Complete Idiot''''s Guide to Drawing- P32 ppsx

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Especially for Children
Remember that a child’s head and face have their own proportion relative to an adult face
and head. Look carefully at the differences:
➤ The eyes are wider and larger.
➤ The nose is shorter, softer (all cartilage and bone develops later), and more upturned.
➤ The mouth is usually fuller.
➤ The forehead is wider.
➤ The chin is smaller.
Likeness and Portraiture
Portraiture attracts most people. After all, we do like to look at our fellow humans and fam-
ily members. But where do you begin? At the top. The following rules of drawing the face
can help you.
1. Begin a portrait with a study of the head and facial proportions of your subject.
2. Check the angles very carefully, including the angle of the pose, whether from side
to side or tilted up or down, or both. Position the guidelines for the features so they
line up.
The guidelines for the
full frontal view, accom-
panied by the finished
portrait.
The guidelines for a three-quarter view, accompanied by the initial sketch and more finished
drawing where tone and detail are beginning to be added.
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3. There is no point in rendering a nose that is just a little bit too high or a mouth that

is just a little bit off to the side, so make sure of your base. Draw lightly until you like
the shapes.
Examples of an infant’s
face.
Some Basic Proportions and Shapes
Look for the specific shapes that make up the features of your subject. For example:
➤ Faces are round, wide, narrow, oval, or square.
➤ Noses come in lots of shapes and sizes.
➤ Eyes are close, wide, deep, small or large, squinty or round.
➤ Eyebrows and the bridge of the nose are key transitions.
➤ Cheekbones are high or low, prominent or flat.
➤ Mouths are wide or narrow, full-lipped or thin.
➤ Jaws are wide or narrow, under- or overdeveloped.
➤ Ears are small or large, close or protruding.
➤ Necks are long or short, thin or thick.
➤ Hairline, type of hair, and cut of hair all identify an individual.
The Art of Drawing
A recent issue of Newsday had an article about Ed Hall, a veteran commuter on the Long Island
Railroad, who has sketched his fellow commuters on the train for the last 11 years.
“I love my species,” he said of his fascination with the sleeping faces that are his subjects.
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Our features are mostly all in the same place, so it’s the little variations that make the indi-
vidual and the expression.
Begin work on the features on your portrait with the same concern for shape, space, and
form that you have used on all your work. Consider the basic shapes and then refine them
as you go. The more you look at the shape and structure of a feature, the better you will
draw it.

Setting a Scene for a Portrait
Setting a scene for a portrait is a nice way to add to the special feeling and the connection
to the subject’s life or interests. Some portraits are set in intimate surroundings to create a
secret spot or a restful feel; others are set in a more public space, or outdoors if it suits the
subject. You are the ultimate judge of what’s appropriate when it comes to setting, but
don’t hesitate to try a setting that is unusual.
You might want to practice drawing just
features to get a feel for their individual-
ity. The nose knows ….
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When You Are Your Subject
When you’re your subject, you have even more say in how the drawing will look. One or
more mirrors can set you up with any number of views, and you can sit for yourself as long
as you like. There will also, hopefully, be less argument about when to take breaks and how
long you’re making your subject sit still.
Lauren drew this figure
of her nephew when he
was a week old.
One of Lauren’s students
draws a self-portrait at 8
years old (left), and
again as a teenager
(right). My, how you’ve
grown!
Self-portraits show the
mood of the moment,
and hold up a mirror to

the artist’s view of him-
or herself!
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Folds, Drapes, Buttons, and Bows
You might want to go back to the description of drawing fabric in Chapter 14 to review
some of the tricks of fabric drawing. Once you’ve got fabric mastered, clothes will fall right
into place. But here are some further hints, too.
Over and Under: Folds and How to Draw
Them
Quite simply, clothing covers the body that you are drawing. Once
you’ve gotten a basic sketch and are happy with the proportions and
gesture, you’ll want to begin to add the detail of the clothing. Remem-
ber that clothing covers a rounded figure, not a flat one. Places like
necklines, cuffs, and pant legs need to have a roundness to them.
Detailing: Make the Clothing Fit the
Woman or Man
The detail in clothing adds to the pose and gesture of an individual
and sets the scene for that person’s activity in your drawing. You can
sketch it in or you can spend time on the textures and patterns, the
style, and the details.
Self-portraits drawn on
Plexiglas produce a
quick-study image.
Details of self-portraits,
such as a vivid facial ex-
pression or that favorite
pet, add poignancy and

