Drawing: Faces & Features: Learn to draw step by step
Capturing a human face on paper is one of those artistic challenges that can stop even confident draughtspeople in their tracks. This instructional title from Debra Kauffman Yaun sets out to change that, walking artists through the process of creating realistic graphite portraits, starting from the most fundamental shapes and building upwards from there. It's an approachable premise, and for the most part it delivers. Yaun covers material selection, the correct placement of facial features, proportion, expression, and the kind of careful shading that gives a flat drawing genuine depth and weight. Short, focused lessons sit alongside longer, more involved projects, so you can dip in and practise specific skills or follow a full portrait through from first sketch to finished piece. Particularly useful is the attention paid to different age groups, from babies and young children through to teenagers and older adults, each of whom presents their own distinct drawing challenges. Individual features get their own dedicated sections too, which makes the book a handy reference to return to again and again. The step-by-step format is clear without being patronising, and Yaun's personal techniques come through in a way that feels generous rather than prescriptive. Part of the broader 'How to Draw & Paint' series, this volume sits comfortably among the stronger entries. If portraiture has always seemed just out of reach, this is a practical and encouraging place to start.
- Author: Debra Kauffman Yaun
- Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing
- Genre: Decorative Arts
- ISBN: 978-1633227835
- Pages: 40 pages