Point Slant

Point Slant

Instructions on Pencil Portrait Rendering - the Tilted Head View

To craft interesting fluid portraits that breathe life you must understand the effect of the spine on the skull and shoulders.

To produce a relaxed feeling in your portraits quite often you will need to draw the skull slanted. Most people when they are at ease will view with their skull slightly slanted. In this article we will point out what to look for and how to tackle the slanted skull.

In the slanted skull view the model will show a clear change of bearing from the action of the torso to the slant of the skull. Also take note of where the shoulders are. The model's shoulders will almost be aligned with the bottom of the nose.

With this information in mind, the first step is to gauge the angle of the skull's slant (from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull) before striking the arabesque. To do this hold up your pencil (or a knitting needle) at arm's length, closing one eye, and adjust the angle of the held pencil so that it relates to the angle of the slant. Keeping your arm straight and locked you can now transpose this angle onto the drawing.

Now that the angle of the slant is established you can sketch the arabesque and validate the height/width proportion.

The axis of the features is perpendicular to the slanted facial angle. A common tendency while drawing is to straighten out the features so that they are horizontal to the paper. Be on the lookout for this and ever on-guard because this tendency is subtle and is constantly trying to sneak into the drawing.

It is not a recommended practice to locate all of the features at this time. It is actually more accurate to first fix the brow line and the bottom of the nose and work from there.

When the skull is slanted you should also be conscious of the effect that gravity has on the face. The flesh, particularly on the underside of the jaw, will be slightly pulled down. This effect is quite delicate but for those of you who are expert portraitists you should catch this in your original arabesque. If you are a beginner just file this information away for future reference.

Take note, also, of the neck. The significant visible neck muscle is stretched out. Its companion is shortened. This opposing muscle action is referred to as abduction/adduction. This action of the neck always renders a striking effect.

Once the arabesque is placed and you are satisfied with its accuracy relative to proportion and form you can sketch in the features and block-in the key big darks and lights. Keep the tone simple. The more complicated the lighting arrangement, the more this applies.

The tonal arrangements are worked further, but are still somewhat crude and unresolved. The key concern is the overall light effect.

There are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare to finish the drawing:

1. Ask yourself how far you should carry the drawing. You can get a good effect if you give the shoulders and upper torso an unfinished quality. Remember, sketches are not meant to resemble photos.

2. As you gain a better understanding of the facial structure the tendency exists to draw what you know rather than what is actually there. So make sure you always pause to observe the life model or the model in the photo.

In closing, the slanted skull view is special in that the features will be centered on a slanted axis and that the stress in the shoulders will be different from one side to the other. Also the changeover from the torso and shoulders to the skull should be carefully inspected.

About the Author

Download my brand new Complementary Pencil Portrait Rendering Course here: Remi's Free Pencil Portrait Drawing Course. Remi Engels is a practicing pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing instructor. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: http://www.remipencilportraits.com

The Slants Pageantry Tour Blog 3: "Brilliant Masterminds of Trickery"