Drawing a Photo-Realistic Male Portrait

                                                        By Lauren Davis


One of my personal favorite techniques is making a photo into a drawing. Drawing photo-realistic portraits is a fun challenge for any aspiring artist. Along with trying to recreate a photo, this picture also applies the intricate and difficult techniques of a front male head. This is very different than the methods for a female head. The author, Jack Hamm, told the reader "Observe the interesting changes of planes in a face- look for them in the male head- and strive to record them." (Hamm, 35) This is my finished drawing, and the picture it is based on. (The photo is of Oscar Isaac, an actor whom I love from his role as Poe Dameron in Star Wars.)

Step 1- Outline and Shape 

 The first step in drawing a photo is the get the shapes just right. This can take a lot of trial and error, and that is great as long as the finished product looks like you want it too. You have less creative freedom when doing this, but it is a fantastic way to practice skills and techniques.

The eyes are always an identifying feature in people to make sure you get the lighting in the right place and the pupils at the right angle.

Hamm recommends trying different observing depth, width, lid formations and wrinkles in your drawing. (Hamm, 34) Then you are ready for the shading. 

                                                        Step 2- Shading 

  Shading a male face has many subtle differences from a female. Making the face appear masculine can be tricky and time-consuming. Hamm said, "Highlight strip above brows, upper eyelids hid, inside the eye in full shadow, set lines of mouth accented by double parentheses in cheeks, strong skeletal feeling beneath the flesh." (Hamm, 35) After shading in features, I had to shade the beard. Stubble can be hard to draw but it was an important part of this photo. Start with adding pigment, and then add texture and hairlines. 

                                           Step 3- Hair and Finishing Touches

Finally, I had to tackle the curly hair. If you haven't learned by now, I tried my best to get the hair correct but it didn't work quite right. After that, it was final fixes with the eyebrows and lips and done. 

                                                       Final Thoughts 

Overall the book gave fantastic advice on drawing a male portrait. I like the information about shading and shapes. I feel like this is definitely what the book has taught the best so far and I am happy with the information. A couple of my friends recognized who the picture was of without me telling them, so I call that a win. So what about you guys think? Do like this technique or do you have one of your own? Leave it in the comments below. 🔹

                                                        Citations 

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

“Oscar Issac .” Creator/ Oscar Isaac , TV Tropes , tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/OscarIsaac.