Posts filed under 'Arts & Entertainment'
Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Supplies
Whether or not your pencil portraits turn out to be a masterpiece depends to a large extend on the type and quality of your drawing tools. In this article, I will present an overview of the tools the professional pencil artist uses when drawing a pencil portrait.
What do you need to draw pencil portraits? The bare minimum is a pencil and a piece of paper. Drawing is to the arts what boxing is to sports. The fewer tools you have the more skilled you need to be to stand out. Therefore, as a pencil artist, it is particularly important that you use the right tools of the right quality.
Below, I present just about every piece of drawing equipment you will ever need:
Pencils. Drawing pencils come in degrees of softness and hardness: 9H, 8H, …, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, …, 8B, 9B
where 9H is the hardest and 9B is the softest. The F pencil is the odd duck in the line. It yields fairly fine and soft lines and is often used to draw hair. The HB pencil separates the hard H pencils from the softer B pencils.
To start, you may want to try the 2H (hard), HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B (soft) pencils. Later, with some experience, you can always reevaluate your choice.
Paper. Try differently textured papers. For portraits, I prefer a 2-ply Bristol, acid-free, heavyweight, smooth surface. But your choice should be dictated by your own style or just by whether or not you enjoy a particular paper surface.
Drawing Board. A 1/4 inch tempered Masonite or Plexiglas board of at least 16 x 20 inches will do.
Clips or Masking Tape. You use these to fix the paper on your drawing board.
Maulstick. This stick is used to steady your hand and to avoid smudging of your work.
Broom. A desk broom is used to occasionally brush debris off your work. This also avoids smudges and save time because you have to erase less.
Sheet of Bond Paper. You put this sheet under your drawing hand, again to avoid smudging.
Pencil Sharpener. You will need a sturdy small one for the road and an industrial strength electric one for your studio.
Workable Fixative. This is a spray used to fix the finished portrait. This protects the drawing and makes it safe for future smudging.
Erasers. You need two types: 1. A vinyl one and; 2. a kneaded one. A vinyl eraser is the usual hard rectangular kind. A kneaded eraser is the gray kind that acts like putty.
Ruler. A regular 12 inch metal ruler will do.
Blending Tortillons. These are spiral-wound cones of paper used to blend a darker region into a lighter one.
Paper Tissue. You use tissue paper as another blending tool.
That’s about it. As you practice you should try out some of the above tools and see if they fit with your mode of drawing. Be flexible but try to work towards a final style of pencil portrait drawing that feels comfortable to you and involves a subset of the above mentioned tools used in a practiced and almost unconscious manner.
You can also get extra tips here - read painting art lesson.
September 11th, 2008
Simple Secrets of Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Mouth
The mouth, like the nose, must be seen as a shape and not as a contour. Drawing the mouth involves all the elements of shading: cast shadow, halftone, shadow edge, reflected light, and full light.
Please pay special attention to these issues when drawing a mouth:
Pit - It is the darkest area of the mouth and is made the darkest dark, i.e., the darkest value on your five-value scale. It gives the mouth a sassy look.
Halftone - They are best done in halftone. This is because the area under the lip is still at a fairly steep angle in relation to the light source.
Highlight - There usually is a highlight or full light on the lower lip and should not be overlooked. The location of this highlight is of particular importance.
Reflected Light - A less obvious but nevertheless important element is the reflected light that is usually found on the upper lip just above the line that separates the two lips. Make sure to pay attention to this reflected light.
Darks and Lights - The upper lip is always darker than the lower lip. This is because the upper lip is angled away from the light source while the lower lip is angled towards the light source. That’s also why the highlight can usually be found on the lower lip. It is also the reason why you see reflected light on the bottom of the upper lip.
Lip Line - An accurate rendition of the line separating the two lips when the mouth is closed is of the utmost importance to achieve a good likeness. As always, let the values determine the line. Do not draw actual outlines because that leads to an artificial flat look.
Teeth - Each tooth must be drawn accurately. Just think of how your looks change when you have a missing tooth.
Draw teeth by drawing the gum line. Also, teeth are seldom white. In fact, because of the cast shadows as well as the natural color of the teeth, the values are often much darker than you would expect. Check your photograph carefully for values.
The vertical lines that separate the teeth are very subtle and soft. Make sure you smooth these lines out and reduce some of them to just a hint. And do not forget to render the shadows that fall on the teeth.
