plate no. 4582
Artist's wife Nadezhda Zabela
Mikhail Vrubel, 1905
some experience helpful
This drawing is great for practicing expressive linework and capturing form with value. Students will develop skills in portraiture and understanding light and shadow.
technical profile
palette complexity
1
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the overall proportions and pose of the figure.
- step 02
Establish the main shapes of the head, hair, and clothing.
- step 03
Begin adding darker values to define the shadows and contours of the face.
- step 04
Use hatching and cross-hatching to build up the values and create texture.
- step 05
Pay close attention to the details of the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 06
Add details to the hair, capturing its volume and texture.
- step 07
Refine the drawing by adding highlights and adjusting the values.
- step 08
Add final details to the clothing and background.
color palette
primary · graphite · white (paper)
secondary ·
Varying pressure and layering of graphite creates different shades of gray.
techniques
- ·Hatching
- ·Cross-hatching
- ·Value shading
- ·Line weight variation
- ·Contour drawing
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the drawing and losing the freshness of the linework.
- →Not paying attention to the proportions of the face.
- →Creating muddy values by blending too much.
- →Ignoring the direction of the light source.
materials
surface · Drawing paper (smooth or slightly textured)
required
- ·Graphite pencils (HB, 2B, 4B)
- ·Eraser
- ·Sharpener
- ·Drawing paper (smooth or slightly textured)
- ·Blending stump or tortillon
optional
- ·Kneaded eraser
- ·Ruler
- ·Fixative spray
Use a variety of graphite pencils to achieve different values and textures. Experiment with different blending techniques to create smooth transitions.
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