How to Draw Realistic People in Pencil
- 1
Use several pencils with varying lead softnesspencils image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
Gather your art supplies and reference material. A regular #2 pencil is alright for light sketching, but for a final drawing you should have several pencils of various lead softness (HB, 2B, 4B, 6B) HB is a harder lead, and they get softer as the number goes up. The harder leads you will use for sketching and outlining, and the softer leads work well for shading. A kneaded eraser is an eraser with a stiff putty-like consistency. It's useful because it can be molded like clay into a small point for erasing small areas. A blending stump is a stiff stick of paper felt used for blending parts of a drawing together. These, along with a sketch pad, can be bought at an arts and crafts store like Hobby Lobby or Michael's. As a reference for your drawing you can use a live model, photographs, magazines or the Internet. - 2). Draw a rough, very light gesture drawing of your model with your hardest lead. A gesture drawing is just a general scribble that blocks out the shape and pose of the model in the drawing. It helps to get the general size and proportions right. You'll be drawing over it later and erasing the unnecessary parts, which is why you draw lightly with the hardest lead.
- 3
A rough outline will work as a guide for more precise drawingsketch image by dpaint from Fotolia.com
Draw a basic outline of the figure using simple lines and shapes, again drawing lightly. Don't worry too much about getting it exactly right at this point, and don't worry about detail. That comes later. - 4). Draw light reference lines for the features of the face. Start with a line bisecting the face that runs from the top of the head to the chin. Draw lines across this one that are level with the eyes, nose and mouth. This will help you position and orient the features of the face.
- 5). Draw light outlines of the eyes and mouth, and a suggestion of a nose. Check with your source to make sure that these are positioned correctly.
- 6
Drawings don't necessarily need shading to look good.courtisane 1 image by Nathalie P from Fotolia.com
Refine the outline using a slightly softer lead. Draw a more precise contour of the figure, and refine the details. If you're stopping at a line drawing, darken the final outline, and erase the sketch lines if you like. Otherwise, leave it light, so the shading will define the form instead of the lines. - 7
Shading gives a drawing depth.the sketch of the naked woman image by dpaint from Fotolia.com
Shade the drawing. Start with the lightest values in harder lead, gradually adding darker shading with the softer lead. It may be helpful to draw an outline of the different areas of shading rather than shading in freehand. Use the blending stump to blend the boundaries of these shaded areas together into a smooth transition between the two values, unless it denotes a shadow with a hard edge. - 8
Smooth blending gives the hair a glossy look.portrait drawing image by PinkShot from Fotolia.com
Shade the hair by drawing pencil strokes in the direction of the hair growth, again starting with the light shades and moving to dark. Use the blending stump to blend the shading smoothly. If you need to lighten it or add a highlight, mold the kneaded eraser into a point and lightly erase in the direction of the hair growth. - 9
A finished drawingfalmenco dancer drawing image by PinkShot from Fotolia.com
Clean up the drawing, erasing any sketch marks that are still visible. Check for any minor details you may have overlooked, or any small mistakes you may have made. Don't be discouraged if you have made any, or if the drawing does not look quite right. It takes a lot of practice.