Open Mouth - When the mouth is open, you will of course see teeth and also the inside of the lips. Note the changing values on the insides of the lips. Rendering these changes in values allows you to give the illusion of the roundedness to the lips which otherwise would show as flat or planar.
Finally, note that the mouth is critical to the likeness of your subject, particularly if it involves a hint of a smile. Be accurate with the mouth line, the width of the mouth, the shape of the teeth, and the outline of the lips. Pencil portraits finished and you feel like something isn’t quite right, the mouth is one of the places to check for inaccuracies.
Learn more about landscape painting in the quoted publication. It is never bad to know more.
September 10th, 2008
Learn the Secrets of Pencil Portrait Drawing - Facial Hair
A mustache or a beard usually has lots of fullness. Therefore, it must be built up in layers. You need to look at facial hair in terms of shapes and not just in terms of outlines. The values are also of critical importance especially in relation to the values of the neighboring skin.
Here are a few clues that will help you become an expert in drawing decent mustache, beards, sideburns, and other varieties of facial hair:
Values - Squint your eyes and take careful note of the overall value of the facial hair as compared to the surrounding skin. [spin]Is it lighter or darker or something in between? You|You[spin] should keep this overall average value in mind throughout the drawing process.
Also, check the extent of the mustache or beard. In other words, get a good idea of the extent of the shapes involved. A drawing grid can be of great help with this.
Growth - It is imperative that you render the growth lines of the facial hair correctly. Take a minute and look for the overall directions of the hair growth. Get a feel for the flow of the hair. Where are the breaks in the flow? How does a local direction of hair growth fit into the overall pattern?
While you concentrate on drawing a local shape, always be aware of the overall shape you are drawing. All this is critically important to obtain a good likeness.
Layering - It is best to draw facial hair in layerslayers. This keeps your mustache or beard from looking flat or thin.
If necessary, you can put down one layer and use workable fixative before laying down the next layer.
Also, be aware of the underlying facial structure, otherwise the hair may look like it is pasted on. Be aware of the peaks and valleys underneath the facial hair and note the how these structures are mirrored in the facial hair.
Kneaded Eraser - The kneaded eraser is ideal to render the lighter values in facial hair. Shape the kneaded eraser into a point and lightly “draw” lighter lines into the darker valued areas of the facial hair.
Close-up - Have a good look at a close-up of a mustache or some other facial hair. Notice how the hairs are ordered. Particularly, notice that some of the hairs are interwoven with others. It is important to reflect this in your drawing.
Note that generic-looking facial hair will make your drawing look artificial. Each individual has his or her own unique hair growth patterns. It becomes necessary to study these patterns. As always, practice makes perfect. Also remember, drawing hair must be done with a light, flowing touch, maybe using an F or HB pencil.
Learn more about pencil portraits and how to paint landscape.
September 10th, 2008
Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - Blending
Learning to blend is a skill that you need to master to become a good pencil portraits artist. Once you have a line drawing and once you have laid down the different values based on, for example, a five-value scale, you can start blending the different value areas. To blend, you can use a pencil, a tortillon, a paper tissue, and even your fingers.
Blending tips:
Soft Edges - A soft edge occurs in a situation wherean object surface gentle curves away from the light source. Such edges change values gradually and you should blend them accordingly.
Always blend parallel to the edges of the subject area. Follow the curves of, for example, a cheek. This gives a more natural and rounded look.
Hard Edges - Where two surfaces touch or overlap. The edge looks more defined. Do not actually draw lines to depict such edges. Rather, create a hard edge laying down two different values next to each other.
Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a line in nature. We become aware of lines only because of the contrasting values of two adjacent surfaces. And this is the way lines should be created in your drawings. Anything that has an actually drawn outline will look flat (i.e., planar) and will detract from the three-dimensional look of the subject.
Contrast - Contrast is a good thing. It gives life to your pencil portrait. Use five-value scale to discern the correct values. An excellent trick to better perceive values is to look through squinted eyes. I also found it beneficial to draw in dusk-like lighting conditions.
Uneven Values - Use your kneaded eraser to take off some of the darker spots and use your pencil to darken the lighter spots if needed.
Darkest Darks - If you need to create a really dark area you can build it up in layers. Start with a dark layer and spray it with workable fixative. Then put another layer on top. And, if necessary, you can repeat this process until the area is dark enough.
