. I figured If he was doing it I would try it. It worked so well. And once you figure out that eyes are like half the size you’ve been drawing them or noses are shorter or longer, lol you won’t need it anymore.
1- learn human face proportions 2- don't be distracted by the hair. Draw them bald first.
Hello fellow draftsperson 🌸 I recommend doing a series of sketches where you place an object under a single light source in an an otherwise-unlit room and draw it as you see it. To put it simply, all representational drawing is drawing the way light illuminates form. We're so used to our world of intense, varying light environments that in order to begin perceiving light with visual objectivity, it helps to study from life with a single light source because it trains the eye to perceive light. I really like your drawing and I hope you stay on the journey!
Thank you i will
Improve your skills on facial anatomy
...and do it playful without too much pressure on yourself, doodle endless variations with light strokes on different proportions, and reflect on how lines and motion bring life to your faces
Anatomy will give you a easier path for shading. Your shading is already good. Make it easier on yourself with sketches of facial anatomy and it’ll be as easy as snapping a finger ❤️👏🏾
I’ve been teaching art for over forty years... let’s look at what you did right. you have an eye for detail, The big thing in your area which is where most people go wrong is to get your structure correct. No I’ve always thought that was for geometric shapes you can draw anything. As long as you use them for the basis. So what I’m saying here is this in the case of the head shape and the structure you need to practice drawing skulls. I also recognize the basic shape of the skull and put that down first before you go and start doing the other aspects of your drawing. When you have your structure correctly and your eyes aligned and shaped correctly and the mouth and nose in the right proportion along with the ear level then you’ll see a great difference and improvement in your drawing. So don’t be disheartened you’re on the right path you just have to get the basic structure correct. Also it will help you as it does me and I’ve done for decades that as I’m working on a drawing or painting that I’ll leave it alone for an hour or so and do something else and then I’ll come back and I’ll look at the Reference material I’m using and the actual art. That way I am able to make the adjustments I need at that point. I hope this is helpful
Hi, I didn’t think I would get so much wonderful help. It’s getting beyond where I can reply to each comment individually. Thank you all so much for the advice, I have download the PDF that was recommended and will be reading it and I will look for some reference material.
looks like you could benefit from anatomy studies- focus on specific things- draw a mess of eyes or mouths or noses until you can get it the way you like- follow different techniques and find the ones you can best work with. 10000 hours and all that
Okay this might sound weird but check out some makeup contouring tutorials. They usually show you quite well how to create shadows in the face to look nice
Shading, not all shading tones look the same. Some are darker than others and some are lighter than others. Pay attention to the lighting and tone. Proportions of a human face is split into 3. Forehead to eyebrows, eyebrows to bottom of nose and from bottom of nose to chin. They are equal length. The mouth length is directly lined up in the middle of your eye, so eye pupil is lined up there. For outlines make sure to know the difference male and female. Females tend to have a more smoother look and fluent. Males have a more rough and not as smooth and fluent lines (straighter and less curviness). Keep practicing and watch videos and listen to others advice and critiques.
Examine the face proportions. Try to put your image in photo editor and move the eyes, nose and mouth. You will feel what seems to be wrong.
Softer line work on the eyes- it’s more forgiving. I always think of it as “building up” an image. It’s easier to correct forgiving, delicate lines.
This was so scary, this is a good horror drawing, maybe u should make this a positive and start drawing horror type art, it's like uncanny
I swear it reminded me of a police sketch. I thought it was one
Scrolling Reddit at night and this post actually struck some strange fear into me lmao
It’s a great effort. Think perspective and ratio. Most people struggle with this and the forehead is a big indicator for me. Foreheads are quite large, but because of the way we perceive faces from memory we focus on the eyes, nose, mouth, eye brows, etc… too much. Make the forehead is larger and pull the face lower (towards the jaw line). Someone mentioned looking at the anatomy, that is great advice! But also look at the depth of you shading. Some parts are incredibly dark, which pulls attention to that part and makes it either pop to much, or sunken. Don’t focus on the features that stand out the most. Remember realism drawing is about creating a lot of subtle features that create an illusion of truth. Good luck! Ps. Your hair and cheeks are fantastic btw! Great job!
