Imagine that we have a pose where the head, arm, and fingers are visible and are in contact. Very often, the beginning artist will endeavor to draw each of these entities one by one. The approach will always lead to frustration and ultimately usually to failure.

Instead of drawing each element one by one, the first step in your drawing should be to strike the "total" arabesque, i.e., the total outline of the picture. The total arabesque which includes parts other than the skull (in this case the skull, fingers, and arms) is called the "construct".

For the beginner it is best to reduce the construct to its simplest form thereby ignoring all the details such as the bumps in the fingers and the hair. With practice, you will be able to add all these bumps without much trouble as you go along.

A good construct (also known as a complete arabesque) also contains a singular gestural cadence that subordinates all details. In other words, this rhythmic gesture exists independent of the details.

When you are drawing a single object or skull the checking of the height/width sizing is rather easy. As a general rule the width of the skull is checked against its length employing the base of the chin as the primary landmark.

If, for some reason the chin is hidden (e.g., behind the arm or fingers), an other landmark must be found. The arm, the jaw, or the lines of the fingers are good spots to find a new landmark.

Once you have sketched a suitable construct it must be examined for correctness. To do this, we can, for example, look for vertical and/or horizontal distances that are supposed to be the same and see if they in fact are the same. Use all your acquired knowledge of sighting. Also use your general knowledge of anatomical placing of the eyes, ears, etc.

Once you are pleased that the construct is accurately sketched you can proceed to hatch-in the primary light/dark pattern and take your first tentative stab at drawing the facial area, i.e., the placing of the brow, the eyes, the nose and the mouth. Again, if the usual landmarks for those items can for some reason not be made use of you should be creative enough to determine appropriate substitutes.

Keep hatching-in all items as soon as you draw them. This includes the fingers, arms, and hair if any of them are visible in the given pose you are drawing. Remember to always sketch from the general to the specific.

Also, be sure to use a sharp pencil, take into account your understanding of anatomy, and always look for errors and, of course, correct them.

Next, the pencil portrait drawing must now be worked-up tonally by hatching with 8B, 2H, and 4H pencils, by stumping down the graphite with your fingers or a stump, and by using your kneaded eraser to define the lights. All this should be done in a sculpturally manner.

Finally, you can settle how much details you want to put into your drawing or how unresolved you may leave the drawing. For instance, you can leave some parts of the fingers or the arm unresolved. Or, if you want to emphasize a certain region of the portrait, you can add detail in that region and leave the other regions slightly unresolved.

These are a few of many considerations that go into drawing a more intricate portrait that has a construct. One essential thing to remember is to draw the construct first so you do not end up drawing one element after another without preserving unity. Following these rules will surely put you on the right path of drawing more intricate portraits.

About the Author:

Download my brand new complementary pencil portrait sketch course here: Pencil Portrait Sketching Course. Remi Engels is a practicing pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced sketching instructor. See his work at Pencil Portraits by Remi: http://www.remipencilportraits.com Visit Tips on Pencil Portrait Sketching - The Complete Arabesque.

Author: Robert