portrait sketches

Backgrounds are useful to guide and enhance your vision of how you want to represent your subjects. Backgrounds can soften the presentation of your subject or make the presentation more energetic or dramatic. However, whatever you do by way of backgrounds, always make sure that the background works with the subject and not against it. Also, do not forget that the subject is the reason you started the drawing in the first place. So, do not get caught up in your background to the point where it starts outshining your subject and diverts the attention of the viewer from your subject. So, usually, the background will be drawn with less detail and in a manner subordinate to the subject.

Drawing hair is not all that difficult but it does take quite a bit of time to make the result to look real and natural. In fact, it usually takes two to three times longer to do the hair than it does to do the rest of the portrait. So, do not get frustrated and know that you will have to spend the time.

Your ability to sketch objects and - a lot more important - living creatures in motion is usually a significant factor for creating vibrant and natural images. The base for drawing men and women in motion is the line of action. That's an imaginary centre line from the body and maps out the overall path of action of the figure. Choosing it right will make the figure extra real. If your character is located it's a direct line from top down, but when the character is moving along it is most often a curve, occasionally an s-shape. Keep it uncomplicated, when the line of action gets into way to many directions it will not simply look unrealistic yet may also be very perplexing for your viewer since it will be difficult to discover what's actually happening in the pic.