U-03 ADVANCED: FACE AND FIGURES potx

Brenda Hoddinott

U-03 ADVANCED: FACE AND FIGURES
This article explores the process of modifying a photo,
choosing different shading techniques for the various
textures, and using graduations to fade the lower
section of a head and shoulders portrait from the
shading into the nothingness of the paper.
This article is divided into the following six sections:
PLANNING THE PROJECT: This section discusses the proposed modifications to my
reference photo.
SETTING UP PROPORTIONS AND VALUES: My primary goal is to render a rough
sketch of the overall proportions, and establish a small section of the drawing with a full
range of values from very light to the darkest dark.
CREATE TEXTURES WITH SHADING: I work on various components of the drawing
to establish diverse textures appropriate for each.
COMPLETING THE HAT: I work from the top of the drawing downward to complete
each section of the drawing, beginning with the hat.
DRAWING HER HAIR AND EAR: I use a full range of values to render her ear and the
hair below the brim of the hat.
CREATING THE FORMS OF THE FACE AND FEATURES: I use 2H, HB, and 2B
pencils to add mostly light and middle values to the face, nose, lips, and mouth.
ADDING THE FINAL DETAILS: I use 2H and HB pencils to graduate light values
downward and outward from the neck.
You will find no step-by-step directions in this article. Rather, find yourself a comfy seat and
read, until you get to the very end that is; at this point, you receive a drawing challenge! ☺
13 PAGES – 33 ILLUSTRATIONS
Recommended for artists with advanced drawing skills, as well as home

schooling, academic and recreational fine art educators
Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada – January, 2007




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may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.
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2
PLANNING THE PROJECT
This section discusses proposed modifications to the
reference photo. If you decide to work along with me,
but from your own photo, make sure you choose a
large one with clear and in focus facial features.
Figure 01: The adorable little Miss Claire
This photo was taken of my beautiful 18-month-old
niece, Claire by my sister-in-law, Francine.
I prefer to make modifications to a photo in the
planning stages, before I actually start to draw.
After playing with the photo for a few minutes, I
decide that the composition is more expressive and
aesthetically pleasing with her head tilted more
toward the left.
Figure 02: Claire’s facial expression is enhanced by simply
tilting the photo.
After experimenting with compositional options by placing
a viewfinder frame on my photo, I finally decide to go with
a portrait format rather than a landscape.

At this point, I like everything about the composition except
the angle of the neck and shoulders. I decide to draw the neck
and shoulders from the original (not the tilted) photo.
Figure 03: A vertical (also called portrait) format is chosen.
I used Photoshop to copy and paste the neck and shoulders from the first photo Photoshop onto
the tilted photo. I added a stronger shadow behind her neck and shoulder to better see the outline.
After a few touches with the eraser and rubber stamp tools, I have my final composition.
Finally, I auto adjust
the colors, and then
change the file to
grayscale, so as to
better see the values.
Figure 04:
The
reference photo is
modified to enhance
composition, and then
changed to grayscale.


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SETTING UP PROPORTIONS AND VALUES
In this part, my primary goal is to render a rough sketch of the overall proportions, and establish
a small section of the drawing with a full range of values from very light to the darkest dark. My
paper is more of a cream color than white, so I rendered the scans in color rather than grayscale.
First, I do a rough sketch, just so I know

how much space the drawing takes up on
my paper. My sketch was darkened in
Photoshop so you can see the lines,
which in fact are very faint.
Figure 05: Claire’s proportions are very
lightly sketched with a 2H pencil.
Then, I sketch the outlines of the various
parts of the eye on the right, and the
highlight with a 2H pencil.





Figure 06: An eye is neatly outlined.
Shading is added to the eye. Light values are rendered with a 2H pencil; middle values, such as
those used for the iris, eyelashes, and upper eyelid crease, are created with an HB and 2B; and
the pupil is shaded with a 6B. The eyelashes are rendered by using curved hatching lines of
various thicknesses and lengths. Note that they appear thicker closer to the eyelids.





