I can reminisce the times when it was relatively easy to buy spares for vehicles. If it was from a British owned manufacturer, your car would most likely have a Lucas Alternator and Starter Motor, and either of these, subject to a couple of variations, could be compatible with just about any other car. On top of that, things like electrical connectors, fuses, bulbs etc were all relatively average. Certainly, if you had a Ford; that would have its own variety of electrical equipment, and Vauxhalls would be built in with Delco electricals, but again, these were very standardised, and so they were very interchangeable.

This state of affairs made it much easier for drivers. It also must have made life much easier for Car Parts Distributors, because. One starter motor would likely fit a dozen or more makes by different manufacturers over an extensive range of years. I seem to recall plenty of other things, including Wiper blades, instruments and switches all being similar across a wide collection of manufacturers. Even the old Champion N9Y Spark Plug or corresponding would fit & work the vast majority of cars. A hand full of different oil filters would also fit on ninety per cent of the vehicles on British roads.

Since then, manufacturers have followed the tendency of individualising the components going into their cars. I can appreciate and see the advantage of doing that with parts like instruments & lighting, because these offer a much better quality and aesthetic feel than owning a car which has clearly been produced by purchasing an assortment of average parts & fitting them together. To a certain extent, I can also accept this individualism in components like spark plugs, as engines are becoming much more sophisticated & have much more exact requirements in order to run right and at greatest efficiency.

Having said all that, I’m convinced plenty of items could and should be standardised, but the manufacturers have been following a purposeful strategy of individualisation for a reason, because this is an excellent way to lock unsuspecting drivers in to very high cost replacement components and consumables.

The latest Flat Wiper blades which have appeared on the market in the last few years have been a good example. I heard of one motorist of a German car paying near to eighty pounds for a set of original fit rubber Car Wiper Blades from the car franchised dealer. At that time I could have bought up to four pairs of high performance Silicone Wiper Blades, and had some change, AND had the advantage of the twelve month warranty that comes with many Silicone Wiper Blades.

It can not be beyond the intellect of car manufacturers to revert back to industry standards for things like Wiper blades, Starters, alternators, oil filters etc. They do not all have to be made in one factory, however a standardised design would reduce development costs, improve compatibility, provide more competition & benefit us, the consumers.

A strange thing about drawing the side view view is that novices find it much simpler than the other views. Yet, the advanced draftsperson can find the side view quite taxing.

For the advanced draftsperson the challenge lies in the effort to affect a three-dimensional sculptured feel.

Looking at the arabesque in the profile view note how the skull is broken down into straight lines. Using these architectonic lines communicates a solidity of shape.

In the start, you should keep the shapes plain. Also at this point, do not place all the profiled features. There are 2 reasons for this:

1. It is very likely that even the most talented draftsperson will be off, and

2. Once a line is drawn the logical center of your brain will consider that relationship as correct one. Therefore, it will look correct to you but everyone else will see the mistake.

There is a better way. You start with striking the arabesque using architectonically straight lines. The main worries are fixing the general proportions and shape accurately. At a more advanced level you should also consider rhythm and flow.

Instead of straight away including the nose into the arabesque you should make use of the facial angle, i.e., the line from the forehead to the chin that breaks at the base of the nose. The landmark reference for the base of the nose is the tiny ledge-like bump.

A plumb-bob is an great instrument for accurately placing the base of the nose. A plumb-bob is a length of wire (preferably black carpet thread) that has a weight attached to it. The plumb-bob is utilized to check vertical alignments (when working with life models) and their relations to that vertical line. The vertical line is referred to as the plumb-line.

Aligning the plumb-line to the chin allows you more rightly to see the relationship of brow to chin. The brow is set back from the chin. By the way, the entire region of chin and mouth is referred to as the “muzzle”.

Having confirmed that the initial arabesque and facial angle are correct you can now proceed with situating the facial proportions, main anatomical landmarks, and the hair-line. So, at this point do not even think about drawing the entire nose. Rendering the nose at this point is a sure remedy for disaster. The angle of the nose and the construction of the tip require a high degree of accuracy.

Instead, begin to draw the general light/dark pattern.
The lights are painted out using a kneaded eraser. The look we are seeking is that of a ghost image. That means, above all, not to add minutia. In addition, work from the general to the specific.

Once the general light/dark pattern is developed then the profiled features can be drawn. using a very sharp pencil you can work upwards from the chin to the forehead carefully observing the shape. As you draw mumble the anatomical terms of each feature that you draw. You would be amazed at how that ilucidates the sketching process. Having an idea of the facial anatomy will set your portrait sketching miles ahead of those who do not.

The tip of the nose, particularly, demands anatomical reconstruction to get it correct.

A common error novices make with the profile view is placing the eye too far forward. The eye sockets are recessed quite significantly into the skull. If you drop a plumb-line from the inner corner of the eye you will notice that the eye aligns itself with the corner of the mouth.

Further drawing and hatching tones are accomplished with 2H and 4H pencils. Choosing how far you want to take your sketch is an visual choice you have to make yourself. If you wish, you can leave the portrait somewhat unrefined.

In closing, sketching the profile view involves the same general principles that apply to any view. In this situation, the arabesque is particularly important. The important thing to recall is not to place the actual entire features of the skull too early in the process.

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

Art helps to enlighten kids - you should know how to be a good parent.

The drawing of children demands freshness and directness of purpose. Regrettably, there are not too many quick and ready rules. Let us just say that kids’ portraits demand a sharp and patient eye.

For those who intend to do professional portraiture the good news is that kids’ portraits can be profitable. There are very few draftspersons who can capably sketch children.

Soft lighting works best for portraits of children. The child could be looking toward a bright light source. This sort of light source will light up the child’s face and create an introspective facial appearance. The value stretch goes from light to medium with the eyes very dark.

Addressing the facial sizes of children in a general sense is somewhat of a waste of time. Their facial sizes change dramatically within a six month time span.

Suffice it to say that the younger the child is the smaller the face in relation to the skull. The eyes also appear larger although this can be deceiving. A child’s nose can be very difficult to sketch – there is nothing really to latch onto. And the mouth is extremely delicate and sensitive not to mention its constant motion if you sketch from life.

If you do want to list some general sizes you can say that whereas an adult face is about half the size of the frontal skull side, a child’s face is about one-third of that size. Also, observe how small an infant’s neck is compared to the size of the head.

At its widest segment, a baby’s face is about five eye widths wide. The width between the eyes is a tiny bit more than the width of an eye. Both the mouth and the nose are approximately the width of an eye. Again, we must emphasize that these sizes are only a general rule and individual face sizes can be different. The above general rules can be employed for comparison purposes when you do your own careful observations of a particular face.

As always, start your drawing by striking the arabesque and then correcting the height/width proportions as necessary.

After establishing the primary facial proportions (i.e., the brow, nose, mouth, etc.) block-in the major light/dark patterns. Then, stump down the graphite using your fingers or a stump. To render and re-shape the lights make use of a clean putty eraser.

Now the features are carefully placed, sized and partially drawn. There are two things to take into account here:

1. Your pencils must be very sharp, and

2. At this time, you should never fully complete a feature. Sketch each feature no more than 50%.

As soon as the features are sized and placed as best you can, you can now further expand them. Do not neglect the hair and sides of the face. All should be advanced together. As you continue to sketch you should always be on the lookout for mistakes in sizes and value.

In conclusion, the fundamental techniques employed to sketch a child’s portrait are of course always the same. Above, we listed most of the differences in size and form between an adult head and that of a child. Your frame of mind when drawing a child should be one that reflects the innocence and the softness of a child.

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

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

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