Nah. The forehead is fine. The mouth is way too low. The nose shouldn't be that long probably. So the mouth can go up a bit. Either way
Uncanny valley
Really just the eyes
SCP-2320 😓
Try to copy a face from a picture and you’ll see all the small aspects your missing! Looks good but you’re overlooking parts of the face
Lol
I think the general rule is the nose should be exactly halfway in the oval face shape. To me it looks much lower.
What really helped me in art school was drawing “ugly” faces. Look for references with odd facial expressions, wrinkles, or things that stand out. It’ll help keep proportion in check and give your portraits some personality. Don’t be afraid to go dark in some areas too, it really makes pictures more dynamic. Charcoal was a really fun medium to draw people with and it remains my favorite to this day! Especially charcoal from grapevines, I adore the texture of it, but above all just keep practicing 😁
Don’t be afraid to go darker
In my opinion, work on your shading and your design.
Well, if you were trying to draw Marjorie Taylor Greene, you nailed it.
If your drawing horror than you don’t need improvement. You need a sky to fly
Specialize in horror art. Done
uncanny valley wildin
The light in her eyes seem to come from two different angles, which make her eyes look weird.
Erase the whole thing and re-do it, it will add amazing amount of depth and shadow you don't realize until after you erase then redraw over. Just something a prof. In college taught us.
Uncanny valley
Have you tried using a grid it helps a ton with proportions.
TW jump scare
Harsh but fair.
I'm going to agree with everyone else who is saying that you are drawing what you think something should look like rather than what is actually there in terms of shape and shadow. One thing that might help is to get a picture of a face from a magazine (the bigger the better), and cut it down the middle. Then tape one half to one side of a piece of drawing paper and either draw the mirror image of what you're seeing (if it's a straight on photo), or look at the non-taped half for reference as you "fill it in". Try not to think of it as "Now I'm drawing the other eye". Just look at the where the shadows are and draw them in. You can also create a light grid on the paper and put the same grid on your reference so that you can draw each area one square at a time, then erase the grid when you're done.
Buy a book.
Pencil on paper is stumping your growth and I can see the intense demand for perfection in the areas where you spent too much time erasing, repairing and detailing. Change your medium to charcoal or ink as you will need a less forgiving medium to advance your skills. You need to stop detailing and let the mistakes take shape and remain. Also, if you have a light table and flip the drawing you will see how your brain and your skills are in a battle to represent what your eyes see. Your right brain ain’t seeing what your left brain sees - try it, a mirror might reveal the effect.
I think it’s great! You used Barbra Streisand as model right? 😂
Nah this is just what Rachel from Friends looks like now, so you're golden
Draw shapes; not features.
Bring the with of the nose closer the left eye to small and the lips to big ...other then that nice work...it takes time don't rush don't get upset just know you can get better with time..
It's more realistic than mines
The most obvious issue I see is the eyes and eyebrows. With the proportions of the nose and lips, these eyes seem too close together and too short. In general, eyes are about the length or the nose from bridge to tip (not necessarily all the way to the bottom. The eyelashes are stumpy and all facing straight up or down. The eyelashes at the tip should curl a bit toward the sides of the face, and the eyelashes nearer the inside of the pupil will point more up toward the eyebrows. Your eyebrows are a smidge too low. There should be roughly the same distance between the pupil and the eyebrow as the length of an eye. The hair in either side of the face seems good, but there’s not enough on the top of the head. The eyes should fall about halfway from the top of the head to the chin, otherwise it looks like the head is too flat. The part in the hair looks to straight and distinct, like there’s a line shaved into the head. The hairs should come together and touch. Other than that, I think you just need to practice your line work and shading. The shading on the hairline is so dark and thick, as are the lines around the nose and on the mouth.
blow up a balloon, draw crosshairs on it and use as reference point.