endearing emotion to
self-portraits.
Back to the Drawing Board
Often, clothing needs to be seen
as form—imagine where, and
how, the lines and folds go when
you can’t see them under, over,
or behind the body of your sub-
ject. Creases where one shape
goes behind another need to be
imagined and drawn.
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In addition, a few props can often add the detail you’re after in a portrait. If you enjoy
drawing people, as portraits or as characters in your larger work, you might amass a collec-
tion of prop hats, gloves, boots, jewels, flowers, and feathers, just for fun.
Putting People in Your Drawings
If you’re out drawing a landscape and there are people in it, you should feel confident
enough to add them now. You do, however, need to place them well and keep them in scale
with their surroundings.
Generally, careful measuring and relational seeing will get them in the right place. Feel free
to return to the tear card at the front of this book whenever you need a reminder about
measuring guidelines.
Where Are They?
Inside, the scale of people and things is not much of a problem, because the distances are
not great and the people are probably easy to see. Try drawing a friend working in the
kitchen, or a family member snoozing in front of the TV, or an intimate friend in the tub or
relaxing in the bedroom. The setting of your drawing helps place the person and adds a

special feeling about the moment.
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Outside, however, is a different story; the possibilities are about as endless as the landscape
itself. Your figures can be off in the distance and be just another element in the landscape,
like a tree or fence. Or, they can be rather in the middle and be part of the action of the
drawing, or in the foreground and be the action, with the landscape providing the back-
drop and setting for their activity. People in the foreground, particularly if they are interest-
ingly dressed, deserve some real attention to detail.
What Are They Doing? Action, Gesture, and Detail
The body in action probably presents you with some foreshortening challenges. It’s really
quite simple, though: If you think of people as cylinders in space, you’ll know how to draw
them. Measure carefully to see where the body parts line up with each other in the fore-
shortened pose, as opposed to the figure if it were standing straight up.
To draw people at work and at play, concentrate on the action and the gesture in quick
lines, adding detail as you can. Sometimes a small detail, like a hat or a fishing pole, is
enough to begin to convey a feel for the person or the activity.
No matter what, you’ll find that adding people to your drawings adds a whole new dimen-
sion. Try it and see. In the next chapter, we’ll explore drawing for a special class of people—
kids.
The Art of Drawing
Seeing and measuring the scale of your figures in the landscape relative to other elements will
put them where you want them. The detail in your figures will vary according to their place-
ment and importance in your landscape. Those guys off in the distance need to really be there,
but you won’t see the logos on their T-shirts.
Placing people in your landscape can add both drama and character(s).
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Your Sketchbook Page
Try your hand at practicing the exercises you’ve learned in this chapter.
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The Least You Need to Know
➤ The head and face are a challenge, but if you see the proportion and detail, you will
be able to draw what you see and capture the uniqueness of your subject.
➤ Adding clothing doesn’t have to be complicated; think of it as fabric draped on a
body.
➤ Putting people in your interiors or landscapes adds scale and interest as well as a
sense of place, time, and individuality.
➤ Remember that clothing goes over a breathing, bending body, and look for the
drapes, creases, and folds that make clothing real.
Part 7
Enjoying the Artist’s Life!
It’s time to put it all together and use your drawing as a way to express yourself. You will learn
about different media, projects, and ways to use your drawings to decorate your world. You’ll
even learn about drawing in cyberspace—and encouraging your children to draw, too.
Plus, we’ll go to the museum to see how to look at the larger world of art, and you’ll learn how
you can understand more about yourself by finding what art you’re drawn to.