About David Te

Hi, my name is David Te. I began thinking about art seriously when I was 18 after seeing my sister Faith, who is also an artist, draw a portrait of a person. It immediately inspired me to draw portraits as well.

I have had no formal art schooling at all so I learned entirely by reading art tutorials and forums and also by myself.

I work mainly in graphite and charcoal pencils but since we bought some tubes of oil paints, I have been learning to paint in oils too. I also wish to work in pastels and colored pencils in the future.

Apart from portraits, I also do still life drawings and animals.

I strive to achieve realism in my work while capturing the likeness, feeling and emotion of my subjects. With every artwork I create, I always pay close attention to shadows, lights and other details.

I hope with this, you will get to know me better. If you would like to commission me for a portrait, please do not hesitate to email me at any time. Have a nice day!

Please take a moment to visit David’s Website and Blog to learn more about him and his products and services.

His Website: http://www.artisticrealism.com/

His Blog: http://www.artisticrealism.com/artstudio/

Step by Step Graphite Pencil Drawing by David Te

Medium: Graphite Pencil

Paper: Rough Side of Bristol Board

Size: 25 × 33 cm (10″ × 13″)

(Click Images for Larger Views)

Stage 1

The outline was drawn freehand on newsprint and then transferred to Bristol Board using graphite-coated paper.

Stage 2

Rendered the eyes first as I usually do, using 0.5 mm 2B and HB mechanical pencils and 6H and 8B wooden pencils.

Next, I began to add the skin tones around the surrounding areas with circular layers of HB.

Afterwards, I started on the subject’s right cheek working inwards towards the nose using the same pencil and strokes.

Leaving the nose still unfinished, I proceeded to work on the forehead with 2B and HB.

Stage 3

Still using 2B, I did the other eyebrow and finished layering the initial skin tones on the forehead.

I darkened the left side of the subject’s nose (viewer’s right side) and continued to the other side of the face.

I also applied more tones on his cheeks.

Stage 4

The drawing is progressing mostly from the right side of the head (viewer’s left).

Using 2B and HB mechanical pencils, I darkened the forehead especially the right part.

I also applied more graphite to his eyebrow, skin around the eye, and the side of the nose. Next, I began layering in the shadow under the nose.

The hair is done with the 2B pencil following its growth. I pulled out the highlights with a kneaded eraser.

Stage 5

Using the 0.5 mm HB mechanical pencil, I darkened the area just above the eyebrows and the bridge of the nose.

I also added more tones to the eye and the side of the nose (viewer’s right).

I did some of the hair.

Stage 6

I added the first layers of skin tones on the chin and lower lip using a 0.5 mm HB mechanical pencil.

I also did the ear using 0.5 mm 2B and HB mechanical pencils.

Stage 7

I did the subject’s left ear (viewer’s right) and part of the neck using 0.5 mm HB mechanical pencil.

With the 0.5 mm 2B mechanical pencil, I did the other side of the hair and darkened the other eyebrow.

Stage 8

I continued to do the neck and it is almost finished.

Stage 9

I used the 0.5 mm 2B mechanical pencil to do the hair and clothes.

Stage 10

I finished the clothes and pulled some highlights in the hair.

For the teeth, I used 5H and 3H wooden pencils and a cotton bud.

Stage 11: Finished

I added some finishing touches, especially on the teeth and hair, and darkened the shadow under the nose a bit.

So here is the finished drawing. Thank you for viewing my work. I hope you enjoyed it.

Learn to Draw Rihanna – Free Step by Step Video Demonstration

The following is a step by step 12 part realistic portrait drawing tutorial created by Artist Andrew Fisher.  This is a video lesson that I found on YouTube.  It is a lesson on how to draw Rihanna using pencil.