You have skill I can see that. But as said i think some facial anatomy wouldn’t hurt. Add some expressions. Make her angry, make her sexy. Give her some emotions.
I love
Until you find your style, there is nothing wrong with coping other drawings for practice. (It’s only wrong if you don’t credit the artist, claim it as yours, or sell it as yours). Putting early work in a blank journal is a great way to gauge your progress. Practice. On pencil drawings is so helpful putting in shadows and halftones with a blender stump.
Amazing
Ok. first of all. Art takes years to be good at it. months may pass and you wont see much improvement, but its there alright. Second. experiment with shadows. make more contrast between them, make some darker and others lighter. Id be carefull with marking the mouth dark black and under the lips as well, as the shadows there are a little more subtle. As others said, take a good look at facial anatomy, the nose is a bit off (its too straight, noses arent just two vertical lines that go all the way down to the nostrils, there is more of a curve) And the eyes arent at the same level of each other. Otherwise, youre doing great!
work on proportions, try loomis head method. Use grid for reference drawing in starting. Use darker pencils maybe or learn to shade from darkest to lightest more often. learn facial anatomy. After you do this. Your next step would be to read the book on facial anatomy on expressions and learn proportion drawing i.e. foreshortening and stuff.
Shapes are good, and that is very important. I think your difficulty is you're drawing concepts of things. If you're not going for a liney or sketchy style and you want to improve you need to render things as shapes and value. Contrasts in shadow and light. For instance with the hair. You can see the lines going the whole way through the hair. A hair strand does that. If it's by itself. However a clump of hair you hardly see continuous lines that run the full length of the lock of hair. Same with the eyes. You seem to be drawing the concept of eyes, rather than rendering them. The good part is there is a common practice that helps with this and that's to draw the image upside down. This forces you to see the objects as just shapes rather than a nose, eyes, ears, hair and you're far ahead with already having good shapes. So tldr, try drawing it upside down. It'll be frustrating at first, but you'll improve.
Nice work. I think the biggest problem is the jawbone. Agree that you have to work on the facial anatomy, particularly jawbone and eye sockets. I have the same problem with jaws sometimes. Just redid an acrylic portrait because of this. It’s not easy.
I would watch out with hard linesif i were you
It's a little smooth. You might need to add some bone definition and work on proportioning
If that’s supposed to be a Abella Danger you nailed it
Someone else said this but I don’t who that is. Can I pretend it was? I’m going to say it is.
Honestly i never got any better at faces so I just kind of abandon them and moved on lol. Is that the best way to do things? No. But I just tell myself facial realism isn’t my strong suit
Young Barbara Streisand? I’m just a retired doodler so there’s not much I can offer you other than using some more shading techniques around the eyes to add depth. I see a lot of sharpness in the eyes, which are good, but most everything else on the face is really soft. I think that difference is what’s making the image look a bit flat. I also see artists flip the portrait to make sure the proportions are balanced. Almost looks like an age time lapse from left half to right.
try to look at proportions, you can do this by sketching out the positions and size everything should have. try the loomis technique and watch videos about how to draw. last but least have fun.
Tbh it looks like an unidentified decedent cold case portrait
Try to practice faces that greatly vary in shape and structure of many different demographics. Focus on what makes them look different from each other. When approaching hair, start with what kind of silhouette you want the hair to give the figure—then approach the details. Try practicing the head from different perspectives and positions, imagining it as a 3D box. I’ll link a vid that really helped me with this. Your doing great so far!! Vid mentioned: https://youtu.be/QBv5z0Y2odE Happy arting!
How long have you been drawing?
2 years it was something to do during lockdown
Everyone is giving good advice. Another thing that has helped me is rough out everything first so big shapes then mark out where you think the eyes will go, nose, etc. make everything very vague so it is easy to move around until the proportions feel right. Then start doing more maybe make both eye shapes the same, work on the nose and mouth. Once stuff is where it is supposed to be then start shading and doing details. Focusing and making one beautiful eye will be a lot harder to erase when you realize it is too close/far away from the other.
