How to draw from a reference photo, sketching and shading a portrait _ Emmy Kalia

Hello , everyone in this video .

I'm going to show how you can draw sketch using a reference photo and how you can use guidelines to get the right proportions .

So first I draw the same guidelines on my joint paper and to make it more easy , I make sure that the reference is the same size as my drawing paper .

If you don't have a bigger ipad or tablet , then you can also print the reference photo out and lay that next to your paper .

If you want to follow along with me , I have a narrated real time uploaded on my Patreon as well as the reference photo with and without guidelines and my sketch for you to print out if you want .

So if you want to see this video in real time , you can go to patreon dot com and you or click on the link under the video .

So I start drawing the face features and I just measure with my pencil .

If you want to be more accurate , you can also use a ruler if you want .

And I just keep looking back and forth from my reference photo to my drawing , making sure I have the right proportions measuring whenever I need to .

And because you have made these guidelines , you are making it more easier on yourself and you don't have to worry if your sketch isn't 100% the same .

You are not a copy machine , you are an artist and you still want your drawing to be handmade as long as you make sure that the eyes are the same size and that the iris is the same size and that the pupil is in the middle of the iris and that you have all of the face features , correct ?

So that the nose is on the right line , that her mouth is on the right line and that the eyes are looking straightforward if she's also looking like that in the reference photo .

So that's what you have to pay attention to .

And before drawing a whole portrait , you could also practice with drawing a single eye first or drawing a single nose first .

So if you are a complete beginner , try doing that first because drawing a whole portrait might feel a bit overwhelming .

So practice as much as you can .

Now , I'm going to start shading the portrait with a four B six B and eight B graphite pencil .

And for the darkest parts , I use a black colored pencil , you can use any brand you have , I have a material list under the video of everything I use .

I start by building up the layers using the lightest graphite pencil and I pay attention to the reference photo , where do I see the shadows , where do I see the highlights ?

And I always shade with light pressure , I gently build up the layers starting with the four B the six B then the eight B and I also use my blending stump to blend in between each layer to create a more smoother effect .

And with my pencil eraser , I erase some of the graphite to bring back the highlights if I went too dark somewhere or I use my needed eraser .

So I keep on darkening the layers where it needs to be darker , where it needs to have darker value .

And when you are drawing , you should try not to be too hard on yourself .

If you are a beginner , you should just start practicing and keep on going .

You can't judge your drawing from your first layers .

If you compare my first layers to the end result , you see that you really need to keep on going and build up the layers , the more layers you have the more realistic your drawing will look and you also need to make sure that your values are dark enough .

If your graphite pencils are not dark enough , try using a black colored pencil for the darkest values that should really make a difference in your drawings .

If you create the highlights and shade the shadows on the right areas in the portrait , you will make the face look round instead of flat .

And that's why you should also have your values dark enough because you don't want your drawing to look flat .

So the best way to learn , drawing is practice , practice and well , you can learn a lot from watching videos or you can follow along with me .

But then it's up to you .

You should start practicing and learn from your own mistakes .

Try to draw something every day .

You don't have to draw a portrait every day .

You can draw a single eye or maybe practice drawing a nose , how to make it look round .

And then after a week or maybe a month , look back at your first drawings and look at what you would do differently next time or what you would change .

That is a great way to learn .

So you compare your recent drawings to your older drawings and you should notice your progress that way .

Also try not to compare yourself to others because sometimes you don't know how long the other person is already drawing , maybe he or she is drawing for a year or already five years .

So as a beginner , you can't compare yourself to someone who might already be an advanced artist .

The only one you should be comparing yourself to is yourself .

I always take my time when I'm drawing a portrait and actually with every drawing , I always start with the eyes and I make sure that I'm satisfied with the eyes before I move on to the rest .

So for me , the most important of a portrait is the eyes .

Now , you see me using a white acrylic marker for the brightest highlights and you see that it really makes a difference .

It really makes her eyes stand out .

Now I'm moving on to the nose .

And again , I start with the lightest graphite pencil that I use and with light pressure , I build up the layers shading with the blending stump and the soft tissue in between .

Because you want to have smooth transitions .

I pay attention to the reference photo where I see the shadows and I try to recreate the right values .

So the darkest shadows , the mid toes and even the highlights .

Now I move on to her lips using the same techniques starting from the four B .

Then the six B now moving on to the side of her face , I shave using the four B .

And when I shade a larger area , I hold my , I make sure that I hold my pencil more to the back also shading the neck and building up the layers .

Now , once I've shaded her face , I lost some of the highlights .

So I use the needed eraser and I gently pull up that graphite .

And after that , I use the soft tissue to create smoother transitions and to get rid of any erasing lights .

Then I add some more details to her lips and then my portrait is finished .

So for this video , I only focused on sketching and shading her face .

So I'm not going to draw her hair and the whole background .

If you want to learn how to draw hair , you can watch my previous video or you can watch other tutorials on my youtube about drawing hair .

So I hope you liked this video .

And if you have any questions , please let me know by leaving a comment under the video and don't forget to like and subscribe .

So you don't miss any videos .

I will see you in the next one .

Bye .