In this commentary we will give a detailed description of each of those pencil portrait drawing elements.



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

On the other hand, eastern and much contemporary art emphasize flatness of shape although this period in contemporary art is drawing to a close.

All shape in sketching can be reduced to four basic three-dimensional solids: cones, cylinders, spheres, and bricks. The proper use of these forms together with perspective and tone leads to the illusion of three-dimensionality even though the drawing is, in reality, located on a 2-dimensional piece of sketching paper.

In portrait sketching, the arabesque of the head, the square structure of the head, and all elements within the head (nose, eyes, etc.) are all 2- and three-dimensional forms that add to the overall illusion of three-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 accurately will give a drawing with the correct proportions and placements of all forms.

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

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

Anatomy texts unfortunately contain a lot of Latin terms which makes it a bit difficult 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 window pane.

There are quite a few techniques and tricks to help you with the creation of the proper textures. Creating textures presents you with the chance to be very creative and to use each possible type of score you can make with a pencil. In portrait sketching textures occur in spots such as hair, clothing, and skin.

(5) Tone - refers to the degrees in light or dark of the pencil marks and hatchings. Commanding portrait drawings employ the full palette of contrasting lights and darks. Starting artists often fail to reach this full "stretch" of tone, resulting in timid, washed-out drawings.

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

The goal is to think of the surface of the head as a collection of discrete planes with a particular direction relative to the light source. You should try to identify each of the planes and draw its correct form and tone.

The correct handling of planes contributes very much to the likeness of your subject as well as the illusion of three-dimensionality.