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How to draw realistic facial features in graphite pencil - Step by step art tutorial

Artist level: Beginners

This tutorial is aimed at those looking to learn how to draw facial anatomy using graphite pencils. This tutorial begins by applying the dark values and subtracting to create the highlights and definition. Simplicity is key and we don't expect you to draw each section anatomically perfect, the essential aspect is the correct application.

The paper used is the Strathmore Bristol 500 Vellum. It has a fine tooth which helps grab pigment easier, enhancing saturation.
I used the two pencils from the Derwent Onyx range, but these resemble the B and 5B grades. As a simple study, I use the Onyx Medium pencil for initial sketches and the Dark grade for everything else, applying more pressure where I need darker shading whilst relaxing the pressure for lighter areas. I have selected a few erasers that make the process easier, however a single eraser is sufficient, providing it has sharp corners. I provide the information of each product used, should you wish to seek them out and add them to your own inventory. You can use them with other mediums too. This is the technique that I personally tutor, but you will find other artists that may teach a different technique. There is no right or wrong way, choose the one that works best for you as you progress.

The reference image can be found below, which you can screen grab and print out or view on a tablet whilst reading the instructions on a smartphone or computer.

​Enjoy!

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The Products you will need

Graphite pencils, Paper, Clean Eraser,  Clean tissue,  Soft brush
Optional: Pencil eraser, Electric eraser. Paper blenders or Tortillions

​Graphite pencils used:  ​Derwent Onyx Medium & Dark 
Alternative: B and 5B
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​Paper used:  ​Strathmore Bristol 500 Vellum
Alternative: Hot pressed watercolour paper

The tools needed for this tutorial are minimal. Although this tutorial uses 2 pencils, the Onyx Medium (B) pencil is only used for the outline and this can be created with the Dark grade or 5B pencil instead. You can darken layers by applying more pressure n the pencil, to create lighter layers, you only need to apply soft pressure. The Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper can be replaced with any brand of cartridge paper. If it has a slight tooth, it will grab the pigment better. Smooth paper does not give the same depth of shading as one with a tooth and you may need to apply far more layers too.​ As there is little grip, more pencil is lifted during blending. The erasers found in the image can all be used in conjunction with each other, making it easier to erase large and small areas. A standard eraser is multi-functional, as you can use both the edges and the corners, so it is not necessary to have every product shown here.

1.Polymer eraser - Ideally, your eraser has sharp corners. Ensure it is only used for graphite pencils.
2.Pen eraser - Round edges help to evenly lift pigment. 
3.Battery powered eraser - More powerful. Can strip back layers of pencil or help to create sharp highlights
4.Faber Castell Perfection pencil eraser - Used for gentle removal of pencil. Easier to handle small areas in pencil form.
5.Derwent Onyx pencils - Pencils ideal for sketching and out-in-the-field work
​6.Paper blenders - Blend pencil or use to apply a soft grade of graphite to larger areas. Can also be used with coloured pencils and soft pastels
7. (Not shown) Soft brush to erase dust from your paper after erasing.

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IMPORTANT TIPS:  
* Ensure your pencils are sharp before you start. The side of the lead is used as well as the point.​
*  Graphite pencils smudge easily, so to avoid transferring natural oils onto your paper from your hands, have a clean sheet of paper to lean on whilst working on your drawing.
* After erasing, do not blow on your paper. Natural oils from your skin and specks of saliva could damage your work and you may not be able to repair it.
​* The natural oils in your fingertips are the reason why you should only blend graphite pencil with a tissue or with other blending accessories. ​​

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Nose

The nose is a good place to begin if you have never drawn facial features before as it is has a simplistic form. It eases you into the stages of application in preparation for the slightly more challenging, mouth and eyes. The process is much the same for each stage, but the nose is less complex.

1. Outline

2. Base layer

3. Blend

1. Outline - Start by sketching the outline with the Medium (B) pencil. Try and get your drawing as accurate as the photo but as you are not drawing the whole face, accuracy is not important here. Erase excess lines, then draw over the line, applying heavy pressure using the Dark (5B) pencil.
2. Base - Holding your pencil horizontal, and using the length of the lead, apply a deep base with the Dark (5B) tone. Keep within the lines where possible. The base application should be dark enough so that the outline has almost disappeared.
3. Blend - Using a Blending stump, tortillion or a clean tissue, the latter you can wrap around a pencil or your finger for more control, blend using circular motions. This will soften any noticeable pencil lines and create a dark base with which to lift highlights in the next stage. Erase any excess pencil from the outer edge. 
4. Shade - To help create shape, deepen the shade of the darker areas of the nose using the Dark (5B) grade.
5. Reblend. 
6. Erase - Using the pointed edge of your eraser (or use a pencil eraser for tighter control), erase areas on the nose where you wish to create the highlights, this will help to define its shape.
7. Blend - The important thing to remember is that there should be no hard edges, so you will need to soften the edges of your highlights using your chosen blending tool each time you erase.
​8. Finalise - Darken the nostril with the Dark (5B) pencil and smooth the edges below to soften out. 

The more realism you wish to create depends on the depth of application you have already applied. If the shading is quite pale, the highlights won't be as noticeable and you may need to reapply. Repeat stages 2 - 7 again until you have built up a suitable balance of depth and light. 
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Related articles that may be of interest
​

Find out more about the Derwent Onyx pencils

The Strathmore Bristol 500 Plate & Vellum surface article

An article about the money saving Ghiant Transfer spray

How a sharpener can help your improve your work!

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Mouth

Drawing lips are actually easier than they look. The same application is applied as the nose, but more definition is needed on the lip creases and highlights are more prominent. Compare the male and female lips below. Studying the references, you will note there is little definition around the outside of the lips and the top lip appears darker than the bottom. Creating an notable line around the lips and adding harsh highlights will leave the lips looking too feminine. 

