Finding a Good Photo

• 1). You will need a quality photograph to work from. For a traditional portrait, look for a photo that that is from the chest or shoulders up. It should be very sharp and high resolution, the larger the better.
  
  
• 2). If you don't want to ruin the photograph, photocopy or scan the image and enlarge it so it roughly fills an 8.5-by-11 sheet of paper.
  
  
• 3). You may prefer to convert the image to black and white. Because your drawing will be in black and white, sometimes the color can be distracting.
  
  

Making the Grid

• 1). Using a ruler and a dark pen, draw a grid on your photo. If the photo is snapshot-sized, you may want to draw the grid in 1/2-inch increments. If it is enlarged to 8.5-by-11, you can use 1-inch increments.
  
  
• 2). Draw a grid on your drawing paper with the pencil or charcoal. Depending on the size of your drawing paper and the size of your source photo, determine the size ratio you would like to use. For instance, if you used a photograph that was a 5-by-7 and had 1-inch increments and you would like your drawing to be twice that size, you would draw a grid that was 10-by-14 and use 2-inch increments.
  
  
• 3). Use light marks on the drawing paper because you will be erasing these lines later.
  
  

Outlining the Drawing

• 1). Begin drawing an outline of the subject. Each square on the photo will translate to a square on the drawing. By focusing on one square at a time, you can achieve greater accuracy. It is recommended that you frequently take measurements to make sure that your line placement in each square is correct. You can also test angles by holding your pencil against the photo to measure the angle and then making sure the line on your drawing is at that same angle.
  
  
• 2). With the general outline of the head and shoulders drawn, draw an outline of the chin and ears.
  
  
• 3). Now, mark with the pencil where the bottom of the nose is, the bottom of the bottom lip, the top of the top lip, the corners of the lips, the corners of the eyes and the top of the arches on the eyebrows. Check each square to make sure you have the placement correct.
  
  
• 4
  
  
  Draw in the outline of the eyes. Pay close attention to the placement of the pupils and corneas, as this will determine which way the person is looking and will prevent him from looking cross-eyed. Study how the bottom lid curves and the direction of the lashes. Depend on only what you are seeing in front of you. A common mistake is to let your preconceived ideas of what a face looks like get in the way of what you are drawing. Draw exactly what you see.
  
  
• 5). Draw in the nose, lips and eyebrows. Just draw light lines that signify where the parts are to be placed. Human faces are not made out of solid lines; they are made of shapes and shadows. The drawing should also rely on shapes and shadows.
  
  

Shading the Face

• 1). Study one square at a time, starting with the complex areas of the face, such as eyes, nose and mouth. Holding your pencil at a slight angle can help you shade better. Draw exactly what you see. The goal is to match the darkness of your shading to the darkness of the picture. Study which areas of the face come out further than the rest, such as the edge and tip of the nose, the cheekbones and the lower lip. These places will look lighter on the photo because the light is hitting them. Make these places lighter on the drawing and darker as they recede back into space. You can use a blender to smooth out your marks and make them blend better. Do not overdo the blending, though. Some pencil marks will give your drawing visual interest.
  
  
• 2). Look at your drawing. You might want to stand it up on an easel and step back from it 5 or 6 feet. Does anything stand out as being inaccurate? Study the photograph. Maybe the upper lip looks too big or one eye seems too high. Go back and check all your squares and check angles and measurements. Use your eraser and correct your mistakes.
  
  
• 3
  
  
  When you are satisfied with the face, you can add in the hair. Longer hair requires a lot of long, downward strokes. Study the photograph carefully and notice where it is darker and lighter. There will probably be some darker areas at the part, around the face and around the neck. Make these areas darker. In areas where the light hits the hair, such as the very top of the head and into the longer tresses, make your shading lighter. Experiment with your lines. Do not shade too much, as the lines will give it texture and make the hair seem more real. Add in individual wisps where they belong.
  
  
• 4
  
  
  Fill in the shoulders and chest area. Take notice of the folds in the fabric and how the light hits them. The insides of the folds will be darker, and the part that sticks out will be lighter. Capture little details such as buttons and stitching.
  
  
• 5
  
  
  Fill in the background. It is not necessary that you capture each little detail of the background because you want the person to be your focus. If you wish, you can fill in the background with a dark shade and blend it in. Don't make the shade of the background one consistent darkness. Try blending in a light-to-dark gradient from the top corner to the bottom corner.
  
  
• 6). Step back from your drawing again. If there is something wrong with it that you can't quite determine, leave and come back to it in a few hours or the next day. When you have been staring at a drawing for several hours, you might need a fresh look. You can also get someone else to look at your drawing and ask her what stands out. A second opinion sometimes provides just the right feedback.