Sketching 101

Hello there!

A while ago I had promised that I would show you exactly how a detailed sketch comes to life. So today I have the first two steps of a pencil sketch for you:

Step 1: I find something I like and draw a quick and simple outline of the figure. Most of the lines you draw at this stage will help you measure approximate distances from, for example the chin to the shoulder, of the original picture. Notice that the outline is drawn in faint and geometric shapes at first :

2. Once I have an outline, I focus on the face/head and draw faint (to erase later) lines to position the eyes, nose, and mouth:

3. In order to show you what an almost finished face would look like, I went into most of the detail on the eyes and part of the hair:

4. So as you can see here this is what the sketch looks like right now. After some shading and re-adjusting, you be able to see how the drawing will really come alive. Don't be afraid to erase and re-draw!

Once finished, I'll show you the result and give you more info on the rest of the process:

Happy drawing!