During the 4th century, portraiture was concerned with an idealised symbol of a person by the Middle Ages, true representations of a person became popular. Artists have long been drawn to the medium of drawing as a means of studying human facial expressions and anatomy. Perhaps most notably, the cave drawings of Lascaux and elsewhere in Europe lend us evidence of our innate tendencies towards putting down onto paper and stone our artistic visions. With an economy of means Ingres captures both a physical and psychological likeness of his subject revealing a sureness of touch and intensity of observation that characterise his outstanding draftsmanship.Humans have been employing drawing as a means of artistic expression for at least the past 40,000 years. The linear rhythm and harmony of the figure build to a crescendo in the tones of the face which lift the drawing to another dimension. The confidence and subtlety of his modulated line captures an accuracy of form that is only achievable when experience is combined with a rare talent. Ingres' study of Guillaume Guillon Lethière, the director of the French Academy in Rome, is typical of his drawing style.
Many of these small studies were produced out of the necessity to put bread on the table as Ingres was stranded in Rome when he lost his patronage after the abdication of Napoleon from the thrones of France and Italy. His graphite portrait sketches which stand as artworks on their own, had a strong influence on the art of Degas, Picasso and Matisse in the century to follow. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, the famous French neoclassical artist, placed a significant emphasis on the quality of his drawing. As it was softer and more easily broken, graphite sticks were originally bound with string which in due course was replaced by wooden casings giving rise to the modern pencil. Graphite succeeded silverpoint as a popular drawing medium in the 16th century as it could produce darker lines and tones than metalpoint media.
You can copy and print a free exercise sheet to test your shading technique. Our Pencil Shading Techniques will enable you to practice the skills you need to improve your ability to render tone and form. These measurements are something that you need to understand before you start any portrait. If you follow these basic rules of proportion you should notice an improvement in the accuracy of your portraits.
Our section on the Proportions of the Head helps you to measure the size, calculate the shape and position the features of a face in your drawings. Each feature has its own difficulties which we guide you through in our illustrated lessons. Our section on Portrait Features helps you with the problems that you meet when drawing the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Our step by step approach allows you to see each stage of development that you need to work through in order to achieve an image of satisfying quality. Our Pencil Portrait Lesson explains and illustrates each stage of drawing a portrait from the initial outline to the subtle tones and textures of the finished work. Our lessons on drawing portraits are illustrated step by step tutorials that will teach you the skills and techniques you need to help you draw a realistic pencil portrait.