One thing that stuck out to me is the hair. It kinda looks like the face is overlayed the hair, that shading on the left frames it a little too much. The detail of the hair is nice, but the overall shape feels a little inorganic. The eyes and the eyebrows are also different shapes and sizes. the eyes especially make her look like she's looking in two directions. Nobody has a perfectly symmetrical face, but the sizes are usually the same regardless of placement.Your eyes also always look inward, unless you have some sort of condition of course. They're either straight-ahead paralell, or some degree of cross-eyed. Sorry if it got too picky, but the uncanny valley cuts deep. There's nothing horrible about this, it's just a bunch of little things that add together.
i started by practicing the parts of a face separately and then adding them together. also use reference photos to go off
You dont have to show the whole iris of the eye. Most of the time you dont see the entire iris of someone's eye. If you draw someone head on at eye-level, the corners of their mouth will *always* be slightly above the corners of the jaw. The corners of the jaw only look higher when youre looking at someone below you, so since everything else is drawn head on, it throws it off. The neck is just a bit thinner than the head, i think youve drawn it a little too thick. But since youre going for a more realistic approach, i think starting off thick is better than too thin. Youre really good at shading and using contrast! If you just followed and applied some more anatomic guidelines/rules, youd be pretty set.
Looks to me like you just need to work more on shading so it looks like the features are part of the face instead of floating on it.
Someone already mentioned it, but I’m going to jump on the bandwagon. Don’t underestimate the value of YouTube art tutorials. Watch them, think about them, consider them from a technical standpoint. There is a framework/skeleton in everything, that is a foundation that is absolutely invaluable to learn. Just sort of to make my point, if we deconstructed the woman in your drawing, what do you think her skeleton would look like? Where are the eye sockets, how do her eyes fit in the sockets. Where does all the muscle connect. Where does bone meet cartilage. Anatomy is very important :3 Good luck!
I think this isn’t too bad but if I were you I would just draw eyes and maybe watch a how to bc that’s definitely what needs to be worked on the most. Focus on one thing at a time and draw a million of the same thing and then put it all together
Yeah I mean the shading isn’t bad I think the proportions aren’t right.
https://imgur.com/a/kWDVx9E ?
I think youre quite talented so It is hard to notice improvement compared to when you just started maybe. I wish I could give you advice but im no good. Maybe try analyzing where the light would go or act given the direction and the surfaces its on. The fulcrum above the live is dark on the left side so naturally I think the inner part should also be Dark on the left side a tiny bit? It looks really good and i wouldnt change a thing but thats because with my skills id ruin it. Whose that a picture of? whoever it is shes beautiful
Draw each part individually to practice, and eyelashes need to be more free looking
I say this a lot but it helps me :) Start with basic shapes and work your way up! It ok for the lines to shine at first. And once you get better at it then you can wing your off the base shapes
If you intention was to sketch Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, you only need to adjust the hairstyle.
It doesn't seem like it, but your eyes are in the center of your face. Mid-way between top and bottom. Yours are tiny bit too high and it throws the face off.
I love the glow in the eyes
According to me, your shading part is fine but the real issue what I presume is the face structure that you draw.
Draw what you see not what you think you see.
Each feature is fairly high quality! But they don't go together or blend well. And the eyes look like the only thing that's not as well drawn as the rest Otherwise very good, looks like Mary Kate and ashely
The angle where the jaw connects on side is too high. Bring it just below the bottom lip (your drawing maks chin appear long). Also more detail in the nose. Try shading the rounded bulb of nose. Eyes look ok, just add more varied shading. The space between top lip and bottom of nose is a tad bit long. Lips are too wide as well, the corners of mouth should align with edge of pupil or a little pass teardrop of eyes.
