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Guidelines for Pencil Portrait Sketching - Blocking-in Large Masses of Value

Published by Remi | January 3rd 2009 | Views:

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In this article we will discuss the blocking-in of large masses of tone or value.

Value is commonly thought of as shadow. Beginners commonly first draw an outline of the shadow and then fill in the shadows little by little. They usually begin with an eye and then grow out the shadows. Inevitably, the outcome is a chaos of disconnected darks and lights.

There are two distinct ways of viewing value: in Western culture we see value as shadow; in Eastern culture value is seen as color.

A European spectator seeing a Chinese drawing will be struck by its 2-dimensionality. Conversely, Chinese connoisseurs in the 18th century seeing for the first time European portraits were perplexed by the "dirty scuff-marks" under the nose.

Applying, or more correctly, constructing value should be done with a sculptural sensibility. That is, think of your sketch as a block of clay that is to be carved. Once roughly carved, you then model the surface shapes with varying intensities of value while manipulating their edges thus defining the shapes present in the skull.

A portrait drawing from life or (paper picture) begins with the striking of the arabesque. Two things must be correctly drawn: 1. the shape of the complete skull; and 2. the proportions (i.e., length and angle relationships). This is a learned skill that no one is born with.

Once the arabesque has been struck, the complete skull is then broken down into en in value divide it in 2 and block-in the 2 slightly differing values. Before long a complex but unified array of values will emerge.

From the blocking-in of the large darks you can then easily draw the features. Over time you should try to memorize the complete anatomy and "feel" the shape three-dimensionally. This, too, is a learned skill.

You must know your anatomy to succeed in drawing portraits even at the most basic level. Learn the anatomy in small portions as you draw along.

A good way to draw is to toggle back and forth between line drawing and tonal drawing or hatching. Another way is to first do a complete line drawing of the subject. That is, to draw a "map" of the skull that encompasses all planes and marks the boundaries of the various tonal areas. As a second phase you can then hatch-in the right values.

While you shade be always aware of the planes of the skull and the direction of the light source.

Another skill to be acquired is the skill to cross-hatch areas in a flat and even manner. There is nothing more distracting than scratchy looking cross-hatching.

Finally, take note of a strange optical illusion called "simultaneous contrast". It happens when light and dark values lie next to each other. In general, white is extroverted while black is introverted. The result is that the white area looks bigger than it is while the black area will look smaller.

In closing, keep the blocking-in process simple. Look for large masses first and then for the smaller ones. It is always better to draw from the general to the specific. And, at this stage, ignore the details.
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