Step 1 – Anatomy and Math

Andrew needs to enlarge the photo while keeping the proportions accurate.  He does this by first measuring the photo and then multiplying each dimension by 1.75.  He calculates the dimensions and draws out the shape of the head, finds the center of the face by drawing a horizontal and vertical line and sketches in the nose…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1aTmTjXEBA

Step 2 – Preparation

In part 2, the Artist will demonstrate how he prepares his drawing at this stage, before adding  tone. The first thing he does is to erase any guide lines he created in step 1 as these lines may show through the final drawing. He will also lighten any really dark lines.  He also uses some masking tape to mask out the eyes. This will keep the white of the eyes clean and bright and create a nice contrast with the darks in the drawing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j6EFHhc9rg

Step 3 – Skin Tones and Blending

In part 3, the Artist will focus on skin tones and blending as the name of the video suggests.  He starts by lightly covering the face with a nice even tone using a blunt “B” Pencil.  He keeps his pencil blunt as he does not want any indentations in the paper.  He then uses an ordinary tissue as his blending tool.  Make sure the tissue paper is completely dry with no added lotions or liquids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=era2Xm45TYk

Step 4 – Light and Dark Tones

At this point, we now have a nice uniform tone on the face.  In this video, the Artist will demonstrate how to add light and dark tones to the face. In this step, he will be using a “2B” and “B” pencils.  Using his photo again as a reference, he begins to gently add the darker tones to the face using the “2B” pencil and the tissue to blend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wewe0YglFsE

Step 5 – The Mouth

Now, the Artist is ready to start on the detailed work, specifically, the Mouth. He is using mechanical pencils for the detailed work. Mechanical pencils enable the artist to have more control and to draw much finer lines than with an ordinary pencil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlI6rnICZ1Y

Step 6 – Eye Basics

In part 6, the Artist begins working on the Eyes.  He first removes the masking tape. He is not doing any detailed work on the eyes at this point.  He is only concerned with lightly plotting out the eye ball and general shape of the eye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxfUege-IAM

Step 7 – Eye Detail

Using mechanical pencils, the artist begins to detail the eyes.  He makes the pupil very dark almost black while keeping the white of the eye as bright as possible for contrast.  He uses a cotton swab for blending in the eye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHVqvG3NgnE

Step 8 – Face Detail

The videos do not show it, but by this time, the artist has completed the ear and the dark lines around the eyes.  At this point, the Artist takes a step back to observe his work and to figure out what may need some adjusting on the face.  He indicates, that during the process of drawing, some of his work has been smudged, so he will have to go back later on and darken the darks and lighten the lights.  He also demonstrates how to add the eyebrows and how to suggest a hairline.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jii30rSTNAQ

Step 9 – Hair Anatomy

In step 9, the Artist is drawing in the shape of the hair. He uses the same measurement techniques to draw out the shape of the hair that he used to plot out the face from step 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBitBBHLYxk

Step 10, 11, 12 – Hair Tone and Detail

In step 10-12 the Artist will be working on the hair.  The Artist admits that this is probably the most difficult part of the drawing and one that he finds least enjoyable. According to the Artist, hair takes a long time to complete and you end up using a lot of your resources.  That being said, the hair is still a very important part of a realistic drawing.  The Artist will provide lots of excellent tips and step by step techniques  to help you complete the rest of the drawing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7i7N8hmwfQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W81mzvEXmf0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFEIJMzAZK4

Drawing of Rihanna – Portrait Tutorial Complete Progression

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfR-u5DFc7w

I would like to personally thank Artist Andrew Fisher for providing this free, in depth step by step realistic portrait drawing tutorial.  If you would like to see more free videos like the ones above, please follow this link to visit Andrew’s YouTube Page. Please also take a moment to visit Andrew’s Website here where you can learn more about him, view his artwork and commission a portrait.

About Sandrine Pelissier

I grew up in France but have been living in Canada for the last 12 years, I am currently located in North Vancouver and work from a studio on Pemberton Avenue.

Watercolor is my medium of choice because of the unique way it allows me to render light. The transparency of this medium can make it look like the painting is lit from behind and the light is shining through the paper In my portraits, I like to tell stories about the people around me. I am very interested in childhood fantasy or fairy tales (I wish it would snow Flowers, Hair Balloon, Georgia, the Spanish dress and the Eclectus Parrot). I also like to induce a dialogue with the viewer in some paintings dealing more with introspection and mood (Mixed, In the studio).

