Tips for drawing portraits in pencil – composition

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Composition refers to the way your subjects are positioned relative to each other on the page. More formally, it is the arrangement of shapes and spaces within the page format.

* balance

The main characteristic of a good composition is that it creates a sense of balance in the viewer. This balance should exist on at least two levels:

First, there is positional balance. This means that the shapes and spaces that make up the portrait should be balanced relative to the vertical and horizontal that run through the center of the page.

Second, there should also be a value balance. The Portrait zeichnen lassen darkness and the lights should balance out in the overall sense. In other words, too much black on a page, or a complete lack of it, is not the recommended course of action.

* Try out

However, don’t be afraid to experiment with the distribution of shapes, spaces and values. Sometimes an unexpected deviation from perfect balance adds excitement and interest to a drawing.

Follow your artistic sensibility. With practice, this sensitivity can be developed and you will soon develop a natural sense of good composition and how and where to surprise the viewer.

* To form

When thinking about the composition of your drawing, you should think of four main shapes: the triangle, the circle, the rectangle and the square. Any of these shapes can be the most interesting point of your portrait.

All other shapes should be arranged in support of this point of interest. Essentially, this means that the viewer should be guided or guided to the intended focal point of the drawing.

* Focus

A common compositional error occurs when the subject is placed out of focus in a way that directs the viewer in a direction away from the center of interest. In other words, the viewer is diverted from looking at the area that the artist thought was most interesting.

In this regard, we should remember that in the West, the viewer’s eye tends to enter a drawing or painting from the left (just as we do when reading from left to right). Therefore, a good composition often has an entry point to the left of the drawing and from there leads the viewer’s gaze to the focal point.

* Detail

The focal point should also be the area where you will add the most detail to your portrait drawing. Areas deemed less important may be less developed and left to the viewer’s imagination.

Do not forget that a portrait drawing should not be a copy of the photo. Ideally, the personality of both the subject and the artist should be reflected in the final product.

* Check account balance

Another way to judge whether or not you Bild zeichnen lassen have a good composition is to cover up one shape or another and see if that improves the balance or not. A good composition is such that if you remove a shape, the entire drawing is noticeably unbalanced. If you feel that removing a specific part of your drawing improves the balance, by all means leave that part out.

Much more can be said about the composition. Entire volumes have been written on compositional rules and processes. However, if you develop the idea of balance on the levels of position and value, you get a very good start.

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