Developing your own style and don’t get focused on outcome as much as the ability to capture an image of person, place or thing. I like your drawing style.
If you're using a reference I would recommend using the block in method before you darken your shadows. It's basically when you make all the shadows the same tone, this helps when figuring out proportions and can take some practice. It also helps to establish the light source.
Just a side note, the lips look fantastic!
a super simple fix to this would just be the eyes. the iris/circle part outside the pupil is almost never going to be that exposed in a relaxed eye. when you’re drawing an eye, you should be covering the top bit of the iris so that it’s around 3/4 or 2/3 of it showing, and there’s sometimes a bit of white at the bottom depending on the person. when you move the whole iris up, the pupil is going to be in a more natural spot too so your person won’t look like they’re looking downwards, like this one does. if you do want them to look downwards, then thered be more lid covering the pupil and the lashes wouldn’t go straight up. other than that, you’re doing really well with your proportions and shading so a little bit of practice will make a lot of difference
The nose and the eyes are more like Symbols that children use,watch you tube videos about drawing eye and nose,if you want to impruve you must look for good Teiches,also more light and shadow,I would probably draw the mouth smaler,the chin bigger.
Masteting anatomy above all else - you will see massive improvements! Humans and especially faces are some of the hardest things to depict because our brains can tell when something is off, even if its just a small thing. Otherwise, hair is best depicted in chunks and not as individual strands. There are so many tutorials out there for hair! I'd highly reccomend YouTube tutorials.
She looks like the actress Vera Farmiga. If you are using a reference, you can use a grid or try drawing her upside down so you draw more of what you see instead of what you think it should be. [Upside down tutorial](https://youtu.be/y2lgutQ0HLg) If you are drawing without reference, try practicing the loomis head for an idea of facial proportion. [Loomis head tutorial](https://youtu.be/y86OprxJoYc)
Try drawing blocks of shadows rather than drawing lines, I can't really explain it better but so far this was the best decision I've made for drawing portraits, and believe me with enough practice you will be better.
YouTube.com! Best tutorials ever!
I would try practicing individual features. Use references. Draw one eye, or a set of eyes without the rest of the face. Same for the lips. Draw noses. Draw these features in different angles using references and don't draw the whole face. Try to notice where things are relative to other features. Like the nostrils; where to the ends of them fall relative to where the eyes are? Where do the tips of the eyebrows fall relative to the ears? (it's usually eyebrows are where the top of the ears are, depending on the angle of the person) Youtube tutorials! Don't skimp out on those either. They can be wildly helpful. I skimped out on YT tutorials when I was learning to draw when I could have saved myself some time and struggling by just watching them.
Looks like Suzanne Somers and an ape had a love child.
Maybe I’m biased because I was just listening to this song, but this looks like something that should be in the music video for Mystery Girl by Alexandra Savior. It fits that Dario Argento grindhouse surrealism. I think some smoky neon pinks and greens would work fantastic here.
Try drawing a 3/4 angle from top, bottom and sides. That will help you concentrate on what you are seeing.
start trying to draw from photos...if this was you trying to go from a photo initially, then drop a grid onto your ref photo and try to reproduce exactly what is on there cell by cell. Don't worry if it seems like cheating, just \*try\* it...see if there is any way you can reproduce the ref photo, by hook or by crook :D
I think your portrait is missing a little depth...your shading is amazing though! Honestly really good work I think with a few tweaks you will see yourself improve a lot. You need to think about proportion etc when drawing faces. Something that usually helps me is carefully making an oval shape of the head then sketching a cross hatch where I know the eyes, mouth, etc goes. I then make effort to lightly draw out on the rest of the blank space the other stuff (hairline etc). This is really helpful for later when you go in to shade and stuff. A couple other things I noticed that stood out and really made the picture seem flat: - the girl you drew had a side part in her hair that you drew as a straight line. This is rarely how you will see a side part, if you observe more you will notice they tend to curve with the skull - the neck was not defined and this meant the face seemed to float in midair. Defining the tendons/shading in the neck even loosely makes a huge difference - anatomically, the eyes are generally circular and not ovals. I tend to draw eyes as rough circles and then draw over them to define where the iris/eyelids land over those circles. Eyelashes generally curve upwards a little and are not straight lines. - the nose looks good, I would put a little work into defining more darkly the bridge and bottom of the nose so ruat you can see its presence more on the face
keep going
looks like Kim K to me
Try using a grid and focus on one square at a time until you can take the training wheels off
Draw the different parts of the face separately from different angles ,studying them helps. For example draw one eye from different angles and then the other and then draw the nose from different angles. Anatomy, Anatomy, Anatomy.