Figures 07 and 08: An assortment of
pencils from 2H to 6B, help create a full
range of values.

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I plan to use squirkling for the
shading of the hat, face, and neck,
hatching for her hair, and
crosshatching for the tiny section of
the dress that is visible.
When drawing young children, I
prefer to use mostly light and middle
values for their faces and features,
with the exception of the focal
points, the eyes.
Figure 09:
Light values identify the
forms of the face around the eye.

CREATE TEXTURES WITH SHADING
I’m now ready to plan my shading strategy and get started on the really fun stuff! In this part, I
work on various components of the drawing to establish diverse textures appropriate for each.
The hat’s bumpy texture is easily
created with loosely rendered
squirkle graduations. I begin with
the top section and work my way
downward.
Figures 10: Light and middle values
are added to the hat with 2H and HB
pencils.

I continue the shading
and outline the
embroidered flowers on
the front of the hat.
The hat’s texture is
enhanced by adding
numerous C-shapes
throughout the fabric (see
the close-up in Figure 12
on the next page).
Figure 11: Three flowers
are outlined, and darker
shading is added to the left
with HB and 2B pencils.



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5
The C-shapes are lighter in value wherever the base
shading is light. Conversely, the C-shapes are more
plentiful and very dark in the darkest shadow
sections.
Figure 12: The wonderful texture of the hat is created
with squirkles and tiny C-shapes.
Claire’s second eye is rendered in much the same
way as the other.

Figure 13: The shading for the
other eye is completed.

I outline a few strands of
hair and add a dark
shadow on her forehead,
under the brim of her hat.
The texture of the
eyebrows is created with
short curved hatching
lines. Finely rendered
squirkles define the facial
forms around the eye.
Figure 14:
The visible
sections of her face and hair
are shaded with a full range
of values.
The shadow side of her cheek and nose are shaded with HB and 2B pencils. To keep her face
looking soft in the shadow sections, I use mostly light and middle values; dark values are added
very sparingly (Refer to Figure 15 on the next page).

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6
The forms of
her face on the
left are
enhanced with
dark shading.
A thin section
of light
shading
represents the
reflected light
along the edge
of her face.
Figure 15: A
foundation of
shading has
identified several
facial forms.
Hatching lines
are perfect for
capturing the
texture of an
embroidered
satin stitch.
Figure 16: Directional

guidelines create a shading
map for the flowers.
An HB pencil and hatching
help bring out the texture and
forms of the flowers.


Figure
17:
Hatching
lines
provide the
illusion of a
hand
stitched
design of
flowers.


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may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.
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7
Crosshatching graduations work beautifully
for creating the textures of numerous fabrics.
Figure 18: Crosshatching and 2H and HB pencils
provide texture to the shoulder section of Claire’s
sundress.
COMPLETING THE HAT

With all the shading techniques identified for
the diverse textures, I now work from the top
downward to complete each section of the
drawing, beginning with the hat. Squirkling
combines with C-shapes for shading the hat.
The hatching of the
embroidered flowers
provides a distinctive
contrast in textures.
Figure 19: The main
section of the hat is
complete.
The brim of the hat
needs to illustrate the
soft folds and bends
of the fabric.





The shadow sections are
darker than in the photo.
My goal is to capture a
more natural lighting than
that of a flash on a
camera.

Figure 20: The darkest
shadows on the hat are under

the brim on the left.


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8
Figure 21: An overview of the various values
and textures used throughout the drawing.

At first glance, the stitching appears rather
large for the hat; however, keep in mind
that the hat is on the tiny head of a baby.








Figure 22: The brim of the hat on the left
is made up of mostly middle and dark
values.

Figure 23: A shading map is sketched for the complex
section on the right that has her ear and fine strands of
hair overlapping the hat.


