Emanuela
Alan Reed Portraits includes the study of Emanuela. This was one of the models I drew in charcoal when I was studying portraiture at the Charles Cecil Studio in Florence.
Portraits in Charcoal
Commission Artist Alan Reed Portraits to paint your loved, favourite place or your pet to create memories that will last a lifetime.
Drawing can be a very rewarding experience, especially when you are working from life.
You can discover great drawing tips from reading Alan Reed’s Painting Blog.
There are no short cuts to achieving sound drawing skills. Regular practise at drawing from observation will pay off in most visual disciplines in art. Whether it’s painting, sculpture, graphic design or even photography. Before working on a commission I will often warm up for 10 to 20 minutes with a charcoal pencil sketch. I’ve drawn dozens over the last few years, particularly as I’ve been receiving more portrait commissions.
How to Paint a Portrait
I’ve recently started to make time lapse videos of my portrait sketches. So that one can see the process on how I draw a face from the start. If you like Alan Reed Portraits watch the video which is only 24 seconds long. You will see that I draw a faint outline for the shape of the face.
I then make a mark halfway down to indicate where the eyes are to go. I then make another mark in between the eye line and the chin for the tip of the nose. Finally I do one last guideline for the mouth, usually slightly higher than halfway between the tip of the nose and the chin.
Once these are in place, I then start to draw in with greater care the details for the eyes, working my way down the face for all the other features. After that, it’s simply a matter of shading in the hair and drawing in the neck and shoulders. You will see that I’m drawing with a charcoal pencil which gives you a lovely dark, rich tone. I’m also a big fan of the Moleskine sketchbooks which come in a good range of sizes.