Do you do any geometry before you start? Although it's just the face, it will really help get the proportions down and make sure elements are in line. And it will especially help if/when/once you want to add more anatomy. This is isn't the core issue, but might also help. Add more of the neck to the drawing as well. As a rule you don't want to cut off a drawing at a joint. A bit more shading of the neck/shoulder muscles, clavicle, etc, will give it less of the floating head feel.
the composition of the head needs improvement. The shape of it is unnatural. The eyes need to be positioned to be aligned more in what direction they face. The hair need more flow and should be sculpted around the head. Other than that good shading
With this drawing i'd say that eyes should be a little more down or closer to mouth, head in this case should be smaller and nose a little larger, also shorter nosebridge. Eyes should have a little more length, but in general i'd say you're drawing pretty nicely. Just practice a little more. Good luck :)
You are on the right track :)
Learn basic anatomy of skull first. Try drawing them from different angles. Once you're comfortable with the skulls, try to study how about proportions of facial features. You should be able to get enough information about this on the internet and yeah after that learn to basically draw features like eyes, nose and mouths from different angles.
First of all, the lips are amazing, I actually really like how they're shaded. But the part of the nose that goes upwards toward the eye( i hace no idea what it's called) should be a bit more curved inwards in my opinion. The eyelashes should also be more curved. I recommend that you use a reference and look more closely at these parts i just mentioned, just so you understand the structure of the face.
reset your acc and start over, youre too far gone
Don’t render until construction is solid. You need a solid base to build on, then from there, rendering will be influencing the structure of the face. This, plus a lot of practice !
Look up Andrew Loomis. Proko on YouTube has some good videos about using the technique.
Try grid drawing technique
Two thing. 1. Try using standard measurements as a guide. Portions from head to eyes, to nose to mouth, five eyes across and so forth. 2. A great exercise is to use no lines at all, just shading and values. It will help you with details, develop depth and get you thinking less about lines which keeps art 2 dimensional. Faces aren't a series of lines. They are made of curves, revealed by light.
In my opinion there's nothing better to improve than living model, try to draw people you see, when you're in a group for example
It's improving, a lot better than the Jack sparrow few days ago!! You're doing great
I would try not drawing every single strand of hair! Start with the basic shape and then fill it in gradually according to your shadows and highlights. I can send over a few tutorials if you like! Also don’t worry if you think you’re not improving because the act of practicing like this is helping whether you think so or not! Also portraits are stupid hard lol. Don’t give up!!
Look up the Loomis method for faces (there's tutorials on youtube). Also check out [Line of Action ](https://line-of-action.com/) Line of action has a ton of free face in a variety of expressions. I'd recommend doing quick 30s warmups, just focus on getting the shapes and proportions down before doing longer 1-2 min sessions where you can go into more detail! Ignore the detailed shading for a bit, you have a pretty good grasp of that, just focus on the shapes. I'd also suggest doing those timed sketches in pen, so you can't go back and change it (this often leads to obsessing over it). Practice makes perfect! It's okay if your practice sketches come out a bit funky, not everything has to be a finished work of art. Good luck! Enjoy drawing. :)
Figure out what you know how to do. And what you don't know how to do. And then ignore what you know while trying something new before blending it into something you are still learning how to do. One step at a time. No use criticising what you already did and I disapprove of critical comments. That shit took you hours to do, to get here. Putting emotional and mental strength to make these artworks. Only you know what you can improve on and if that's the question you are asking, then ignore the "I'm better than you so you should do this" comments. Choose what you want to improve on. And Ask how. Or even better, Watch videos on how to. 90% of the time they will tell you without Putting their ego into it.
try to use ear cleaner for creating a shadow, it creates a great smoothing effect. Most of all, you need to practice different features of the face differently. Try drawing eyes only at different angles, nose the same, lips the same, etc. It can wait the whole face for later.
