Hello everyone Vaan here. In today's tutorial, I'm going to be showing you how I drew this girl using charcoal and I'm going to be giving you some tips and advice on the techniques that I use to draw realistically when I draw portraits.
I really recommend that before you start doing your shade in, you really do need to have an accurate sketch down first. You can use a grid method, in my case I used a free-hand method but you do need to have a really accurate initial outline first. So that all of your proportions.
My top tips were when drawing eyes in charcoal are that you need to focus on the values you need to look at the areas that are the darkest which is usually the pupils and the upper eyelids. And anywhere that's in shadow and you also need to look for the lightest areas so there might be some highlights in the eyes. In the tear ducts and stuff like that and you need to create these darkest shadows and the brightest highlights in order to make the eyes pop and look realistic. Here are some tips for blending out so once you've added your first layer of charcoal I like to blend out using a blending stick to get to a precise area.
With the nose, the nostrils tend to be the darkest area and the underneath of the nose because normally if you're looking straight on that's where the shadow is cast so I add with my pencil a layer of the shading to the nose and when I'm blending out larger areas of skin, I like to use tissue instead. I like to use a tissue that doesn't have a pattern on it. It's just really soft and really smooth skin. When I wanted to pull out the highlights and get those lighter areas to add that contrast which makes it pop more. I used the kneaded eraser and I went over it very lightly I didn't really put much pressure on the eraser. I just lightly erased the parts that I wanted to be lighter and then I went and soften it out it in with the rest of the area. On the mouth, the first thing that I'm doing is that in the darkest areas add in all the shading I used a charcoal pencil for the middle of mouth line. Then I went in and blended it. For the hair, I always like getting the darkest areas in first. So I'm just going through and I sketched out the main part of the hair and the direction of the hair. I like to do lines that go in the direction that the hairs going to make it look realistic.
Now I am drawing her clothes. In all of the darkest areas, it should be quite easy to do considering the fact that you've got all of your initial sketches already. You should know where all of these parts are so it's just the case of filling them in with the different values and details. I've added all of the details and I go in add more dark shadows and then I used the erase to pull up the highlights.
Once I've done that I'm going back in with the pencil to darken up some areas between these highlights and going in with the stump just to add some shading on top of the areas that I need to darken up so that it's more of a variety of shades. When you're doing a face as you do one feature you might notice that you need to change or tweak and have a feature you might need to darken certain areas to be flexible in going back and kind of changing certain areas and darkening things up.
The very last thing that I like to do is I just like to look at the overall piece and make some final adjustments. Which areas need to be brightened up and which areas need to be darkened up so that this whole piece kind of looks really great together. I just want to make sure all of the shadows are accurate I need to see whether any of the skin needs to be brightened up. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you, everyone!
Upvote and Comment below for your chance to win some SBD. The winner will be announced in my next post Thank you and good luck!
The winner of my last post is @alfred1
My account has just been approved and I logged in here the first time exactly today Valentine's Day. My account is still under construction, obviously. I am also an artist and so believe me, this is also my first comment ever posted here in Steem. This piece of work is wonderful. The subject also looked like me. Haha. jk. :) Kudos! Keep up the good work. :) Happy Valentine's Day!
I’m very honored to be the first one person you comment. Welcome to Steemit. I hope to see your art soon. I suggest doing an introduction post to get your account started. I’ll be the first to give you an upvote. Happy Valentine’s Day!
thank you! I am still learning everything here. Right now, I am even trying to upload a pic for my profile. Looked like it's not showing. hahaha.
Wow, Thank you, @vaansteam! Surely, I will give time to sit and compose an introduction about me. so far, it's the most challenging to do, introducing about ourselves. Sure will let you know too when it's done. :) I'm very excited too! I will be posting my artworks here too. Lately, I just got back to photography. :) HAGW!
I can't wait to see your artwork. I am too a photographer. Look like we have the same interest. :)
excellent work!
Thank you for the compliment
if anyone say about real time sketch then he should visit this at least once.... wow.... its awesome.
Thank you for the awesome comment!
Thanks for the tutorial,its really explicit,easy to understand,i'm sure even a lay man will not havr problems in following the steps.
Sweet art I appreciate the ability to draw id love to do that!
You should give it a try
Ahaha I'm very glad
Very nice art keep it up bro..
I will thank you
You are really talented! Nice Artwork
Thank you so much!
So simple yet so complex, love it. Bravo! [RESTEEMED]
Thank you for that, I appreciate the support!
I always follow your post everything is good if any time visit my blog @mamaathiyya
Welcome to steemit family. :)
I'll appreciate the support, I'll sure will!
