the head in watercolor

Glenn Hirsch, Instructor

For 30,000 years in prehistoric caves, the face was taboo … no faces have been found. But the artists could draw animals very well.

Then in 1500 BC, the completely natural face appeared in Egypt.

Leonardo da Vinci

Drawing the head takes study … even for the masters.

Van Gogh studied … On the left below:

when he began and right after 2 years...

Anatomy reveals basic structure under the skin …

“landmarks” to guide you

1. temple (forehead)

2. brow3. cheek4. jaw5. chin

study the head in all positions…

the head in ¾ view … how much of the other side do you see?

the head in ¾ view … how much of the other side do you see?

Everyone’s skull is different, but there are four basic shapes

But to keep it simple, we can think of the head as both a ‘box’ and an ‘egg’

Renoir

Include the neck in the beginning too!

To find the orientation of the head, you can think of the head as an EGG

Renoir

Renoir

Include the neck

To find the orientation of the head, you can think of the head as an EGG

you can think of the head as a BOXto define the difference between the side and front

Oskar Kokoschka

Raphael

Look for the difference between the side and the front

Giovanni Tiepolo, 1760

the shape of the skull is much easier when you can see

where the light is coming from

After Andrew Wyeth

PROPORTION IS EASY WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACE FROM THE FRONT (NOT IN ¾ VIEW)

Lucian Freud

1.Eyes are in shadow

2. Nose has a ‘ball’ at the end which overlaps the nostrils behind

3. Lips – upper in shadow, lower in light

4. Chin is rounded, suggests a ‘ball’

5. Ears are behind the cheekbones

Lips – upper in shadow, lower in light

Nose has a ‘ball’ on the end which overlaps the nostrils behind

The eyelid covers most of the eyeball

Step by Step

skin color

Skin color depends on the color of the light

Skin color depends on genes

John Singer Sargent

Skin color is a blend of many browns, tans, and pinks

painted with plenty of water to keep it pale

shadows are the object’s color + cerulean (cool) blue

Stephen Scott Young

John Singer Sargent

Emile Nolde

Pay attention to the “value”

Theblack and white

Skin is greasy and reflects light … so its color also depends on the colors reflected into it

subtle touches

of green

Jess Petrie

Oskar Kokoschka

Elizabeth Peyton

Emile Nolde

art school students

Kady Monroe-Tracey

Brad Kahlhamer

Brad Kahlhamer

Alessya Rose Bonder

Alessya Rose Bonder

Momo Yao watercolor, pencil, ink on paper