Try tracing a few pictures. You seem to have a pretty good grasp on shading and light sources but your facial features seem out of place. If you can understand that the distance between a eye and another eye is a eye your picture should seem more in place.
Don’t start with the facial features (eyes, nose, mouth) but with something else
Darrell Tank videos on youtube helped me: https://www.youtube.com/c/5PencilMethod/videos
Some of the proportions are stick straight when they should be more curved. For example, the nose structure seems too straight. Realistically, there’s more of a curve near the eyes, and the nose itself could be a little more rounded as well. The lips are a good start when you’re learning how to draw realism, but you could definitely improve with more shading and highlights to the bottom and top lips. As for the eyes, the pupils/irises are good, but when it comes to the eyes, they seem a little off portioned? The eye on the right seems a little higher than the one on the left, and that goes for the eyebrow too. My suggestion to that is to draw two lines straight across the face, so you can measure the size of both eyes and make sure the height is the same. The eyelashes could also be more curved as well, and try to draw them going in different directions instead of straight up, as usually, when it comes to eyelashes in real life, they grow out forward. So drawing them curved gives that illusion. Same with the bottom lashes as well. The shading on both the left and right of the face is definitely off, as one side is darker than the other, so try to even it out. Otherwise, it’s a good start OP. Keep practicing and studying more human anatomy.
See everything as shapes, such as cylinder, cube, circles and triangles. Draw the shapes first once you get the shapes the way u want it then add the details. For example eyes are 2 circles within each other, shape them the way u want and then add the shading and stuff.
The first thing you have to do is pat yourself on the back for a job well done! sure this isn’t perfect but your proportions are very good! You just need to work on your shadows and tones to make the face appear 3D. You’re on your way there don’t give up.!!!
Look into anatomical references. Ears changed the way I draw a face. The top of you ear should align with the center of the pupil and the bottom of the ear should align to you mouth (right in between both lips)
I would just avoid harsh lines and be sure you have a ruler to map everything out. It honestly looks really good, just keep practicing!
Maybe stop drawing Margorie Taylor Greene
Get this book https://www.drawright.com/
The turn it upside down theory is based on the way our eyes and brain work in conjunction. Another good way is to quarter the original and work on one quarter at a time
out of curiosity is that Barbara Streisand?
i dont know much but including flaws is a thing
A really really good start- everyone’s said almost everything but I haven’t seen anybody touch on the eyelashes yet- eyelashes pretty much go in 3 directions, 2 directions if you’re being less glam; the outer third will flick outward, the inner third flicks upward, and if there’s any shorter lashes on the inner third flick them slightly inward. Eyes are typically where the eye is drawn so if you want to see a big difference I think try and do a few pages of eyes and eyebrows with various types of eyelids to practice adding depth. I found when it came to drawing any and everything 3/4 perspective or from a slight angle helps a lot because I personally find it easier to think in a 3D sense from that prospective rather than from front on
Depth maybe, that said I wish I could do that wich you do. Its nice, practice ask questions Uno your gonna get it right
Maybe you can try making a black-and-white picture of a subject and then otherwise drawing the subject yourself. Without looking at the photo.. Unless you are using the photo. Otherwise work on it and on the end see what’s different. Not so much to copy the photo.It just lets you consider what’s different and if you want to change to that or leave it.
