Improve your portraiture skills! Students will complete numerous head studies and improve their knowledge of proper head construction. The second half of the workshop will allow students to focus on a project of their choice in whatever medium they choose. We will discuss how to create and/or select an appropriate reference photograph during class.
This course will teach you:
- Human face anatomy
- Lumis method
- Drawing faces alike
- Painting portraits
Photos from this workshop:
- Day 1: Introduction + Basic Form of Head: Introduction to drawing materials, and anatomy of the head. Step-by-step construction of the head from basic shapes. Understanding measurements from various viewpoints. Introduction to the features of the face. Differences in gender.
- Materials: Charcoal or graphite, paper, drawing boards.
- Week 2: Head Tilt/Rotation & Breaking down facial features:
- Head anatomy, thinking about the head & neck in 3D, and breaking individual facial features down into separate pieces. Detailed drawings of the head and facial features from multiple angles.
- Understanding how features connect to each other.
- Beginning to observe expressions.
Week 3: Putting it all together, Head “Types” & Characterization:
- Putting it all together. Studying muscles of the face as they pertain to movement + expression.
- Understanding how to observe rhythm, spacing, and expression. Combining construction, lighting, and expression to create characterization (aka drawing our first portraits of famous faces).
- Begin a longer study of your choice for the final project.
- Materials: Charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, paper, drawing boards, canvas/panel + paint. Make sure to ask students about their prior experience with materials, in order to prep for next week’s lesson.
- Week 4: Final Project Part I
- Continuing discussion of character, expression, and facial feature variety. Note how face types can be derived of subtle differences from what might be considered the human “average”.
- Studying lighting on the head & facial features. Mixing for different skin tones and hair colors. Working to establish a likeness.
- Materials: Students may select their own materials. If students are not familiar with painting, it may be a good idea to draw on toned paper or with colored pencil, rather than attempt a new medium.
- Week 5: Final Project Part II: Maintaining a likeness. Learning to add exaggeration where necessary. Mixing skin tones and color temperature, putting finishing touches on final projects.
- Materials: Mixed