Those portraits are not about likeness or knowing the people that are being painted, as I see my models as actors in a movie, they are the faces that will allow me to tell a story or to show emotions. Those faces are a source of endless fascination and I find the subtlety that can be achieved with watercolor well suited to the complexity of the human face.

My technique involves the accumulation of many transparent layers of watercolor. Then I like to incorporate mixed media in the background, work sometimes with some contouring. I also sometimes like to add some drawing on top of the painting or some graphic elements…

Sandrine’s Website

Sandrine’s Blog

Visit Sandrine’s Print Shop by Clicking the Banner Below:

Road Trip, Acrylic and mixed media on canvas and prezi presentations

(Click Images For Larger View)

Road Trip: mixed media on canvas

This is my latest painting on canvas, still working from a series of pictures I took during our summer road trip to Alberta.

I published some of those pictures in a Red Bubble Gallery here.

For this painting I used mostly Acrylic and pastels, with a bit of alcohol, medium, fixative, crayon, pencil.

This is the picture I worked from. The colors are pretty muted but I liked the composition with the posts and mountains . I also liked how the road gets you in the picture.

I started with a yellow-orange underpainting in acrylic, then made a rough drawing with a white crayon.

Here I started applying blocks of colors. The drawing in wax crayon act as a resist and stays visible under the layers of Acrylic paint.

I add a layer of white acrylic on the road but find it too heavy.

So I spray lightly with water

And apply a layer of paper towel on the still wet paint.

When I take off the paper towel, I have nice patterns on the road.

I add some layers of diluted white liquid acrylic to the sky area, in a watercolor manner. Spraying Alcohol to add some texture.

Adding more colored layers to the fields and background mountains.

Scrubbing of some paint with a sponge.

Adding more acrylic layers, and painting the poles. I am drawing the wires with a pen.

I now spray the painting with water and will scrub off paint again to add more depth and complexity to my colors

I now wait for the paint to dry and now work with dry pastels. The advantage is that I can try different colors and wash them away if I don’t like it.

Adjusting the final details with acrylic, once the pastel has been fixed with spray fixative.

About Brian MacNeil

Brian MacNeil is an artist of great talent and imagination and is one of the new generation of Realist painters that are the new avant-garde in the art world. Brian studied at the Angel Academy of Art, Florence, from 2004 to 2008 and showed himself to be an extremely gifted student, understanding, as though instinctively, what his instructors were teaching…

Learn more about Brian and view of his work by visiting his Websites:

http://brianmacneil.com/

http://brianmacneil.blogspot.com/

Charcoal Portrait Drawing Lesson by Brian Macniel

First 20 Minutes

I started at a rapid pace just sketching the angles and major masses that I was seeing in front of me. My academic training would have urged me to take measurements and plot point. Because this was just a demo and I wasn’t being commissioned for the work I decided to have some fun.

Work in Progress

Now I did this charcoal drawing in the local coffee shop in Lakeville, MA. Somethin’s Brewin’ is one of my favorite places to get my morning Coffee. They are really great and love to promote local artist and small businesses. As far as ideal studio conditions it would not be my first choice but I was able to work from a consistent natural light. Typically I like to draw with the model elevated to my eye level and sight-size.

40 Minutes

After I roughed in some general shapes I now have enough information to start refining the contours and planes of the drawing. The beauty of charcoal is that it is easy to push around and shape. I find that if I keep things loose in the beginning I’m less attached and I don’t think twice if have to erase something that is wrong.

Tristen is making sure that I’m not turning her into Quasimodo

I’m heightening the drawing with White Chalk

The final Drawing

So after about three and a half hours this is what I came up with. I had a lot of fun and made a few more friends in the process. I would have loved to have more time with this but happy I was able to do this much. Hopefully Tristen will pose for some more paintings in the future.