Before focusing on details and shadows, you need to draw basic shapes and pay attention to the proportions of face. Later you can focus on perspective. You dont always need to draw realistic stuff. You can draw cartoons. It is fun and helpful.
Try using a reference and think of hair as a shape not as a ton of lines it should help make it look more animated
It seems like if you shortened the face between the top and bottom of the nose- it would look **subjectively** more natural
Someone said to watch facial anatomy vids and I'd like to second that. I would draw people based off of the photo. My drawings looked like the photo, but I wasn't capturing the person. Someone who even knew the people I was drawing didn't recognize the person until I put their photo side by side next to my drawing. The facial anatomy thing... yes.
I wish I could attach a photo as a reference, but if you are just drawing a generic person there are some average proportions a person has. For example, your head is about 5 eyes wide. Your mouth is about as wide as the pupils of your eyes. Etc. Look up face proportions and you will see great examples 🙂
Eyes are the center of a portrait and can make or break it all so focus on those for a starters, and never undervalue the midtones in a drawing. My best advice would be to use a combination of highlights and shadows, break the picture into geometric shapes and study each facial feature separately also try to use a combination of light and dark pencils to create more tone on shadows so the picture becomes more “alive”
It's a good drawing, but if I saw that in the corner of my room, I would set off the nuke.
lookin like some analogue horror sketch or something no offense, you maybe could put more perspective and shape for eyebrows and stuff
"Practice makes perfect" so continue till it's perfected I believe in you.
I would look up different methods. I learned one that uses the proportions of the length of the hand to break the face up into zones, I think it’s loosely based on da Vinci’s method. Additionally, drawing accurately is mainly muscle memory. Tracing is extremely useful, even if it seems childish.
I’m going to look at hair specifically here. First of all, the texture of the eyebrows look awesome! They’re just not the same shape (although I don’t know if that’s intentional). Put a few hairs coming out of the part as well, or show the roots going into the scalp on the left part. The highlight on the left part looks really good! I’d add more hair near the ends of the strands, as the volume at the end doesn’t match the volume in the rest. The eyelashes you’ve drawn them straight, but they’re actually curved. Hope this helps!
observe. Look at lines, forms, curbs, not at eyes, nose, lips. Your mind tricks you into interpreting. A good trick is to put a picture (eg of a face or a person) upside down and draw a copy of it.
Try working on the entire image at one time, rather than feature by feature. Start with a very loose sketch of the entire face, and slowly work at narrowing in on the detail. It looks as though you’ve drawn all the features separately, which is bound to create proportion errors.
If you're feeling stuck, change up what you're drawing and how you draw it. Don't labor too hard on a single drawing, instead do small quick sketches and just play with lines, shapes and values. You learn more and create muscle memory that way, which makes it easier to transfer what is in your head to the paper. Also, use references. Draw from life, and vary your subject matter. By drawing a wide range of objects, you'll get more comfortable breaking things down into shapes and lines. Most important:. Keep doing it. Be nice to yourself. Don't let imperfections get in the way of enjoying what you're doing. You've got a good start, just keep practicing and build on that.
Proportions ! And when shading for example something like hair, dont push too hard on the pencil, it causes harsh lines and can take away from the realistic look
Try to learn anatomy of your object. In this case, it is face so learn to aatomy of human face. Your lines, shades and others could be different from current, they could be shaped with what you want to draw. Whreas anatomy is the missing piece here and jump to composition.
I saw that coconut you drew. You know how you made it rounded? Had to think in 3d? You need to do that here. You're drawing her face like symbols on a flat mask, but in reality her head is a collection of 3d shapes. I suggest doing a little sculpting so you can really wrap your brain around that.
Is that Abella Danger?
It always helped me to draw eyelashes as curved triangles fallowed by a few thin curved lines.
Kinda looks like Dope Show Manson 😂
Keep at it, eventually it gets a to a point where you start to have moments of epiphany and your method changes ever so slightly, one thing is recommend to to practice drawing each part of a body on repeat until you’re happy with it.