D R AW I N G P R O G R A M

Head Drawing Phase IV

Three-Hour Portrait
Erik Gist - Female

Lay-in - TIP -
The head is symmetrical,
When laying in the
and therefore you can
head I try to keep my maintain solidity and tilt
linear indications as through liberal use of
simple as possible. I axis lines
will simplify them
down to c-curves,
s-curves, and straights.
Anything more compli-
cated than an s-curve
and I find myself
getting into contour
drawing. By keeping
things simple it puts
the emphasis on place-
ment and spatial rela-
tionships, and not on
details.

There is also a slight tilt

to this particular head,
which brings me to
another important
aspect to lay-ins, axes.
It is very important to
identify and solidly
execute the horizontal
and vertical axes
of the head. This will
help to accurately
establish the head in
three-dimensional
space.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

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 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Head Drawing Phase IV
Three-Hour Portrait
Erik Gist - Female

Block-in

When blocking in the

darks I try to detach
myself from what I am
literally drawing and
focus on the graphic
shape, much like a
stencil. I also try to
group shapes together,
in this instance notice
the way I have con-
nected to shape of the
eye with the hair shape.
By simplifying the
values I create a strong
silhouette, massing the
hair and hat into one
shape. I know that if I
can get the drawing to
read with only two
values the strength of
that design will carry
through to the finish.
Much the way that a
good logo design will
read at any scale. In
fact I treat this phase
very much the same
way I would treat a logo
design.
- TIP -
Don’t be swayed by
details and small indica-
tions. Focus on making
a powerful statement.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

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 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Head Drawing Phase IV
Three-Hour Portrait
Erik Gist - Female

Full Value

Your full value scheme

show be used to clarify
and expand on the
power of your two
value design. If you
start to break up that
pattern it only serves to
undermine the time
and effort you put into
that initial statement.
It is a kin to deviating
too much from your
thumbnails in a larger
illustration. If you are
going to take the time
to establish a good
design, stick to it. If
you are unhappy with
your design, go back to
the two value phase.

Notice the way the

darker values make my
initial value seem much
lighter. This is impor-
tant to keep in mind as
you build up your
values.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

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 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Head Drawing Phase IV
Three-Hour Portrait
Erik Gist - Female

- TIP -
As I inject my darkest darks
I try to exercise strong
shape containment. While it
is just my opinion, I like
artists who have clear,
beautifully designed shapes,
and achieve softness
through edge work, not
vague shapes

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 4
 D R AW I N G P R O G R A M
Head Drawing Phase IV
Three-Hour Portrait
Erik Gist - Female

Finish
As I mentioned in the previ-
ous step, I endeavour to
achieve a soft look in a draw-
ing through careful edge use.
This is particularly important
when drawing young females.
A key factor in developing
soft, rounded forms is edges,
or the transition between light
and dark. Any time you have a
light and dark value coming
together within a form, a
corner or change of plane is
created. The gradual transi-
tion from one value to another
is going to tell us this form is
soft and rounded. This transi-
tion is what is called an edge
in drawing or painting. Basi-
cally there are four kinds of
edges, soft, firm, hard, and
lost. Soft edges are those
gradual transitions that you
will see on a rounded form.
Hard edges are what you
would see on an angular form
like a square or at the edge of
a cast shadow. A firm edge, as
it’s name implies, is some-
where in between and would
be found most commonly on
an angular form that is not
completely squared off, like a
nose, kneeor other bony
areas. Careful use of the
edges can create any desired
effect in your finshed
drawing.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 5