ava) i cD Drawing People ayy PCr ee drawing a variety of figures and portraitsCHAPTER 3 FACES WITH WALTER T. FOSTER Walter T. Foster was born in Woodland Park, Colorado, in 1891. In his younger years, he worked as a sign painter and a hog medicine salesman. He also performed in a singing and drawing vaudeville act. Mr. Foster invented the first postage-stamp vending machine and drew political caricatures for several large newspapers. In the 1920s, while running his own advertising agency and instructing young artists, Mr. Foster began writing self-help art instruction books. The books were first produced in his home in Laguna Beach, California, where he wrote, illustrated, and printed them himself, In the 1960s, as the product line grew, he moved the operation to a commercial facility, which allowed him to expand the company and achieve worldwide distribution. Mr. Foster passed away in 1981, but he is fondly remembered for his warmth, dedication, and unique instruction books. 4%“ PEOPLE Mie sit et hat dang the human face is difficult, but it’s really only a matter of proportion and properly placing the features. The lines ‘and forms involved are just simple curves and basic shapes, The easiest way to learn to draw people isto start with individual features stich as the eyes and mouth. Is best to draw from a photo or a live model. A reference makes rendering the head ‘much easier! | iid uimonbat of Whether from a frontal view or in profile eyes and lips are drawn around horizontal and vertical guidelines. Both guidelines are perpendicular in the frontal view, and the vertical line is slanted slightly in the profile view. Then you can build on these guidelines with circles and simple curved lines. Study the outlines on this page, and practice drawing them several times, The ded ine indicates ihe shape of the eal Eve In Prorite ea Note tha good portion MouTH In PRosILe of the eyeball covered by the eyed, no mater what oc D> \ Mos of the wpe ip a the of the eral pe Tomer p false right, D Mourn‘These human profiles are built on wo slanted guidelines: one for the line of the plane of the face, and one for the line of the nose. There isa variety of sizes and shapes of noses, eyes, and mouths; study your subject closely and make several practice sketches of his or her features. Then combine the features into a simple profile To draw the nose, block in a triangle, and draw the basic outline of the nose within the tangle, as in steps A and B. Refine the outline, and add a small curve to suggest the nostril in step C. ‘Then add the centerline fr the eye at the top of the bridge of the nose, Next place the eye, eyebrow, and upper lip. Once you are satisfied with your sketches, try ‘complete profile For the fll profile, start with a slanted, {guideline from the eyebrow to the chin. ‘Then add horizontal guidelines to place the features, In adults, the bottom of the nose is approximately halfway between the eyebrow and the bottom of the chin, ‘The bottom lip is about halfway between the nose and the chin, Note that these are just general rules of human proportion, The precise placement of features will vary slightly from individual to individual and between men and women.WOMEN: PROFILE hese heads were drawn from photos (photos serve as good models because they hold still), Try profile views like the cones you see here, keeping them fairly simple, Don't worry about rendering the hair for now; spend time learning how to draw the face, and work on the hair later. Step A illustrates the proportions of the face, inthis close-up profile, the bottom of the nose is about halfway between the eyebrows and chin. The mouth is about halfway between the bottom of the nose and the chin, Once the proportions ate established, sketch the actual features Study each one closely to achieve an accurate resemblance. This drawing was done on plate-finish Bristol board, which usually is used for pen and ink drawings. Atrio ise fr lending ‘econ of he foe 1a When dawg pores, make sire yore comet sed tht he doing bards at ‘rd angle Rat he dang feo prevent your hens from aging aes one ‘lay da ‘Al fg and porta renderings Dave bon draw drectly fromthe ets maint or ram pd pesca! Iden ees prone ha heed or * ‘he prone prey cmc. ae 7‘Draw the guidelines in step A to lay out the correct proportions. Lay down each line in the numbered ‘order shown. In step B, sketch the nose, eyebrow, chin, and eyes on the guidelines; then refine them. into more recognizable parts of the face. All of these elements must be resolved before shading at xv ° ) / Focus on the dark and light values of the lips in step C, as well as the direction of the strokes. ‘The value contrasts make the lips appear soft and round, especially because the shading is lighter toward the middle of the lip. Note in the final rendering that the hair is merely implied as a surrounding element Keep he shading ier toward the mie fhe {peo cree ighighs tert ‘The type of paper you use will affect your drawings ‘This portrait was done on vellum-finish paper, which thas a slight tooth that works well with peneil or crayon, \ aWOMEN: THREE-QUARTER VIEW rawing a three-quarter view is slightly more difficult than the frontal view—but you can do it! Study your subject carefully, and follow the steps. Block in the basic shapes, and use guidelines to place the features. Note that because the face is angled, the / features are al set off center, with the nose at the three-quater 4 %. point, Curve the line for the bridge of the nose all the way out to . the edge of the face, so it partially blocks her left eye ( \ %. / ‘Check the proportions and the placement of the features. When 9 / you're happy with your sketch, refine the features, and add some light shading to finish off your drawing, Shade as much or as Title as you like; sometimes simapler is better.Browse through books and magazines for subjects to draw, or ‘even look in the mirror and draw yourself. The more you practice and the more diverse your subjects, the better your drawings will become. Young or old, male or female, all portraits start with the same basic steps, {ee the cad, wera dln to ep mainte ‘heroundnes of pe on chinWOMEN: FRONTAL VIEW Frets oma dings you will need to pay special attention to the position of the features, Ina profile, for example, you don't have to worry about aligning the eyes with each other. Study your subject closely, because a stall detail such as the distance between the eyes may determine whether oF not your drawing achieves a strong likeness to your model ‘fone, coring ses with hsp pel can ‘Greate the appearance fa al heaton 50 q ta = Sige he ewe ee inthe - a Vc Step A shows minimal proportion guide- lines. You will be able to start with fewer lines as you become more comfortable with your drawing and observation skills Even the two lines shown are helpful for determining placement of the features. —— iN donee} [~~ [r= In step B, make the facial features more recognizable, and begin to suggest the hair. Notice that features rarely are sym: ‘mettical; for instance, one eye usually is slightly larger than the other. To finish the drawing, create depth by shading the eyes, nose, and lips. If you wish, practice developing form by shading along the planes of the face and around the eyes,‘The features of this subject's face differ from those in the previous drawing. Here 8 . the nose is much thinner, and the eyes / ak are closer together. You will need to make 2 these adjustments during the block-in tao Ase HD pe Hock a he — | proprio Uae he adele ple ~ Ly £O and develop the features in step B. Notice the types of strokes used for the hair; they are loose and free. Quick renderings like this one are good for practice; do many of them! een ha ou prekin ay droning mst care afore coming No aout © shading wil epi te rong le proportions ‘Th rendring hows he et alsin the ye ‘heer the ye apes to eth fa of he rein. hat acting amin element