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Posing your model surrounded by a few props can add much interest, dimension, and appeal to a portrait and goes a long way to describing your model. A prop can add appreciably to the composition of the portrait.

Sketching a portrait with a prop, such as a book or even ear muffs, obliges you to above all pay heed to the complete arabesque.

Quite often the novice draftsperson will be tempted to approach a prop as a separate item or an afterthought so that rather than complimenting and merging in a supporting role with the model’s face, it looks artificial and overwhelms the model or is incorrectly proportioned or rendered.

In this commentary you will learn the expert approach to rendering a prop item that frames the center of interest even with a prop item that is bigger than the face.

First, the presence of a prop does not alter the approach to drawing the pencil portrait. As with rendering any other portrait, you should employ all your usual basic knowledge and apply them throughout the normal phases of your rendering effort.

So as always, you begin with the arabesque which in the case where the skull and the prop item overlap will be a “construct” which is a complete arabesque that encompasses not only the shape and proportions of the skull but also of the outline of the prop item where it overlaps with the skull.

In the context of the presence of a prop item that overlaps with the skull, the construct becomes of crucial importance. It helps a lot with the maintenance of cohesion. If you do not draw from the reference of a construct, the skull and the prop will appear as separate structures.

While you work through the succeeding stages of your portrait rendering (proportions, landmarks, blocking-in, stumping, etc.) you should continually be aware of the fact that your prop item should not overwhelm the face of your model.

The face of your model should remain the primary focus. Your sketch should not turn into a still life of your prop item that also happens to show a person’s face in the background.

One trick that can help you with understating of the prop item is to only draw the merest of details inside the prop item. Another one is to soften the values of the prop item but only if it this appropriate in the context of the overall intent of your sketch.

Again, we cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining the cohesion between your model and the prop item. That is why it is significant that you draw from the construct which already links the model and your prop item as one overall object. Of course, this also implies that you do the toning in a similar spirit and not overdo the lines and values that separate the model and the prop item.

So, in conclusion, the key considerations when including props items in your sketch are to make sure that the arabesque covers the entire outline of the skull and the props items.

In addition, make sure that at all times you keep in mind that the props items should never become the focus of your sketch. If you stick to these guidelines, the employ of props items should never become a problem for you.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert sketching teacher. See his work at pencil portraits.

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Filed under: Hobbies on January 27th, 2009