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Procedures for Pencil Portrait Rendering - Rendering a Chin Supporting Hand Including Shoulders

Published by Remi | January 16th 2009 | Views:

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Including a hand in your portraits adds a important measure of excitement but can quickly ruin an otherwise fine portrait if done incorrectly.

The goal is to incorporate the hand so that it is not only proportionally and gestural accurate, but is in agreement in personality with the expression of the face.

For example, an agreeable facial expression juxtaposed with a clenched fist may not yield the effect you want unless you intend to add an ironic twist to your portrait. On the other hand, a hand supporting the head fits very well with a stern scowling expression.

First, absolute beginners should not be attempting to sketch both the hand and portrait together. Things will quickly get muddled. The lesson for the absolute beginner here is to get an appreciation of the significance of acquiring a solid foundation of your craft.

In a pose where a hand supports the head there is a faint forward tilt because the model is a little bit hunched and leaning forward. For the artist, this situation translates into the presence of a faintly foreshortened and reclined portrait. In the hand/head case this means that the chin is slightly receding relative to the forehead.

As always, you should start with the construct, which in this case, includes the hand and the shoulder. If you first sketch the head and then attach the hand to it you are really asking for problems. The hand and the head will lack cohesion and wilnd, and shoulder landmark
s and sizes. The internal architecture of the construct is initiated by blocking-in the maindarks and painting out the lights with a putty eraser.

What you are doing is to set the stage for sketching the facial features, the hand, and the shoulder. The hand must be placed and proportioned in accordance with the head and the facial features. The compression of the jaw into the palm must also be taken into account.

Employing a sharp pencil you can now further develop the value and form with hatiching, stumping down, and painting out. In this, you will be going back and forth hoping that you know when to quit. Rendering is about making decisions, i.e., knowing what to build up and, just as significant, knowing what to leave out.

In the hand/head case you have to be particularly careful how far you develop the hand. The hand should be seen as a prop, that is, a supporting element that should not be part of the focus. Do not feel compelled to finish every element in your sketch. Everything in sketching is about balance and communicating your meaning directly to the viewer's eye.

In closing, it is essential to see the hand and the shoulder as parts of one whole. Starting your sketch with drawing the construct will aid you greatly with maintaining this cohesion. Treat the hand and shoulder as props that surround the face. This means that you should sketch them in a subordinate role.
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