THE ART OF DRAWING Drawing Portraits FACES AND FIGURES GIOVANNI CIVARDI SEARCH PRESS
THE ART OF DRAWING Drawing Portraits FACES AND FIGURES Giovanni Civardi ☒ SEARCH PRESS
INTRODUCTION A portrait is commonly perceived as the representation of a human being's features,whether the face,head and shoulders or the whole body.It has always been an important theme in figurative arts and a favourite with artists,who have found in it,not just a professional human condition in its physicalandom nowadays,as photography has greatly undermined the function of the drawn and painted portrait as the only way to reproduce and hand down for posterity an individuai's physiognomic features. But this 'documentary'aspect was,of course,only one of the features of the artistic portrait. Using my experience as a portrait painter.illustrator and teacher I have tried to simplify and sum up the main problems one usually ss.Some subjects ce,e.g.drawing hands.portraits of children and neads with unusual features have to be dealt with in more detail and are covered in more advanced books. I have divided the short chapters and the accompanying sketches according to a sequence which I have found of practical help in teaching the rudiments of portrait 'technique'.I have found echniques,pr. tical conside lace,composit overall'vicw of the head. These basic technical principles can only direct you in your first experiences and should be seen as suggestions on which to build your own study.Your subsequent artistic development will depend on how committed you are to observation and how regularly you practise drawing.To this purpose,you can,when you approach your first drawings resort to observing drawings done by other artists and taki graphs of subject.Ho r,as soon as ing the utlines of the head, yoromepai friendtosi for you.In the last section of this book I have put together some portrait studies which!have drawn at different times and which give an indication of how to go about tackling different subjects. 3
TOOLS AND TECHNIOUES Pen and black Indian ink on smooth paper n n be achieved using ban cros Pencil (B and 2B)on rough-textured paper
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PRACTICAL ADVICE is useful Mer The advice on p also to their social standing YPES OF PORTRAIT expressive as the face,because of their de lighting,with its tion hape an if you think your model's handshave he male face.Young subjecis ofen hemeintoohgiaeoinclucdt essions while mature the hem artist has to n are b uited to more that thes SUBJECTS be tting their features,hint at the ements which are part of ot the Self portrait (See page 44).Almost all heir being'.On the r hand ,there ude s ce specitic to the they m5514 orray them mirror and study your reflected face have done subject's po where ou find most comfortable and alotof auention is paid to (See whic er than that in the s in page acnandthe mall and uptu med:thebon e structure e environ is an they don't like being which is a le In ma es you on it is easier to n it isw cil ligh the or direct sunlight create str visdom smiling hadows whic may alter the ali-cose vs it can easily FRAMING ed to for the subiect收 irregu here isaso a te nce the onle's beads:wrinkles on the just the b vesand the ive it can be s lraw s part of the she is more the.eyebglsenghenngofiheesrg he h oandhehansDrawaioi s you will find it u ful to draw the es an 2 to find sition which page the effective.well balanced.and not ubiect's personalitv. 6
THE SIZE OF THE DRAWING CLOTHING THE BACKGROUND In a por Clothes have A porrait requires a background which full-igurr their the proportions weaken the subject's appearance 6 for the drawing surac onal state of for instan)ark one is s e the subject's garden.etc.can act as background dinm treat it as i were a doesn't overshadow the face or the CHOOSING THE POSE olds and figure ee25tiakaea HOW TO GET A LIKENESS As we know,portraying a human heavyand a few thick folds ugh in diat I and the the model on.and knees.etc Draw The he head drawing haracte aaw nm the al to the partic ula create In som ortions.both in the face as to cho ose a pose clements (eyes characteristics of the subiect.so sieceanenhanceheoratod ess.converse with a dis Ce d s our mo del,try to unde ng page 56). view s conside d the HAIR live and w course this is not Hair (as a whole and in relation to colour,quantity,and quality of the suitab e pose and which a09 thei the ositioned the eni3g ng,by contrast features,bu IS L cutbhic der the reated asa whole.Capture its colou and form and try to nlight reof shadowand light.and line Ol S eparation and d crease t th the addition,they force the fine and sharp strokes to su aking ion to the
TECHNICAL AIDS Photography Photography is useful to record sponta and flee of the eicnsindpaintings automatic cameras make this easy dependent or them. More appropriate even you are not an expert)as they elo square ven at school level.Draw a grid of squares on the image to be enla number of squares. nsuita squares keeping them in proportion. Sketches The working environment face and figurec /00 are ng livend you are determined to devote able and reaxedonwhiePosihg9ihmp inte you to a them tha a st mo model is come more experier the you and to take advantageof hes ons and poses ceyour support onan ent to place it on a stiff b ard Enlarging 5060m0x23 Whether you are planning an accumate you can rest on your knees.This drawing. 6 vill you ublic places or (anc I hope this wil of someone who has commissioned you to do a portrait of a h o the desire roecoiomee
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DRAWING THE HEAD PROPORTIONS e hcednensignalnaspeaL3ndilotopostronedkescoiectyenrebaioooacnothe alunhrmanyoheepend an oval.broader at th