How good it is to own a small sketch book on hand. Always ready to draw or doodle some cartoons from an inspiring thought. I have seen friends and avid amateur artists having this best practices.

Be it on train, bus, parks, streets or any public places. People are everywhere to be the subject of their drawings. Ideally, choosing a portrait subject who is sitting or relaxing on a chair, is far better than an action-packed skateboarder dashing to and fro in their playground.

Of every best practices I listed in my previous post, I have given up to fulfill the first 2 practices. Well, I guess it is much of an individual preference. I’m sure portrait drawings for grid system still works for many readers who visited this blog.

Anyway, before I start to dodge from throwing of rotten eggs by anyone, I have to share my excuses for not following what I ‘preached’ last week.

1. I always have 2 sketch books with me. Both having different sizes. Yet not much about drawings. Most of the pages are for my written notes and mind-mapping sketches. I prefer blank paper with free spaces than a notebook with pre-drawn lines. I can do my writings more liberally.
2. I hardly do my drawing from life. When I’m outside for a stroll in the park, I often use my time talking to people and photographing, than to draw them. Nonetheless, I have adopt my best drawing practices with the reference from photograph. That is why I did it again this time, with grid system portrait drawing.

Below showing a small piece drawing of portrait’s eyes from photo. For a portion of the eyes, it has taken me 3 hours to finish.

With a closer look, very light pencil grid lines are still visible at the paler region.  While the rest of grid lines has been blended into the shading. Grid lines help to provide a precised execution on every courses from square-to-square.

I wouldn’t say it is as perfect as the photograph. However, as a hand-drawn artwork, there are more or less some offset. Otherwise, any viewers will be perceiving as a poster print, instead.

Some comments were given from friends, after posted in my Facebook photos.

Photo Portrait, Grid System, Drawing the eyes

“gorgeous !!! … but the eyes seem to look sadder than the original XD ….. “

“… ^_^ … it’s beautiful ! I really wanna draw so many things but i dont have anything feeling in art beautiful!!! “

“i like the drawing than to the original one.i mean the picture. it is bcoz it shows more emotions..it only means that the person draw this wants to express his emotions…hey!!thats my own opinion….peace…”

“hey i dont want to be critical but i love d eyes(in d drawing)!!!!!!! “

“the mystery that is captured beneath that look is astonishing “

P.S.: Subject has remained anonymous in this post.

Portrait drawings using grid system has made much simpler. Below illustrated my work from a photographic source, using pencil as the medium. This digital photograph is a profile portrait from a friend in my Facebook. She has given me an opportunity to demonstrate on previous blog: Why Portrait Drawing Using Grid Lines is The Best Practice?.

As you can see in the illustration of a profile portrait, it is probably an easier choice. Most of the attention is focused on the outline of the face. In addition, it made any students to have some challenge drawing with only single eye exists in the portrait. Ideally, it does help to build confidence in portrait drawing with moderate difficulty.

1. Grid lines are drawn on the photograph using software editing tools, like Photoshop or GIMP. Alternatively, you can print it out and use a fine pen to outline it. I actually draw the portrait direct from the laptop display. Disable the screensaver, otherwise you will be irritated every 5 minutes of your artwork.
2. Since this photograph is 480 x 480 square pixels , what you have to do next is to square up your drawing paper of any size. Mine was 8.5″ x 8.5″. For grid system, a long scaled ruler is the most essential tool. And be reminded to use 2H pencil to draw the grid lines very lightly.
3. Mathematically, size of your material is not a factor, because ratio is applied to scale up your chosen portrait photos to your desired drawings paper. Based on your existing length of drawing paper, divide this dimension by the number of squares appear in the digital photograph. If digital photo showing 10-squares grid, make sure you are not using 9-square grid to divide the paper length. I have mine with 8.5″ divide by 5-square grid, resulting per square size of 1.7″. Some grid lines are visible if you look closely.
4. I started my drawings from the profile of the forehead to the chin. And some lines to draft out the hair. Always justify your point of drawing within a small square grid, it doesn’t carry any meaning though. Apparently, drawing the portrait will start to picture clearly with more lines are being filled. With these initial steps, any student will feel more confidence and wanting to continue with drawings using grid system.
5. The eye will demand slightly more attention, since there are the main feature of every portrait drawings.  Having smaller square grids concentrated on this portion may help, however, not too encouraging for a beginner to learn free hand. It also makes the drawing messier

Having describing on how I use grid system for portrait drawing, it will be nice to see feedback on what I have completed.  Perhaps, you may want to contribute your photo portrait artwork in here?

Grid Systems Portrait Drawings

Profile Portrait Drawings

Photo Portrait, Courtesy of Megumi Kubo

Facebook Open Group for Photo Portrait Painting. Free to join and support this group

Similar illustration posted here

Below showing my pencil drawing, practicing drawing right eye of a portrait. Just having a thought of wanted to do some study and sharing in this blog. If you look closely, some of the area has sharp pencil marks pressed onto the paper. I didn’t use the correct pencil, this is drawn with a mechanical pencil.  Free to give comments.

Right eye, Pencil drawing practice