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9
Figure 24: Dark values are used for the shadows of the
sections of hair and hat, under the brim on the right.

Figure 25: The center section of the brim is rendered with
mostly light values.

The shading of the hat is completed
with 2H, HB, 2B, and 4B pencils.

Figure 26: A full range of values, from
very light to almost black, create the
illusion of a three-dimensional hat.

DRAWING HER HAIR
AND EAR
In this section, I use a full range of
values to render her ear and the hair
below the brim of the hat.
Shadows on the
center sections of
her forehead, are
not as wide or dark
as the shadows on
the sides.
Figure 27: The
strands of hair on her
forehead are lightly
sketched.


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10
The ear on the
right is shaded
softly with 2H and
HB pencils, so as
to not take
attention away
from the eyes.
Figure 28: Curved
lines complete the
hair and squirkling
brings out the forms
of the ear.

CREATING
THE FORMS
OF THE FACE
AND
FEATURES
In this section, I use 2H,
HB, and 2B pencils to
add mostly light and
middle values to the
face, nose, lips, and
mouth.


Figure 29:
Shading accentuates

the three-dimensional forms of the
lower sections of the face.
I completely erased the outlines
around the lips and teeth before
added shading. The two front
teeth are very light in value.
Figure 30: A rim of light values
around her mouth, especially on the
right, accentuates the forms of the
mouth and lips.


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may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.
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11
Before I continued on
to her dress and upper
body, I took several
breaks, coming back
after each and making
tiny adjustments to
sections that didn’t look
quite right.
For example, I made the
lower edge of her cheek
on the left smaller,
touched up the mouth
on the left, and softened

the shading of the outer
corners of the eyes.




Figure 31: A few touch-ups
are added to the face, and
shading creates the cast
shadows under her chin. Light
values create a foundation for
shading the forms of her
upper body.
ADDING THE FINAL DETAILS
In this section, I use 2H and HB pencils to graduate light values downward and outward from the
neck. Very little shading is added to her dress and upper body; rather, graduations of light values
allow these sections to fade gently into the cream-colored paper.



Figure 32:

Gradations of
light values
gently fade
away into the
nothingness
of the paper.

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may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.
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12















Figure
33: I
check
over my
drawing
carefully,
erase a
few
smudges,
and touch

up a few
small
sections
of
shading.
CHALLENGE
One of the most common problems with beginner portraits is created when the lower section of
the portrait comes to an abrupt stop, rather than graduated into the nothingness of the paper. This
abrupt stop often creates a visual line that takes attention away from more important aspects of
the drawing.
CHALLENGE: Render a head and shoulders portrait from a photograph, using the technique of
fading out the edges of the lower sections (introduced in this lesson).


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may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.
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13
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As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda utilizes
diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, conté
crayon, and oil paints.
My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the
enjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and
academic. Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter,
the quest for knowledge also becomes enjoyable.

>Brenda Hoddinott<
BIOGRAPHY
Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook. She
developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning,
and the aid of assorted “Learn to Draw” books. During Brenda’s twenty-five year career as a
self-educated civilian forensic artist, numerous criminal investigation departments have
employed Brenda’s skills, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police
departments. In 1992, Brenda was honored with a commendation from the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a Certificate of Membership from “Forensic
Artists International”.
Her home-based art career included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and
painting classes. As supervisor of her community’s recreational art department, Brenda hired and
trained teachers, and designed curriculum for several children’s art programs. In 1998, Brenda
chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more time to writing,
drawing, painting, and developing her websites.
Drawspace incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to
curriculum development. This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for
students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult. Students of all ages, levels and
abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach. This site is respected as a
resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities throughout
the world.
LEARN-TO-DRAW BOOKS
Drawing for Dummies: Wiley Publishing, Inc., New, York, NY, this 336 page book is
available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing People: Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book of the
Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education – Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page
book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.
You Can Draw Animals: to be published in 2007