Art-ology

In this commentary we suppose that you draw directly from life or from a suitable photograph. In other words, we suppose that you do not use the so-called grid technique. This technique relies on a grid drawn both on the photograph of your model as well as your sketching paper.

If this is so, the first thing you will do is to produce a line-drawing. And the very first part of your line-drawing will consist of sketching the so-called arabesque.

In pencil portrait sketching, the arabesque is defined as the complete positive shape of your model’s skull. In other words the arabesque is the outer contour of the skull.

The arabesque includes the proportions, the shape, and the symmetry of the skull. This means that the arabesque communicates pretty much an overall likeness of your model and often lots of expressive content.

In trying to realize the arabesque we confront our first challenge as a draftsperson. That is, the challenge of “seeing the reality”. Indeed, when we note an object a complex mental process is started which in part falls short of the level of accuracy necessary to produce an acceptable portrait.

The mind, for good reasons (one is to preserve our sanity), immediately replace the very complex object with the a symbol it has stored since childhood. For instance, we all know how a child draws a house. It really is more like a symbol of a house. But this is what the mind tends to bring up and often even grown-ups draw a house like they did as a child.

Evidently, it is these iconic preconceptions (a left brain phenomenon) that are the enemy of the draftsperson. You must coach yourself to ignore those symbols and really see what the reality of, for example, a house is.

Generally, learning to draw involves the reprogramming of the mind’s eye. To this end, there is a skill-set that has been developed over the ages since the Renaissance.

Applying this new found skill to the arabesque is particularly significant. “Striking” the arabesque is probably the most significant element in the production of a first-rate likeness. Once you have this skill down path all the rest will follow reasonably easily.

The first step in striking a proper arabesque is to force your eyes slightly out-of-focus. This situation is called seeing with a “soft eye”. With a soft eye proportions and shape are more easily seen. It also helps you to avoid the invocation of the iconic preconceptions we talked about.

To coach your eye to better your powers of observation you must always draw first and check second. There is not much to gain from pre-measuring. The habit of pre-measuring of the height and width of your model’s head will hold you back later.

When striking the initial arabesque at all times use short straight, i.e., architectonic lines. This will impart a sense of the skull’s structure and the shape of the underlying bones and tissues. Note that round or curving lines are iconic preconceptions.

Also pay attention to the symmetry of the skull. The term “symmetry” in the context of sketching and painting does not so much refer to the correspondence of two parts but more to the beauty that results from proper proportioning and rhythm.

After striking the arabesque (without doing any sizing) you can check the proportions. Take a measure of the primary width (i.e., the width of the arabesque along the brow line) and set it off vertically beginning at the bottom of the chin. The end point of the width typically ends up somewhere close to the middle of the hair.

The idea is to determine exactly where that end point is situated. Best is to judge the shorter of the following two distances: (1) the vertical length from the brow line up to the end of the measure; (2) the vertical length from the end of the measure up to the arabesque. The shortest length is likely to be the most accurate. Do not forget, the arabesque includes the entirety of the skull including the hair.

With practice your eyes will develop this critical skill. Then, once the size and shape of the arabesque have been established you are prepared to continue with placing the so-called landmarks.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at pencil portraits by Remi.

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