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Guidelines for Pencil Portrait Sketching – Sketching a Chin Supporting Hand Together with Shoulders

Including a hand in your portraits adds a major measure of drama but can quickly ruin an otherwise fine portrait if done incorrectly.

The goal is to incorporate the hand so that it is not only proportionally and gestural accurate, but is in agreement in personality with the expression of the face.

For example, a pleasant facial expression juxtaposed with a clenched fist may not yield the effect you want unless you intend to add an ironic twist to your portrait. On the other hand, a hand supporting the skull goes very well with a stern scowling expression.

First, absolute novices should not be attempting to render both the hand and portrait together. Things will quickly get muddled. The lesson for the absolute novice here is to get a grasp of the importance of acquiring a solid foundation of your craft.

In a pose where a hand supports the skull there exists a subtle forward tilt because the subject is slightly hunched and leaning forward. For the artist, this situation translates into the presence of a subtly foreshortened and reclined portrait. In the hand/skull case this means that the chin is somewhat receding relative to the forehead.

As always, you should begin with the all encompassing arabesque, which in this case, includes the hand and the shoulder. If you first render the skull and then attach the hand to it you are definitely asking for problems. The hand and the skull will lack cohesion and will give the awkward impression that they are two distinct objects that are coincidentally juxtaposed.

When drawing the construct be aware of the negative as well as the positive spaces. In addition, do not pre-measure any aspects of the construct. It should be drawn with as much fluidity as possible without losing your sense of size. Strike first then verify.

Further build upon the construct by establishing the face, hand, and shoulder signpost
s and sizes. The internal architecture of the construct is initiated by hatching-in the primarydarks and painting out the lights with a putty eraser.

What you are doing is to set the stage for drawing the facial features, the hand, and the shoulder. The hand must be located and proportioned in accordance with the skull and the facial features. The compression of the jaw into the palm must also be reckoned with.

Employing a sharp pencil you can now further develop the value and form with cross-hatching, stumping down, and painting out. In this, you will be going back and forth hoping that you know when to quit. Sketching is about making decisions, i.e., knowing what to build up and, just as essential, knowing what to leave out.

In the hand/skull case you have to be particularly careful how far you develop the hand. The hand should be seen as an extra element, that is, a supporting element that should not be part of the focus. Do not feel compelled to finish every element in your sketch. Everything in sketching is about balance and transferring your meaning directly to the viewer’s eye.

In closing, it is essential to see the hand and the shoulder as parts of one whole. Starting your sketch with drawing the construct will aid you greatly with maintaining this cohesion. Treat the hand and shoulder as supporting elements that surround the face. This means that you should render them in a subordinate role.

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

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

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