Project - Portraits in Perspective

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Project - Portraits in Perspective

172K
Mark as Completed
Course In Progress

In this project we'll practice applying perspective to organic forms. Heads, while organic, adhere to the rules of perspective similar to boxy objects, so we'll start by constructing 3D heads. Look for clues of the angle of each axis such as angles from brow to ear, the vertical center line of the face, and the horizontal side to side angles of the features.

I've prepared a range of portrait photos for you to work with, that you could find in the downloads tab under the video. You'll notice each photo is numbered. Please label your drawings with the corresponding photo you're drawing to help me and the community give you a critique. Otherwise it would be very difficult to know which box matches each photo.

Level 1: Basic Box Construction

Draw a box representing a simplified version of each head.

  • Try to match the orientation and dimensions of the head in the photo
  • Rely on your intuition to imagine each head's rotation and dimensions
  • Iterative process: Redo and refine as needed

Level 2: Head Construction

Start with a small box representation of the head, same as Level 1. Then add linear head construction with accurate perspective.

  • Use primarily straight lines to draw, emphasizing plane changes
  • Find angles in the organic shape that correlate with the simple box (ex: top and back of the head)
  • Observe, analyze, then draw
  • Avoid drawing tiny heads; aim for at least 4 inches in height

Deadline: Submit by 1/15/2024 for a chance to be in the critique video!

Newest
Axel Gyllenstierna
Level 1: As with previous perspective assignments - harder than expected! Especially imagining the bottom plane of the head. It helped starting with the "edge" closest to me and drawing the largest visible plane first.
Melanie Scearce
That's a great way to approach this assignment. It gives you a good frame of reference for the positioning of the box. Nice work here!
@yashimon
These are my level 2 assignment for Portraits in Perspective.
@lauralana
10d
Level 1
@rchebert
14d
Level 2 assignment
@yashimon
15d
This is my level 1 assignment for Portraits in Perspective.
Art Stark
16d
Level 1 Heads 6, 7, 8, 9
Randy P
17d
Enjoyed this one! Used Procreate to find and correct a few proportional errors but they were pretty close. Was really focused on contours though while drawing and my lline quality suffered.
@squash
22d
My attempt at the first 9
Tyson
25d
Couple of heads.
@goobish
28d
Some boxes and portraits I did after the project I feel like am spending too little time on the box phase planing things out that when I come to start adding parts of the face some features are not aligned properly or need to be altered ,but hopeful this will get better with practice. Any advice is appreciated thanks.
Mika Vermeulen
My try for the level 2 assignment. Some tips are appreciated :)!!
Aura
1mo
Level two project. I picked the two faces I hated the most, or rather the ones I had the most trouble with, while completing the level 1 assignment. I tried to really nail the proportions and placement of the features, so much so that I feel like I put the perspective boxes on the back burner - but they look ok! Onward.
@shopdoc
1mo
#13 in particular threw my for a loop. I’m thinking the side plane (ear) is almost horizontal? I’ll keep working on this lesson. Maybe it will help me to eventually learn to draw faces…
Mika Vermeulen
This was more challengng then i thought it would be, but it was good practice. i will try level 2 as well just for the sake of it.
Gwen Post
1mo
Level 1 doing a level 2. I gave myself 25 minutes for each, they aren't horrible but I dont feel like they look like the people... but I really enjoyed this exercise and definitely will do more!
Melanie Scearce
I think you did pretty well with the likeness, especially for a 25 minute drawing!
CharmLotta
1mo
I did all boxes for level 1 and a made small attempt to level 2 (I felt like doctor Frankenstein designing his creepy creature...). It gave me a general idea, but I'm not going any further on the subject yet. Without a closer understanding of the anatomical structure of the head it's hard to expect good results especially since some faces have facial hair that hides their features.
Yevhen Syrchin
the most complex was №1, 3, 17.
Axel Gyllenstierna
Nice line weight, I enjoy looking at these!
Ben Whitfield
This was fun! Here are my level 1 sketches. I feel like I did ok but did struggle with some of the top/bottom of the heads. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Off to watch the demos to see how I did.
Ben Whitfield
After watching the demo I noticed I struggled with convergence. Any suggestion on how to see that better when looking at a face?
Stefan Sharkov
Here are my sketches for the Level 2 exercise. I struggled to capture the likeness of some of the models, but I'm happy with my first attempt.
Gilles Dubuis
Level 1 is tough to nail
Rachel Dawn Owens
These look solid
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Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
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