Focus on Pencil Drawing - Simon Taylor

I’ve always enjoyed drawing since my childhood, and I love the immediacy, subtlety and evocative nature of pencil drawn portraits which somehow makes them timeless.

The human brain has a special area for recognising faces. In particular, the brain has an amazing ability to analyse key dimensions which differentiate between one face and another - the shape and spacing of the eyes, the position and shape of the nose and the dimensions and position of the mouth. When producing a portrait, it’s therefore important to get these key areas right.

The brain is also very good at filling in missing information. This explains why a very simple pencil sketch or line drawing, which only suggests a subject, can be so effective.

It’s all in the Eyes

The eyes are the most important part of the portrait, as they display emotions, mood and character in the most expressive and subtle manner. This is where the life of a portrait can be captured, or lost! In a more sketchy work, it can be the only area into which I will put any detailed work. An area of always pulls a loose work together, as the brain tends to fill in the rest of the detail for itself.

Click on the full portrait to open an enlargement. Notice how loose and sparse the work is around the hairline and forehead, and indeed most areas of the drawing. Click on the image of the eyes to open an enlargement for a detailed view of the work around the eyes.

Alec. An example of a fairly informal drawing with emphasis of detail around the eyes. This drawing was produced with an HB pencil only

A More Fully Worked Drawing

This portrait was produced with a range of pencils including 4H, 2H, HB and 3B for a more polished detailed image.

Click the image to open an enlargement. Note the difference between this drawing and the one above. This image has much more attention to detail in every area of the image. Much of the skin is shaded with the exception of the highlight areas, creating a somewhat more photographic representation. Notice in the highlighted area to the left of the mouth, that it disappears with no edge - another example of how the brain fills in the missing information when viewed.

But again notice the detailed work around the eyes which really shows the character and strength of the subject.

Please view other examples of pencil drawings in the gallery and note the different levels of work used to portray the subjects. My final thought is that the subject often dictates to me the level of detail I will put into the work. A more relaxed subject will usually suggest a more relaxed level of detail.

Simon