Great Resource on Portrait Drawing

Realistic Pencil Portrait Mastery Home Study Course

In this 5 part video drawing tutorial, Artist Ed Beard Jr.  takes you step by step through his process of drawing a fantasy scene from memory using no reference material at all.  Ed says this is possible because of his years of studying anatomy and other subjects.

To learn more about Ed, to see more of his videos and to view his artwork, visit the links below:

Click here to reach Ed’s Website

Click here to reach Ed’s YouTube Channel

The Supplies

• Graphite Pencils:  You will need 2H, HB, B, 2B, and 4B
• Sanford Brand Eraser, Kneaded Eraser
• Sand Paper Bar
• Tortillions (used for smudging and blending the pencil)

Part 1 – Shading and Blending of the Sky & Clouds Background

In this first step, Ed will work on the background sky and clouds.  He will be working on a completed contour line drawing entitled “Trumpeting Sentinel”. Ed always works on the furthest perspective plane first, working from top to bottom, left to right.  He keeps the angle of his pencil strokes at a diagonal, from left to right, trying to be as consistent as possible.  At this stage, Ed is careful to add enough graphite into the tooth of the paper so that he will be able to blend everything later on. He likes to work on his darks first and then his lights. As he works on his darks, he also likes to darken and strengthen the original contour lines of his drawing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyIC4srnMrg

Part 2 – Fabric, Reflective Metal & Feathers

Ed works on the robe once again.  If you remember in part 1 , he started drawing in the robe.  Now, using a blending stump, he works from the existing pencil marks, smudging and blending to shadow the mid tones.  The blending stump he is using at this point has a really fine point to it.  Its important to have a variety of different Tortillions to work with as you are drawing, meaning Tortillions with various points that have both a fine point and a blunt point.  You can do this easily by simply drawing on a blank piece of paper and going over your  marks with the blending stumps to create the desired heads.  He then begins to work on the metal and chrome of the knight character.  When doing highly reflective surfaces like chrome, you must first keep in mind where the light source is coming from, you must also keep in mind that in order to make it look realistic, you must put in reflected light as well as reflections from other objects. Ed goes into detail on how to do this in the video below.  He then begins to work on the feathers of the bird.  He begins by simply defining the feather lines at first. He will then later do more detailed work on the shadowing and texturing of the feathers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kQJaMkB1-g

Part 3 – Detailing Soft Feathers, Talons

In part 3 of this fantasy drawing demo, Ed begins to do some detailing on the feathers. With a soft 2B pencil, he begins to add some of the dark shadows as well as redefines some of the lines.  He also adds shadows and details to the head gear, the eye and the beak.  He then focuses on creating a soft feathering effect on the main wing of the bird. He contours and outlines each of the feathers as he did on the head. He is really pushing the pencil hard on the left side of each of the feathers as this is where the shadows reside.  He adds some fine details to these feathers as well. He works his way down the bird detailing the feathers on the tail and the legs.  He then begins to work on the talons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLVjPniAnWs

Part 4 – Mountains, Background and Characters

Ed starts part 4 of this drawing lesson with some more blending using various blending stumps. He then moves on to the background and the other figures in the drawing. He starts with the mountain terrain in the background. Same process as before…  He applies the graphite and then uses the tortillion to blend and smudge. He then moves on to the architecture, redefining lines and adding shadows. Throughout the entire drawing, he is careful to keep his shadows on the left making the light source consistent and realistic. He then moves on to the crystals where the bird is actually perched.  He then works on the background characters and the main tower.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9se_ZF1q1U

Part 5 – Completion

This is the last part of this fantasy art drawing lesson by Artist Ed Beard. He begins part 5 by finishing up the main tower, the crystals at the top of the tower and the shingles at the bottom, with some blending using the blending stump. He finishes off the last part of the background, the mountainscape. He then moves on to the final touch ups. This is where he puts the kneaded eraser to good use to pick out some high lights and to erase some of the over smudging.  The kneaded eraser can also be used to soften shadows..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1S8yEmOcG0