Portrait Drawings of a loved one

Hand drawn:

You don’t have to be a skilled artist to draw a portrait. Follow the directions below and try to have fun with it. 

1. Place the tracing paper over the photo, use the pencil, and start tracing the outlines of the face and body first. 
2. Then proceed with the facial features and details around the body. Finally, use simplified lines to create the folds on the clothing.
3. The last detail to add is the hair. You don’t need to draw every single strand. Instead, follow the outline of the top of the hair to give the hairstyle shape, then add a few strands to create depth and dimension.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 if you are not happy with the outcome.
5. Try using the ink pen to draw over the pencil lines. You can make the lines look thicker in places with more shadow.

Digital

If you are comfortable using Adobe Illustrator, proceed with this program to create your portrait.

1. Import as many photographs as possible into a new Illustrator file and place them in a grid layout.
2. Make sure the photos are on the same layer. Then, name that layer “Photographs” and lock the layer.
3. Now create a new layer and name it “Portraits.”
4. Select the Brush tool and in the Brush Definition menu, select the .5 oval setting to create thicker and thinner lines.
5. Start tracing the outline of the face on the “Portraits” layer.
6. Then proceed with the facial features and details around the body. Use simplified lines to create the folds on the clothing.
7. The last detail to add is the hair. You don’t need to draw every single strand. Simply follow the outline of the top of the hair to give the hairstyle shape, then add a few strands to create depth and dimension.
8. Remember to save the file. 
9. Once you are happy with one portrait, you can repeat steps 5-7 until you are done.