HOW TO Portraiture Planning – Value Plans That Describe Form

Once we have made a study of the placement of features on the ovoid of the head, we can accurately draw them. These studies can make lovely line drawing studies unto themselves. However, if the placement of the features is poor then all the great drawing of features just won’t work. Try holding off all the line drawing skills that you have and observe the model in terms of values first. These values describe the form – all the shadows and recesses are creating patterns that describe the form. Once this is simplified, we can begin the finer line drawing details.
Mentioned here in this tutorial is a simple, fun and rewarding exercise: lay a piece of tracing paper over color or black and white photos. Establish the axis of the head and make sure that you know what the grid of vertical and horizontal surface ovals is that circumvent the ovoid. Trace the shadows in the eyes sockets, beneath those nose and lips, and you’d be surprised how effective this is in creating high impact studies.