Have you ever watched someone who is really good in creating a drawing? Particularly if she or he is sketching a portrait of somebody's face? When an artist who has real talent draws people realistically, he makes it look so natural and virtually effortless.

But that is exactly how it looks at first glance. Most portrait artists make use of a structured way to draw faces step by step. There is a whole lot going on behind that pencil which you and I, as spectators, aren't even aware of. And it's not only spontaneous inspiration. It is training and practice that makes it appear so effortless.

Therefore even though drawing facial looks realistically does take some talent, it's mainly dependent on educational instruction and I'd like to share a number of that instruction with you. Read on the "techniques" of how to draw faces detail by detail.

Tip 1

Decide which shape best shows the face area. Is it a circle, triangular shape, rectangular shape, oval, or perhaps square? Draw the outline of the face and hairline with this in mind. After that, either visualize in your thoughts or draw on the paper, two guidelines, one all the way down the middle, then one directly across the middle, making four equal areas of the face area. This should help you maintain the proportions of the face.

Tip 2

Unless you realize how to stick to a step-by-step structure to sketch faces it's usually the part where a lot of people will get totally lost. Even if it seems incorrect to you initially, the eyes should be placed on the center, horizontal guide line.

Then, draw a light sketch of the nose directly in the center between the eyes, about half-way down from the center horizontal line, generating an imaginary inverted triangular shape between the eyes and nose.

Make a short, straight horizontal line underneath the nose area, halfway down, for the mouth. And then add the ears, making the the top of ear line up with the eyes. So far, you are just having a very light outline sketch.

Tip 3

At this stage you can start incorporating some detail to the eyes and mouth, eye lids, eyebrows, as well as lip area. It's always best to work from a photograph as the model as a beginner.

Tip 4

The more you rehearse, the more your drawings will begin to look increasingly more like the face you are sketching. So once you get those basic facial elements down, it's going to be the perfect time to work on adding some hair, and creating a three dimensional portrait through shading and light and dark.

Do not be discouraged if the first attempt at sketching a face realistically falls short. Actually, it might not look much like any individual in any way. Just keep working at it and you'll surely cultivate the skills with time.