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.

About Faith

Graphite Pencil, Charcoal Pencil and Pastels Artist

Hello! My name is Faith Te. When I was 16, a great desire to capture nature and the people around me started my passion for drawing. I began to look at drawing not just as a hobby but something which I wanted to do all my life.

I practiced every day and for many hours since. I taught myself to draw by experimenting with different techniques and materials and through helpful tips and advice from other artists.

Initially, charcoal and graphite pencils were the only mediums I used. When I began working in color, I used pastels, and more recently, oils. My main subjects are portraits but I also enjoy doing many other subjects including still life, landscapes and flowers, especially orchids.

I devote many hours and lots of attention to detail into each and every one of my drawings or paintings. My ultimate goal is not only to achieve detail and realism but also to capture the life and character of my subjects.

Thank you for your interest in my artwork. I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay here on our web site. Please visit again soon!

Please take a moment to visit Faith’s Website and Blog to learn more about her and her products and services.

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

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

Portrait Drawing Tutorial in Pencil  - Portrait of Aunt Lisa

by Faith Te

(Please Click Images For Larger Views)

Stage 1

I was working in a time frame to finish this drawing so I was not able to post it as a “moving” work in progress. But I did manage to scan the portrait as I worked on it.

Here is the outline on acid-free paper. Transferred using graphite-coated paper.

Stage 2

I cover my drawing with paper to protect it from sweat and oil from my hands, leaving open just the area I will be working on. This also helps me concentrate on one specific area at a time.

I am using 2 sizes of a soft brush and a small watercolor brush to apply charcoal powder.

The teeth were done by applying 2 or 3 light layers of charcoal powder using the soft brush and pulling out the highlights with a kneaded eraser.

Stage 3

A nylon brush was used to apply charcoal powder on the shadow areas. This brush easily pushes the charcoal into the tooth of the paper.

The eyebrows and irises were done using a charcoal pencil and smoothened with a homemade rubber blending tool.

Stage 4

Leaving the face almost finished, I proceeded to do the neck and chest. I left the corrections and refinements for later.

I’ve also started to lay down the initial tones on the hair using the larger soft brush and charcoal powder.

Stage 5

Continued with the initial tones of charcoal powder.

Since I will be adding a background to this portrait, I let the charcoal flow to the background area.

I also started applying black pastel powder to the hair with the nylon brush.

Stage 6

Here, the outlines of the highlights on the hair have been established.

Then, I finished covering the rest of the hair area with initial layers of charcoal powder.

The clothes were done using the same brushes used on the face but with small amounts of charcoal powder.

Stage 7

Finished applying black pastel powder to the hair. I then used a kneaded eraser to pull out some highlights.

I also continued to add more tones to the background.

Stage 8: Finished

In this stage, “Portrait of Aunt Lisa” is finished.

The background was further darkened and more stray hairs were added using the charcoal pencil.

Also, some corrections and refinements were made. One of those was the cheek (viewer’s right). It was too prominent so I added more tones to the jaw.

I hope you have enjoyed this step-by-step demonstration of a charcoal portrait. Thank you for viewing!

Great Resource on Portrait Drawing

Realistic Pencil Portrait Mastery Home Study Course

Here is an amazing realistic portrait drawing tutorial, of a female, done in pencil, by the very talented Artist Ancuta Iuliana Hodoroaba (also known as “Jullia”) from Romania.  The title of this Drawing is “Smile”. You can view the finished drawing by following this link.

In this portrait drawing lesson, Jullia will teach you how to draw a realistic portrait.  Jullia is definitely one of the most talented portrait artists that I have found online.  You can clearly see that she has the passion and patience that is necessary to create quality portraits like the one in the video below.

You can learn more about Jullia by visiting both her Website and her YouTube page by following the links below:

http://www.jullia.eu/

http://www.youtube.com/user/julliaH

Pencil Portrait Drawing Video Lesson by Jullia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G448oMMhzZQ

Great Resource on Portrait Drawing

Realistic Pencil Portrait Mastery Home Study Course

Tutorial on how i do a portrait. Feel free to visit my site if you would like to have your portrait drawn. www.bentleysportraits.org.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDyL41QIaHU