Kneaded Eraser - Your kneaded eraser is also a very useful tool at this stage. You can use it to draw with into a penciled area. For example, the kneaded eraser is ideal to introduce highlights on noses and hair.
From Dark to Light - Always try to blend from dark to light. Blend from the shadows into the light. Remember, the highlights are the white of the paper while the cast shadows are the blackest black you can muster.
The above guidelines should give you a good start in developing your blending skills. Now it becomes a matter of practice and experience. Find more tips about how to paint landscape in the quoted resource.
September 7th, 2008
One of the greatest assets for designer diaper bags these last few years has been celebrity endorsements. For example, when Angelina Jolie padded around India with the Storksak Emily Bag, demand jumped through the roof for this darling diaper bag with a cosmopolitan flair. I’ve been following Storksaks’ design for years and they have always produced quality products. The only difference is now they are getting recognized for their excellence. One of the features that makes Storksak bags unique, is that they can easily double as a casual purse. So these durable bags not only survive the baby, they have a second life after the baby is grown.
September 6th, 2008
Are you wondering if you should succumb to the Blu Ray technology, or just stick with your old DVD player? The answer depends on how big a movie buff you are, really. If you’re the kind of person who watches movies every week or every couple weeks and loves that home theater, high-definition, surround-sound experience, then a Blu Ray disc player is in your near future. However, if you were reluctant to dispose of your old VCR, you prefer going out to the movies, or you consider yourself to be extremely frugal, then you might choose to enjoy a friend’s Blu Ray movies instead.
Blu Ray (BR) is the new format developed for optimal recording, rewriting, playing and storing of high-definition video. The world first learned about the new technology with the release of Sony’s Playstation 3 in November 2006. To make more advanced games, Sony needed a way to “fit in” more data. While the DVDs in your current collection hold 9 GB of information, the Blu Ray discs are able to hold 25-50 GB, making it five times more efficient! Manufacturers like Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp and JVC (to name a few) are using a different type of laser (blue versus the traditional red) to pack more data with better precision.
When 5.0 Surround Sound first came out, it revolutionized how we heard movies and music. Blu Ray features 7.0 Surround Sound for more bumps, shouts and vibrations than ever before. Likewise, the picture quality is said to be six times better than a regular HD-DVD. The good news is that old CDs and DVDs will still work on the Blu Ray players, although all new movie releases will only work on the new Blu Ray players.
You may be wondering how the Blu Ray phenomenon is going to ripple out through the rest of the technological world. Dell has started making Blu Ray disc drives on their PCs and laptops for under $1,000, Blu Ray CD burners are available at Best Buy for $200 (internal) - $500 (external), and Sony is even planning BR high-definition LCD televisions. Don’t see BR technology as a nuisance, but rather see it as the next step of evolution, and a way of making entertainment more efficient and valuable to the consumer.
September 4th, 2008
Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Nose
The nose is crucial in relation to the overall scale of all other facial features of your pencil portrait subject. An incorrectly drawn nose will ruin the whole picture. The nose is also a study in shading and blending.
Here are some issues you should keep in mind when drawing a nose:
Shape - When drawing a nose, you should be thinking of spheres and cylinders. The shading and blending is very much related to that of a sphere and a cylinder. Spot the location of the light source in your photograph. This is crucial to make everything on the pencil portraits look real and natural.
Planes - A nose has many planes and protrusions which all have a certain angle with respect to each other. It is important to judge these angles correctly to obtain a good likeness. Also, squint your eyes to determine the type of shadow you are dealing with (hard edge, halftone, soft edge, highlight, or reflected light).
Darkest Area - Inside each nostril. These areas are always cast shadows and therefore very dark. Remember that cast shadows become lighter as they approach the light source. Also, the edges of cast shadows are the sharpest near the object that throws the cast shadow. The edges get softer as they approach the light source.
Reflected Light - Showing reflected light is very important to model three-dimensionality. It is usually found around the edges of the nostrils. In general, any surface that has a lip or a rim will show reflected light. Reflected light is also found where you have a shadow edge. A shadow edge is an area that is receding from the light source and usually turns into a cast shadow. In between this shadow edge and the cast shadow you will find a thin layer of reflected light.
Blending - Goes from the darker areas towards the lighter areas and should be done parallel to the edges of the areas and always follow the natural flow of the subject. This will promote the illusion of depth.
Size - Although everybody’s nose is different, you should memorize the average size and placement of the nose, so you can always refer to this while you are drawing an actual nose.
