I’m linking up with Art Every Day Month and Paint Party Friday. I haven’t had a great deal of success with faces so I tend not to draw or paint them. I’m tired of being afraid of faces. The only way to get over it is to paint and draw faces. I have learned a lot already with this face. Like the pupils should not be looking straight ahead. The eyes and lips are coming along acceptably. No where near finished, but I feel I am on a decent path. The nose? What nose you say. Well, I painted over the first several noses simply because they looked like the NOSE OF A MUPPET! I am not being self deprecating – it really did look like that. The nose is the feature that is giving me the most trouble. I had to step away from it. Any hints on how to draw a human nose?
I think the only way to learn is to practice – go for it!
I’m not great at noses either…I go for the cartoon style of a dot or line… 😛 hehe! But one thing that helps me generally with faces, is actually starting all over and checking proportions. Sometimes it’s really hard to add in that one feature in the middle, like how you already have the eyes and mouth. It might always look a bit off… just something to think about! good luck!
I just might have to if she’s ever going to have a nose…Thanks!
Lovely painting ~ Great style ~thanks, namaste, Carol (Share the Creative Journey) Happy PPF
I gotta share something with you. The way that I learned how to draw and paint faces was in school. Not that I think you should take a class. I mention that only because I learned a really cool way of learning that is kinda different. Here it is: Take out great artists drawings. People whom you love and respect and COPY their drawings of faces. Try to get them exact. This is a common practice in art schools. You learn from the masters that way. It helps you pick up tools, techniques and ideas. Try it!
OH, great idea! I’ll try that! Thanks!
Carolyn, I think you have a great start on this painting. I find noses difficult too and haven’t really done a lot of nose painting. I have learned on the few I’ve done that it is easier if the pose is not straight at the viewer. That way it is easier to make the shading that distinguishes the nose from the plane of the cheeks. Faye (no expert!)
There are a lot of videos on You Tube that show how to draw faces. My daughter showed me how she had practised drawing eyes from a You Tube video that was really easy to follow. I know that the Sketchbook Challenge blog had something about that too in a post long time ago. Good luck!
Congratulations on tackling your fear of drawing faces! It really is all about practice, and observation. I’d recommend trying some drawing and painting using reference photos – either photographs of people or of works of art. Once you get a feel for how natural faces look (and how to make marks to represent them), then you’ll feel comfortable painting impromptu faces as well.
I will echo Lesley, and say find and artist who does faces well, and use those as your guide. There is no substitute for really studying how a great artist drew or painted something, which is why museums are full of students sketching the masters. Once you have learned how someone else did it, then you can move on to working from photos or from life.
And I’d also recommend a book called Drawing Lessons from the Masters.
Love seeing the process of the painting in your 3 photographs!
Happy PPF!!
Mary
Mixed-Media Map Art
Lots of great suggestions. I was working on an eye the other day. The Right one was just right and the left look awful. I had to do it and re do it. Finally I told myself to relax and stop trying to paint an eye. When I let go, it got better. 🙂
Just hang in there and google painting noses and go to the youtube clips… so many people share their skills and it is such a great resource… faces are hard to get right, but you are well on the way I think xx
You are off to a great start! Keep on trying. Faces & bodies are tough, but I’m sure you’ll get there soon enough. I know that I’ve got a long way to go!
i always go for faces intimidate me as well,
this is a great start!
maybe think of it in terms of light and darks where would the shadows fall on this face/nose? i second the suggestion that you look at pictures- i would suggest black and white photographs and then just think in term of shadow and light
err yeah… that didnt come out right…but you get the point 🙂
My sister peggy said she learned to draw face by tracing! And now her faces are beautiful! But then I think unperfect faces have a charm of their own too! Patsy from HeARTworks
the idea of a muppet nose is so compelling I want to go paint a muppet face. I’m working my way out of face-phobia. I’m trying to practice, practice, practice. I laugh a lot. Amy’s got some free tutorials on her blog. The one from Oct 26 was really helpful to me (and she’s got templates and hand outs too!) http://butterscape.blogspot.com/
Way to go, you! I have a fear of faces, too, but I haven’t worked up my courage to try painting one yet. That’s one of my many goals for AEDM 🙂
I am so terrible with people and animals. I admire you being determined to just keep trying. You’re inspirational! She’s coming along nicely. 🙂
Noses are hard! I suggest either starting with only very minimal lines that hint at a nose… or looking at a nose in the image and copy its lines and shadows without trying to make a nose. usually it is our idea in our head of how things look that is messing us up because our minds eye perceives things differently then if you just look at lines and shading.
She’s coming along nicely and it looks like you’ve already been given great advice. Google is a fabulous tool – Just type in “How to draw noses” via Google images or Google videos and I’m sure you will get lots of helpful links. Learning to shade noses correctly can make all the difference. Good luck ~ 🙂
Noses give me problems, too along with hair and hands. But I think you’ve gotten some good tips here so just keep practicing and you’ll get it.
You are way ahead of me – I have a hard time with all parts of a face – yours is looking great and I know you will master the nose, too!
I’ve been practicing drawing faces (and must get back to it). I use photographs as reference and for noses start with the nostrils. I haven’t painted any though – that would be harder I think. I like the other suggestions you’ve received!
Looking good so far!
Yep faces can be tricky. I learnt a huge amount about drawing them by following the excersices (sp!) in Drawing from the Right Side of The Brain by Betty Edwards. If you follow the steps and do eveything she says – it will take awhile you will do fabulous faces!
Il ike the face you have against that strong background.
2 suggestions: Trace from an art book (how to draw) until you get the feel of it, then try it on something before you go back to her. The other way I have accomplished what I want in a painting is to impress it into my mind before I go to sleep (might sound weird, but it worked for me). You are coming along with it though. Keep practicing, it will come. Blessings, Janet PPF