How to Draw Portraits: The Basics - Lesson 1 of 4

In lesson 1 of this 4 part portrait drawing series from professional artist Justin Maas, we'll cover the building blocks of any portrait drawing; materials and basic techniques.

BASIC TECHNIQUES:
Understanding the ratings on pencils: HB is a mid-point pencil - everything marked as a B gets progressively softer (darker) with each number. Likewise, any pencil marked with an H gets harder (lighter) as it gets larger. Thus, a 6B is darker/softer than a 2B and a 6H is lighter (harder) than a 2H.

GRAPHITE SHINE:
While graphite has many, many advantages (price point, ability to achieve great details, layering etc) one of the only drawbacks is a phenomenon called ‘graphite shine.’ Graphite, when it builds up, can ‘shine’ - this is something that you can minimize by using a quality paper and switching to softer pencils rather than applying more pressure.

MAKING DIFFERENT TYPES OF PENCILS WORK TOGETHER:
Even though they look similar, some pencils do not really “work” together. Charcoal doesn’t mix with graphite and carbon pencils aren’t a lot better. Ideally we try not to mix them, but what about when we work on a toned paper and want to use white pastel? White pastel will not layer over graphite - but the reverse does work to an extent. So if you lay down your white pastel first, you have the option to slightly overlay graphite on it.

DOWNLOADABLE INSTRUCTION SHEET:
https://www.strathmoreartiststudio.co...

REFERENCE PHOTO:
https://www.strathmoreartiststudio.co...

JUSTIN MAAS WEBSITE:
Patreon: maasart

JUSTIN MAAS INSTAGRAM:
Instagram: maas.art

SEE LESSON 2 HERE: HOW TO DRAW PORTRAITS  - THE BLOCK-IN:
How to Draw Portraits: The Block-In -...

SEE LESSON 3 HERE: HOW TO DRAW A PORTRAIT ON TONED PAPER:
How to Draw a Portrait on Toned Paper...

SEE LESSON 4 HERE: HOW TO DRAW A COLORED PENCIL PORTRAIT:
How to Draw Portraits with Colored Pe...