My drawing of WILL SMITH..... step by step tutorial by @realitycartoon

Today I would like to share my latest drawing I made of Will Smith. A few weeks ago I decided to challenge myself to get better at drawing realistic portraits and right now I feel like I have developed. Drawing is all about practice and patience. Anyone can draw, it's just a matter of how much time you are willing to spend.

This is my portrait of Will Smith. Scroll down to see the process

First I start to draw the basic shapes of his face by freehand. Many years ago I used the grid method to get the right porportions but after a lot of practice you get better at drawing without it. The grid method is still very good to use, it forces you to focus on one part at the time. For this sketch I use a 2H graphite pencil and press gently. I don't want any marks if I have to erase something when I make a mistake, because we all do :)

The next thing I do is to draw the darkest areas like his hair, eyes and mouth. For this I use a 6B graphite pencil. In the original photo it's totally black so that's what I want to create to get that realistic contrast. Sometimes I start with shading the entire face in a light shade and then go on with drawing the darker parts. But it's good to practice different methods.

Then I go on with the shading. I start with making a light shade over the face by using a 4B pen and blend out the graphite with a piece of toiletpaper. In the smaller areas like eyes and mouth I use a paper stick (you can find these in the local art store). If you don't have a paper stick you can use an ear swab, it works just as well.
I try to create a skin texture using a thin mechanic pen with 0,5mm pins. I also use this to draw the wrinkles he got around his eyes.

I continue shading until I get the right shade of his face. I look closely on my reference photo and try to compare the shade with my drawing. Patience is the key to get it right, don't rush because it's only going to be better the more time you spend.

Now it's starting to look like something. I draw the texture and shades of his mouth using a 4B pen that I keep very sharp. It's good to have your pens sharp at all time to easier get good detail. The only pens I don't keep sharp is 7B and 8B, these I only use to fill black areas and for that it doesn't matter if they are sharp. I also add two white spots in his eyes to create the natural reflection that usually is in eyes.

When I'm satisfied with the shading I start drawing the shirt. This I can admit that I was too sloppy and didn't draw as good. But the main thing is the portrait and sometimes it's better to draw the surroundings and background a little worse to not take the attention from the portrait.
You can see the finished drawing down below. Let me know what you think about it in the comments.

I hope you like this post, feel free to upvote and resteem if you like it
Follow me for more artposts from me
And remember to always be creative in what you do :)

My drawing of WILL SMITH..... step by step tutorial by @realitycartoon

This is my portrait of Will Smith. Scroll down to see the process

I hope you like this post, feel free to upvote and resteem if you like it Follow me for more artposts from me And remember to always be creative in what you do :)

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I hope you like this post, feel free to upvote and resteem if you like it
Follow me for more artposts from me
And remember to always be creative in what you do :)