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We’re back with the Aigas Art Challenge this week, and doing something a little different.

Have you ever wished you could Draw people? Over the next few challenges, we’re going to explore this subject. You’ll need a pencil and paper and a mirror. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to draw a self-portrait!

Many years ago I started going to art classes to learn to draw people. I recognised that I wanted to be able to do it, but I didn’t know how. I’d had a go at drawing myself, and it was an unrecognizable mess. I didn’t want to draw my family, for fear of comments like “Is that how you really see me?”, “Who is that meant to be?” or “I don’t really look like that, do I?”. Let’s face it, it’s no fun to be on the receiving end of those kinds of comments.

So if you really want to draw people, I strongly suggest going to classes. You’ll have tuition, plenty of practice, and models are used to being drawn, so they don’t care if your drawing looks like them or not. (While classes are postponed under lockdown, You Tube videos are the next best thing.)

This week’s challenge is to draw your lips, eye and nose. Not the whole face; the three different features, in isolation, and in any order. (See, no self-portrait.)  

The good news, is that drawing people is the same process as drawing anything else. Biggest shapes first. Bigger shadows before smaller ones. Detail last of all.

So let’s dive in to the tips.

Irrespective of ethnicity, the structure of the face is the same. The proportions may change, but the basic structure doesn’t.

First we’ll look at drawing an eye:

The eye is not symmetrical. Take a close look at yours and then answer these questions:

• Look at each corner of the eye. Is one lower than the other, or are they level?
• How much of the iris (the coloured part) can you see? 
• Where does the eyelid start and finish? Is the eyelid the same width all over?
• Do your eyelashes point upwards or downwards? Where are they longest?

I hope you noticed that you can’t see all of the iris, unless you opened your eye very wide. Usually the top is obscured by the eyelid. You should be able to see that the eyelid casts a shadow across the top of the eye too.

Now the lips:

Look carefully at the lips, and you’ll notice several important points.

• The lips are always darkest in the corners
• The top lip is darker than the lower (assuming the light is coming from above)
• There is a darker line between the upper and lower lip. The middle part will probably be horizontal, but the ends may be angled upwards or downwards.
• The outer parts of the lips are usually only slightly darker than the skin tone. In most people the lips don’t have a dark outline.

What else can you notice?

Now for the nose:

The easiest way to draw the nose is to start with a teardrop shape, but instead of joining the two sides in a point at the top, leave a space. Now add a curve at each side, each ending just above the lowest part of the teardrop. Then join the curve to the teardrop. Don’t make the nostrils too solidly dark and circular or your nose will resemble that of a pig.

The nose is usually darker underneath and at the sides, with a highlight down the centre and on the tip, assuming that the light is coming from in front and above. If the light comes from one side, the side furthest from the light will look darker.

Next time we’ll, look at the proportions of the face, and discover how the features line up with each other.

Until then, try practising under different light conditions. You could try drawing the other eye, or an eyebrow.

Remember to post your art on social media, using the hashtag #AigasArtChallenge.

Note: The next challenge will be posted on 24th July. I shall continue to post every Friday (and at other times as my schedule permits), but the non-challenge weeks will be more general arty tips and techniques.

If you’re new to the Aigas Art Challenge and want to start from the beginning, click here.

We’re still hoping that this year’s Art Week at the Aigas Field Centre will go ahead. The dates are 3rd- 10th October 2020. Do get in touch if you’d like to take part.

The Art Week dates in 2021 are 25th Sept – 2nd Oct. Why not join us?