Portrait graphite study

One head-and-shoulders portrait of an adult in three-quarter view, short hair, neutral expression and plain shirt. Practice clear contours and a few local shadows in graphite.

A way into the drawing

1. Establish the main shapes

   Place the skull oval, jaw and neck.

2. Connect the structure

   Set the eye line, nose, mouth and hair mass on the same turned head.

3. Develop the drawing

   Refine the clear outer contour, add only the most useful interior details and place a few small local shadows. Leave most of the paper open.

A small thing to tryCheck the facial center line before refining features.