Download Article
Download Article
This article was co-authored by Renée Plevy. Renée Plevy is an Internationally Acclaimed Portrait Artist from New York/Palm Beach who has painted The Grand Dames of Palm Beach and various celebrities and community leaders. With over 50 years of experience, Renée specializes in painting realistically in oil and capturing the soul of the person. She has studied under internationally renowned portrait artists John Howard Sanden, David Leffel, Robert Beverly Hale, Clyde Smith, and Leonid Gervits. Renée is featured in over 68 shows and galleries including a one-woman museum show at the Paterson Museum. She has garnered numerous awards including “Artist of the Year” from The Bloomfield Art League and First Prize from the Boca Raton Museum Artist’s Guild. Renée has even painted a portrait of celebrity, Vanilla Ice. She also teaches at the Boca Raton Museum Art School - formerly at SVA in Manhattan.
This article has been viewed 1,191,406 times.
People are arguably the most difficult subject to draw realistically. Read on to discover the rules of drawing a realistic face as well as a realistic figure.
Steps
Make sure you draw lightly so it's more of a sketch than the final project. When you are finished with the sketches, erase them. They are easier to erase now that your lines are lighter.
-
![Step 1 Create a medium-sized circle at the top of the page.]()
Create a medium-sized circle at the top of the page. -
Bisect the circle with a vertical line extending out of the circle at the bottom. Add connecting lines to form the guides to jaws and the chin of the human head.Advertisement -
Join three horizontal lines for guides to the eyes, nose and mouth.
-
Draw lemon-shaped circles on either side for the eyes and the a small curved line for the tip of the nose.
-
Draw the realistic lips of the human at the bottom of the nose symmetrical of shape on either side of the vertical dividing line.
-
Make the eye-lids and the eye-brows as well.
-
Create a realistic shape of the ear-outline on either side of the head originating from the eye-level.
-
Draw guides to the throat and the shoulders.
-
On the basis of the guides of the head, draw the hair of the human.
-
Erase all sketchy guides and draw clear and final lines.
-
Color the realistic human character.
-
Apply shades and highlights to the color.
-
Create a smaller circle and bisect it with a vertical line extending out from the bottom of the circle.
- Make your drawing seem more realistic by adjusting the perspective slightly. A lot of people draw at eye level, rather than adjusting the subject a little bit.
-
Add joining guides for the eyes, nose ,mouth and the outline of the jaw and chin as well.
-
Make neat shapes for the eyes on the eye-line guide and a realistic nose on the vertical line and a pair of lips as well.
-
Create hair on the skull with bunches of irregular hair dropping on either side.
-
Extend curved hairs for the lady on one of her shoulders.
-
Form the shoulders, and the upper arms together with the breasts to complete the guidelines.
-
Add further details to the eyebrows and the eyes. Add a small detail to the chin as well.
-
Erase all unwanted lines.
-
Color the realistic person with shades.
Community Q&A
-
QuestionWhen I draw a person I always draw the body too small for the head. How do I fix this?
Community AnswerPan out the body first, in pencil very lightly, so that you can rub anything out and resize it as needed. -
QuestionHow can I erase the guide lines without erasing the face?
Community AnswerErase slowly and lightly. If you accidentally erase the face, you'll still be able to see it, it will just be faded. You can easily redraw it. -
QuestionOnce I learn how to draw, can I sell my drawings, or would they be just for fun?
Community AnswerYou can always sell your artwork. Consider learning how to draw portraits or caricatures of people, and then sketching people at craft fairs, etc. You can sell your sketches and drawings there as well.
Things You'll Need
- A sketch book or piece of sketch paper
- A pencil
- An Eraser
Video
Reader Videos
Tips
About This Article
To draw realistic people, start by making a circle and bisecting it with a vertical line. Next, add horizontal guides for the eyes, nose, mouth, and the outline of the jaw and chin. Then, make neat shapes for the eyes on the horizontal line and a realistic nose on the vertical line, below which you can add a pair of lips. Once the face is sketched in, add hair to the skull. Finally, form the shoulders and upper arms together to complete the guide, and erase any unnecessary lines before coloring in your person. To learn how to draw a semi-realistic person, keep reading!
Reader Success Stories
-
"I was completely useless at drawing people before. Now I can at least draw a normal-looking person who doesn't look like an alien."..." more