The nose is measured from the bridge between the eyes to the bottom of the nostrils. This distance, on average, is equal to the distance from the bottom of the chin up to the bottom of the nostrils.
The bottom of the nostrils is, again on average, at the same height of the bottom of the earlobes. The space between the eyes is one eye-width and also gives you the distance between the outside edges of the nostrils. All these measurements are with reference to a frontal view.
Flow - Remember that the nose is part of the face. In other words, the edges should be flowing into the face and not separate the nose from the rest of the face. So the edges should blend into the surrounding cheek areas.
In conclusion, it should be said that the nose is very important to the likeness of your subject. Pay close attention to the deviations from the standard measurements and location because these are very important The above guidelines together with practice will make you an expert nose drawer. Plus, these skills will help you even in digging into landscape in painting.
September 3rd, 2008
Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Line Drawing
In this article we will focus on the importance of a line drawing in producing pencil portraits. I will also discuss the details of rendering such a drawing. We start with a gridded reference image that has the same dimensions as the drawing we will produce. By the way, a gridded image which has the size of your actual drawing, will usually be too large for most printers to handle in one piece. So, print out the image piece-wise on regular 8.5 by 11 inch paper.
The first step is to draw the same grid on your drawing paper that you drew on your reference image. Use an HB or F pencil with a sharp point and draw very lightly. This grid eventually will have to be erased.
Once we have drawn the grid we are ready to start putting in the contours of the subject.
The advantages of using a grid are many. You can draw the content of one square at a time. All proportions and placements are easily discerned. Negative spaces become more evident. Rendering the correct perspective is greatly simplified.
Here are some guidelines on drawing the outlines (line drawing) of the subject in the photograph:
For now, only draw lines, i.e., do not do any shading yet.
Draw lightly and loosely. Use maybe a 2B or 3B sharp pencil. Sharpen your pencils frequently.
Focus on one square, you should not loose sight of the overall structure of the drawing. For example, make sure that the subject matter smoothly transitions from one square to the next. Inspect your progressing drawing from an overall perspective. While concentrating on a particular square, also use your peripheral vision to keep an eye on the neighborhood.
At this stage, accuracy is of the essence. All drawing at this point is judging lengths and angles within a single square. Use short soft lines which, if needed, you can easily erase.
Put a sheet of bond paper under your drawing hand so you avoid smudging of the already finished portion of your drawing or of the grid.
Also draw in the contours of the shadows and other worthy details you notice on your subject. At this stage your task is to produce a detailed map of your subject. We are actually in the process of readying the drawing for the next phase, i.e., shading.
Try to see in terms of shapes or masses and draw the contours of these shapes and masses. Drawing is doing two things simultaneously (actually, more than two). On the one hand, you need to concentrate on that one current line you are drawing (its length and angle) but simultaneously you should always be aware that this line is part of a shape.
Make use of the concept of negative space. Also, once and awhile, turn your reference image as well as your drawing upside down or sideways. This often gives you a better perspective on lengths and angles.
In fact, at this stage, try not to be aware that you are drawing a definite subject. Look at each shape as just a blob without meaning but with definite dimensions and a definite orientation. This will help you with seeing and reducing the involuntary introduction of preconceived notions about noses and such.
Look at your reference image frequently and carefully. Don’t forget that this might be a real portrait drawing.
Make some choices. What is important? What can you leave out? Drawing is often an exercise in elimination of unnecessary detail.
In this fashion, continue working out one square after another until you have a line drawing of your entire subject. By now, you should already see a fairly good likeness of your subject. Review in detail the entire drawing and make corrections wherever necessary. This is also the time to erase most of the grid. When you are satisfied, you can lightly spray the drawing with workable fixative, just enough so it does not smudge but you can still erase things if you have to. Congrats, you are close to to join the famous landscape artists group 
September 3rd, 2008
As soon as you have finished a line drawing of your subject you are ready to start with the shading process. Shading has to give your subject three-dimensionality. When you are done with shading, your subject should look like it is anchored in space and is not just an object in a plane.
Values (or tones) are, by definition, degrees of darkness and lightness. You should develop a visual sense of at least five values or tones. This can be done with the help of making a five-value scale. Draw five boxes next to each other and make the first one on the left totally black while leaving the last one on the right completely white. Then, fill up the middle one with a value that is just in between black and white. This value is called the “halftone” or “medium gray”. Next, fill in the second box from the left with a value that lies between black and medium gray. This value is called “dark gray”. Finally, fill in the second box from the right with a value that lies just in between white and medium gray. This value is called “light gray”.
