Drawing a Child's Portrait

                                                                  By Lauren Davis

Another topic to bring up is the challenge of drawing children. They have different proportions then adults and take completely different techniques to accurately portray. With rounder cheeks, larger features and sweeter faces, they are an entirely new and difficult task for any artist. Even the hairstyles can be harder. The author recommends remembering many different points while drawing kids. He reminds the artist in include wider eyes, larger ears, thinner brows and longer lashes in young children. (Hamm 36) Here is the picture I came up with by using these techniques. I used Scarlett Estevez who is a ten-year-old actress as my model. (You may know her as Trixie from the TV show Lucifer on Fox.)

Step 1- Outline and Eyes 

I took the outline of the features from a photo of the actress I got from the show. In the book, the author said "The face is smaller in proportion to
the rest of the head. The back of the

head sticks out farther and the neck is smaller." (Hamm, 36) After the face is outlined, you need to perfect the eyes. the wider, brighter eyes have a sense of childlike wonder. Next get the precise eyebrow hairs and shape, ear size and hair. Then it's on to the shading.

                                                  Step 2- Shading 

             

After the outline looks how you want it to, you need to add

depth to the face. The shadows will be different than those on an adult face. With rounder cheeks and a more upturned nose, you have to change the places of light and dark. Author Jack Hamm said, " the early nose is usually upturned; the chin is less prominent and recedes; the mouth has more indentation in the corners." (Hamm, 36)  All of these crucial details can be achieved through careful and precise shading. It is very important to blend everything thoroughly to keep the illusion of roundness in the face. 

                                             Step 3- Hair and Final Touches 

With this particular photo, Scarlett was wearing pigtails. Nothing portrays youth and cuteness like a little girl hairstyle. Unfortunately, they proved to be insufferable to draw nicely. I was shocked at the difficulty of the adorable hairstyle. My technique of choice with hair is to start by picturing it as a shape. after getting the shape correct, then the tricky part is adding in hair strand textures. Then you can blend it out. I generally use a tissue for blending because it picks up less of the pigment than my usual finger blending. Then I just had to shade the shirt and neck and fix the jawline and I was done.

                                                       Final Thoughts

Overall, I did like the book's advice on children's portraits. It had helpful tips for shading and face shape. I'm happy with the finished product but I wish it looked more like the photo I based it off. So what do you think? Do you like the techniques the book's tips and tricks or do you have your own? 

Leave it in the comments below. 🔹

                                                          Citations 

Hamm, Jack. Drawing the Head and Figure. Time Warner International, 1963.

Drawing a Front View Face With the Double Circle Method

By Lauren Davis 

      One of the most important parts of drawing people is being able to portray a realistic face looking straight ahead. Wile being a valuable skill, it can also be very difficult. Getting a correct head shape, well-proportioned eyes and textured hair can be tricky and require a lot of practice and effort. In the book Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm, he outlines many tricks and methods on how to achieve this task. One is the double circle. He said, "This is a  mechanical method of setting down proportions of the ideal female head." (Hamm, 2) I followed his instructions and drew a basic front view head using example features from the book. 

Step 1- The Head shape and Features

      The book shows an interesting method of getting the proportions and head shape correct. The author recommends drawing two circles and then placing the eyes nose and mouth in marked spaces.

This will give more obvious areas to put the other parts of the face, as seen on the left. After this, I used features from example lists shown in the book. Please note this book was published in 1963 so the style then included large curly hair and very thin eyebrows. The image to the right shows the features added, but the placement marks still there. 

            Step 2- The Chin, Cheeks, and Shading  

      The next step, of course, is erasing the guidelines but afterward, you have to fix and shape of the chin and cheeks. Hamm explains how the cheeks and chin will always vary in shape and size. Some might be flatter or rounder.  (Hamm, 3) While shading the picture you have to add dimension to the face by adding more or less pigment to an area. More pigment gives the illusion of a lower place and less makes the place look higher. The bridge of the nose, chin, and cheekbones are generally the highest, and therefore lightest, areas on a face.

                       Step 3- Hair and Finishing Touches   

      In my opinion, the hair is the hardest part of a face. Getting the highlights and shadows just right can be near impossible. Hamm said, "One of the objectives of drawing hair is to make it look fluffy and weightless." (Hamm, 18) It was the peak of fashion in the 60's. He recommends starting with the shape and the hairline and building out from there. After that, all that is left are the final touches to perfect your picture. 

                                                              

                                                    Final Thoughts 

      I am happy with the way the sketch turned out but some of the shading is off. I think the method works well with getting the features in the right place, but I wish it helped more with the chin and cheekbones. So what do you think? Is this method helpful to you or do you have a different one that works better? Leave it in the comments below and thanks for reading. 🔹

                                                          Citation 

Hamm, Jack. Drawing the Head and Figure. Time Warner International, 1963.