Stages of a portrait. Part 1

As mentioned in an earlier post, we've started our portraiture unit in my art class.  This week we are combining all of the features studied to do our first complete portrait.   We are working from a photograph of a child (daughter of course founder) for this exercise.

From this photograph we work in stages to develop our portrait.  After much measuring, squinting, peering, comparing and general staring, you come up with the following odd collection of lines that make up the 'bones' of the image.

All of the lines and shapes revolve around a central axis which runs vertically through the head. This is not traced from the photograph. I have used measurements, my eye and free drawing to create this framework to work from. The nose and lips have been created using construction drawing (where you use shapes to represent areas).  Once happy with this you do this again on paper and begin to fill in more details to create the outlines of shapes, where shading and highlights occur etc.

I am really quite happy with this and am surprised by the likeness I've been able to achieve. This image is transferred onto good quality artists paper and the fun or stress begins!  I was a bit tired today and rather scared about putting pencil to paper so I have started by doing a 'draft' on plain photocopy paper. I've only done the hair so far.

I learned quite a bit doing a rough practice first, discovering how the angle of the pencil effects the quality of the line being produced etc.  I'm not entirely happy with some sections of hair and will have a play around with them to see how I can improve upon them before putting my pencil to the good paper for my final piece.  I think I'll complete each stage of the image in draft form before moving onto my final piece. It means I have to do the picture twice but perhaps I'll learn twice as much!  Check in over the next few days and see how I am going.