These five values are enough to start and can already do wonders for your pencil portraits. Practice these five values until you can recognize them instantly when you see them. Now, armed with the knowledge of these five values we can now approach our line drawing which has already mapped out various shapes with different values. We now can start the shading process (i.e., applying of values).
One thing that you should always keep in mind as you shade is the location of the light source or light sources. You should better start with just only one light source. Every value you observe should be seen as a function of where the light source is located. Each value you apply should make sense in relation to the light source. Assign each of the areas on your line drawing one of the five values you have internalized. You do that through careful observation. Later, the boundaries between the differently valued areas will be blended together yielding a so-called transition area which has a value in between the two values of the adjacent areas.
You can think of the different value areas in terms of the five elements of shading:
1. The Halftone - This is the value in the middle of your value scale. It represents the true value of your subject without the effects of direct light or shadow. It is neither light nor dark.
2. Full Light - This is the value of areas where the light hits the subject straight on. It is the white of the paper. This sort of value is also called a highlight.
3. Cast Shadow - This is the darkest value which is the black in the first box on the left of your value scale. This value occurs in places that are completely shielded from the light source or any reflections. These areas are usually to be found among the shadows the subject casts on other surfaces.
4. Shadow Edge - This is the dark gray located in the second box from the left on your value scale. This is for the parts that are not quite in the cast shadow areas but are beyond the halftone. These areas are often between a halftone area and a reflected light area or between a halftone zone and a cast shadow zone.
5. Reflected Light - This is a value corresponding to light gray, the second box from the right on your value scale. Reflected light can often be found as a small band between a cast shadow and a shadow edge. It is the light that bounces back onto your subject from surrounding surfaces. The bottom of the jaw often shows reflected light. Do not make it totally white because it never is. These reflected light areas are important to notice and to render because they contribute significantly to the appearance of roundness and three-dimensionality of your subject.
In conclusion, a satisfactory line drawing together with your knowledge of a five-value scale and the five elements of shading should give you a good start at developing your shading skills. Work with short strokes and blend the adjacent areas into a value that lies in between the two areas. A ball on a table lighted by one light source is a good setup for practicing the five elements of shading. This will help you to understand the real beauty of the paintings done by a famous landscape artist or the portrait artist.
These tips will help you to reach real mastery in portrait drawing.
August 30th, 2008
Music is found in every culture. There are many people who make their living out of playing music, singing music and producing music. There are also many different types of music that you can listen to for enjoyment and for other personal reasons. One of the newest types of music to gain the notice of people in just about every country is that of karaoke. This is a fun form of music that you can listen to in many different places. For some people there are interesting ways that they can get free karaoke songs.
These free karaoke songs can be found in the internet and in karaoke bars. In karaoke bars the patrons of the bar get to sing their favorite karaoke song without having to worry about paying for this privilege. In exchange for their singing talents the bar gets more customers and the reputation of the karaoke bar can become well known.
While you may not think that this is a form of free karaoke songs, if you think about it you will see that you are only paying for the food and drinks that you order from the bar. The karaoke bar is separate fro the rest of the bar. It is however the idea of singing karaoke music that has drawn you to the bar.
The other place that was mentioned with regards to free karaoke songs is that of the internet. Now this is a great place to look for lots of different types of music. You will find a vast selection of karaoke songs. Some of these you can even get for free. There are rock songs, music compilations, classical songs and other types of karaoke songs. There maybe times when you can get devotional free karaoke songs.
Now with all of these free karaoke songs available you will be able to see what you would like to have in your CD collection. This way you can carefully choose the different songs that can keep in your computer and the other types of songs to have as CDs for your karaoke entertainment center.
Now before you go all crazily excited about the many different free karaoke songs that you can download you should check with friends if they have used any of those sites for karaoke song downloads. Since the internet is so vast you may be fooled into paying for the various karaoke songs in spite of the fact that you were given to understand that you were getting free karaoke songs.
So the next time that you look for free karaoke songs take the time to choose your favorites from sites that you can trust to deliver quality karaoke music – free. There after every time that you sing these songs you will give thanks that someone had the bright idea of giving away free karaoke songs.
August 26th, 2008
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