In this commentary we will give a detailed description of each of those pencil portrait sketch steps.



(1) Form Shape or Shape - The illusion of 3-dimensionality in sketching and art in general has been central to Western art for a long time. The carving out of shape using line, structure, and value was vital to almost all Renaissance art.

On the other hand, oriental and much contemporary art emphasize flatness of shape although this period in contemporary art is drawing to an end.

All shape in sketching can be reduced to 4 fundamental 3-dimensional solids: cones, cylinders, spheres, and bricks. The correct use of these forms together with perspective and value leads to the illusion of 3-dimensionality even though the sketch is, in actuality, located on a 2-dimensional piece of sketching paper.

In portrait sketching, the arabesque of the skull, the square structure of the skull, and all components within the skull (nose, eyes, etc.) are all 2- and 3-dimensional forms that contribute to the overall illusion of 3-dimensionality

(2) Proportion - includes all sizing and placements of shape. Proportion refers to the concept of relative length and angle size.

Proportion gives answers to these 2 questions:

1. Knowing a defined unit of length, how many units is a particular length?

2. How large is this particular angle?

Answering these 2 questions consistently correctly will give a sketch with the right proportions and placements of all forms.

(3) Anatomy - refers essentially to the underlying parts of bone and muscle of the skull.

It is important to study as much as you can about anatomy. There are a lot of studies available on anatomy for artists. For a portrait artist it is particularly important to understand the anatomy of the skull, neck, and shoulders.

Anatomy studies unfortunately include a lot of Latin terms which makes it a bit complicated to grasp. The idea is to study slowly and a little bit at a time because it can be very frustrating.

(4) Texture - in portrait sketching expresses the degree of roughness or smoothness of the forms. The texture of a rhino skin, for example, is very different from that of a cloud.

There are several methods and tricks to assist you with the creation of the proper textures. Creating textures gives you the opportunity to be very creative and to use each possible type of score you can make with a pencil. In portrait sketching textures occur in places such as hair, clothing, and skin.

(5) Value - refers to the variations in light or dark of the pencil marks and cross-hatchings. Commanding portrait sketches use the full palette of contrasting lights and darks. Beginning artists often fail to reach this full "stretch" of value, resulting in timid, washed-out drawings.

(6) Planes - produce the sculptural sensibility of a portrait. The skull has numerous planes each with a different direction and therefore with a different value.

The idea is to think of the surface of the skull as a set of discrete planes with a particular direction relative to the light source. You should try to recognize each of the planes and sketch its accurate shape and value.

The accurate handling of planes adds a lot to the likeness of your subject as well as the illusion of 3-dimensionality.