Damn, u have some nice skills man! Keep up! <3
I'll will try thank you
wow hermano felicidades
Thank you
i thought this was a real photo when i saw the thumnail...nice work... it looks like a real picture with a photoshop filer on it... good job
I Upvoted and Followed you.. Do the Same for me and we can Help Each other Earn.. !!!
Trying to make it look real as possible thanks for the comment
Nice
Thanks
Really good
Thank you
Nice
Hi hidatatimn. Welcome to steemit family
Thanks 😊
Thank you
👍
Thanks
So smooth sir... I only make my art for digital as a vector and your art was so amazing! Idol!
You have really nice art as well :)
You are really talented.
Thank you so much
Amazing~ my friend told me to draw like this. I'll copy your link to send my friend. :)
Thank you for sharing with your friend :) Hope to see what kind of art you create
Thanks for the tutorial. Nice art work. Keep it up.
Resteemed!
Thank you so much for that :)
Easier said than done lol In all honesty though, even with these direct and easy to follow tips I would probably end up drawing crap lol Cool photo though keep it up! :)
Hahaa It's not that hard. I'm sure u can do it ;)
Wow. cant beleive you did it again!!! am impressed and amazed by your art work @vaansteam
hope to learn from you someday.
Thanks again for your support James. :)
I always look forward to your post because you give details about how it been done, in a very simple ways without much grammar. That how you communicate with people thumbs up to you, and I will be putting all have learnt from you to work on my next drawing.
I’m very glad. Thank you so much for the great support! Without people like you I wouldn’t be making any content :)
Dear Artist @vaansteam ! This post has been resteemed from FineArtNow account ! See you soon !
Thank so much for that :)
wow excellent drawing. love it!
Thank you! It was nice of you to say! :)
woah, this is so nice!
Thank you :)
Nan mais sérieux ...
N'en fais-tu pas ton métier? Parce que du talent, tu en as !
Thank you 😊
This is a wonderful piece of art. Keep it up.
Thank you very much!
thank u for the advices! :) But how u do it with other light? So, that her whole face is a little bit more darker or sth - maybe u can do a tutorial, how u shade a face and how u add shading for cheekbones ect? Would be sooo awesome :)
Yes I will probably do a tutorial on that thanks for pointing that out :)
Looking good
Thank you
I am an artist too and I know how hard it is to use charcoal but you controlled it right! Your art is jaw dropping. Well, I think i have no time to drop my pen if I want my piece to be this good. I am truly amazed by you!! Good job!!
Keep creating work of art dear :)
Beautiful.
Bravo!
Thank you
환상적이네요 ^^ 보팅갑니다!
Thank you
wonderful talent @vaansteam
Thank you
I like your post very interesting article and photograpy thanks for sharing only for u....
"Do not diminish yourself, then your own soul will die." When the soul dies, people forget to dream, and people can not live without dreams. "
Thank you for the quote it was interesting
Amazing what you're doing. Keep growing.
PS: I want a drawing of my face😸😹
Haha thank you I hope you will do the same
This is beautiful! You are so talented!
Thank you for the compliment! 😃
I really like how you use charcoal pencils. good technique.
Thank you so much!
Really good post..... thanks
Your welcome
Truly stunning. Thank you for the post. I'll definitely try it.
Yes give it a try. Hope to see your art :)
wow, awesome! thats a pretty helpful tutorial, great drawing.
I’m glad my turorial was helpful. Thank you
Wooooooow! I am so impressed. I totally love this. Wow. Well done.
I totally love your comment :)
This made me smile. Thank you.
Amazing work! Nice step by step. I couldn’t help but think of a one panel cartoon I recently saw of one snowman saying to another as they stood looking at an easel and canvas “what medium do you think I’m working in?” The snow man was missing one eye (get it, charcoal eyes)! 😀
Ahaha that’s a funny one, too bad we don’t get snow around here
Wow amazing super art work and also your tutorial is amazing. I am also a artist but I like to make decoration pieces with almost recycle material .Your art work is too good and now I learn about this .I wanna try to make a sketch now.
Here is my first comment on your post.
Now following , upvoted you but one thing is your content is without headings and attractive mine also but You can do the best that's why I give you a suggestion.
I think your art work is very good also keep it up my friend ;)
Thanks
best post bro!!! @vaansteam
Thank you bro
cool bro @vaansteam followme i have a good drawing in my post
Okay sounds good will check it out
The detail is amazing...
Thank you so much!
The detail is amazing...
Beautiful.
Thanks
Very nice to share your techniques on how to draw like this. Thanks
I’m glad you like my techniques :)
hello ,I up voted ,re steem and followed .
I hope to be strong like you .
Thank you so much. I sure you will. Good luck to you!