Guerrilla Sketching” is the art of quick and covert drawing of a live subject in a public place. My favorite places are cafes, restaurants and airports. This video was shot at Orfila Winery in San Diego, CA during an afternoon of wine tasting. Cool soundtrack by legendary Japanese rock group, Dragon Ash.
Quick sketch is a short, 3-5 minute drawing used for the study and practice of key drawing fundamentals. The techniques used in this tutorial are derived from the Reilly Method. Generally, quick sketch is done using charcoal on paper, but ballpoint pen makes a good substitution. Being able to draw heads well is a vital fundamental skill to have, so let’s get started.
The subject of our demo will be “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, the legendary Japanese filmmaker. This picture works really well for this demonstration because of the high contrast lighting and clearly defined shadow pattern. We’ll get into shading later, but first let’s start with the basics.
Step 1: Beginning the Lay-in
OK, so this is pretty much how ALL of my head drawings start and how a lot of artists approach head drawing. At this stage I try to observe the key landmarks that will guide the construction of our drawing. For more info on some of the key landmarks of the head, check out the last portrait painting tutorial.
A slideshow video of the last portrait painting tutorial. Video has text comments on my thought process and general tips on creating beautiful portrait paintings. Cool soundtrack provided by Japanese DJ Group Nujabes, feat. Fat Jon.
A step by step tutorial demonstrating my process in creating a female portrait in Photoshop. The process is similar to traditional painting in oils and acrylics. I rely heavily on solid art fundamentals, especially head drawing. Since drawing is so important, we’ll explore that first.
STEP 1: “Laying-In” the head
A head ‘lay-in’ is the foundation drawing. It is used to describe and lay-in the basic structure of the subject’s head and the placement of the facial features. An accurate and effective lay-in is critical to the success of the portrait.