FIG 1

FIG 2

FIG 3

FIG 4

FIG 5

Female lips

1. Outline - Sketch the outline using the Medium (B) pencil (Fig 1). Make sure that when you draw the lines on the lips, you draw the curves, prominent at the outer edges. A simple application that immediately creates the three-dimensional shape.  Using the Dark pencil (5B), reapply the previous stage, focusing less on the outline of the lips and more on the inner lines.
2. Base - Holding your pencil horizontal, apply a deep base with the Dark (5B) tone. Keep within the lines where possible. This base application should be dark enough so the lines have almost disappeared but not too much that you can no longer see them.
3. Blend - Using a blending stump, Tortillion or a clean tissue, blend in a circular direction (Fig 2). This will create a smooth base with which to apply the darkest layers in the next stage.
4. Shade - Deepen the line across the mouth and add a shadow beneath this line using the Dark (5B) grade (Fig 3). Deepen the outer edges of the lips further, reapply the arched lines if they are hard to see.
5. Blend the edges to soften the transition. 
6. Erase - Using the pointed edge of your eraser (or use a pencil eraser for tighter control), create the highlights concentrating more on the lower lip (Fig 4). Note the lightest part of the bottom lip is across the centre. If the highlights are too bright, it will appear glossy and the lips will look too feminine (Fig.6)
7. Blend - Soften any harsh edges with a fine point blender or tissue, this will help to create a more natural, matt finish.
​8. Finalise - Soften the outer edges of the lips so they are not defined. Dab the eraser around the outline to aid this so it does not pull too much graphite from the paper and thin the lips out. Blend the edges to smooth them out a little. Apply a shading around the outline to add to the effect should you wish. (Fig 5)

You can reapply shadows and create more highlights until you get the right balance. Always remember to soften hard edges with the blender which will create the realism.
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Eye

Although the proportions of an eye will vary between people, they all follow a general pattern. Less pronounced on a baby, more defined on a older adult. Eyes are complex and if you are drawing a full portrait, you need to make sure they are anatomically correct or the person you are portraying could end up looking like someone else. For this exercise, it is not important to be too precise, this is just for practice so all you need to do is draw your outline from the photo or copy the outline in Fig 1 and you are ready to begin. 

1. Outline - Sketch the outline using the Medium (B) pencil. Include the eyebrow but keep it basic as we will add more to this later. Draw the basic outline as shown in Fig 1. Once you have created the general shape, erase any excess lines and then draw over the sketch, applying using heavy pressure, using the Dark (5B) pencil. It is important that the outline is dark as we will be applying a dark base layer next and do not wish to lose the detail. 
2. Base - Using the Dark (5B) pencil, ensure you hold it horizontal to your paper and use the length of the nib, apply pressure to create a dark application which covers the whole eye. Note the application is a little lighter below the eye and over the eyebrow.
3. Blend - Using a blender stump or tissue, blend the tones applying circular motions to soften any hard lines (Fig. 3) The outline may have become so faint that you may need to reapply.
4. Shading - With the Dark (5B) pencil, blacken the pupil and tear duct then add the detail inside the iris, defining the outline of it too. Darken the crease in the eyelid, soften the edge with a blender to create a lifelike transition between tones. Further enhance the darker shadows around the eye and draw in the eyebrow hairs. Use the photo example (Fig. 4) which show the direction that the hairs follow. Create the shadow at the top of the eyeball which is produced from the overhanging lid and the eyelashes. Gently blend. This simple step can make a huge difference to achieving the realism in your drawing.
5. Catchlights - To obtain the brightest highlights within the eye including the pupil and the tear duct, use the battery powered eraser. This helps to lift pencil from the paper far more efficiently. If you do not have one of these, use whichever eraser you have. Ensure you reapply and neaten the shading if you find you have removed a little too much.
6. Highlighting - Using the pencil eraser or the corner of your standard one, remove some of the pencil over the thin part of the eyelid (Fig. 5) and the thicker part beneath the eyebrow. Also highlight the line found on the lower lid and the area beneath this. This stage helps to build the shape of the eye by accentuating the light and dark values in the right balance. Make sure you gently soften the edges between these gradients with a paper stump/tortilion. You may wish to deepen the shadows and/or further remove pencil to create lighter values as you go along. You can do this as often as you need but always blend afterwards to soften any harsh edges.
7. Eyelashes - Be careful with the eyelashes. As we are working on a male profile, the eyelashes are not as dark or as thick as they would be on a female. On the sample shown below of the completed eye, the bottom lashes are to heavy which gives the appearance of mascara. Use a sharp pencil to create thinner lashes, start at the lid and quickly pull the pencil from the paper to create the natural tapered effect of a hair. You will note there is a natural curve to these eyelashes, avoid drawing straight lines only. Create the shape you can see in the photo. Shorter lashes will lack a noticeable curve.

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This tutorial is a good way to practice your drawing techniques without worrying about proportions and precision, especially if this is the first time you have undertaken these subjects. The face is a fascinating subject and once you feel confident in your abilities to draw the features correctly, it should make drawing the whole face less daunting. A little tip to check the perspectives are correct whilst you progress in your work, is to look at the drawing through a mirror. When looking directly at your drawing, you may struggle to pick out the flaws. Once you reverse it, they may be noticeable immediately allowing you to correct it. If you are working from a reference photo, put this and your drawing side by side allowing you to compare. 
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If you wish to share your drawings you created from this tutorial, I would like to add it to a photo gallery on this page, please email photos to Karen at: [email protected]  
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I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you wish to give one of our other tutorials a try, click any of the images below.

View Our Other Graphite Pencil Tutorials

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​Tutorial created: February 2021