3 Simple Tips to Improve Your Portrait Drawing ✍️
Drawing portraits can be incredibly rewarding—and just as challenging. Whether you’re a beginner or someone returning to your sketchbook after a break, it’s easy to overlook the basics when you’re focused on capturing a likeness, if that’s your goal.
Here are three timeless reminders that can make a big difference in your portrait work:
- Notice the most prominent lines and angles
Start by observing the key angles in the face—like the tilt of the eyes, the slope of the jaw, or the curve of the mouth. These structural lines help guide proportion and placement early on. - Block in basic shapes and shadow areas
Look beyond detail and break the face down into simple shapes: circles, ovals, and triangles. Then lightly sketch the large areas of shadow. This helps you build a solid foundation before refining anything. - Use “squinty vision” to compare shapes and values
Squinting slightly can help you simplify what you see. It softens distractions and makes shapes and value differences more obvious, so you can compare them more accurately.
These are classic principles for a reason—they work. Like remembering to breathe properly while running, these tips might seem obvious… until you’re deep in a drawing and forget them. That little reminder can make all the difference in how your portrait develops.
Hope these help next time you sit down to draw!
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