Sketch by Jeffrey Appiatu as part of his portrait drawing process. Stage7. Courtesy Artist

ART PROJECT

Jeffrey Appiatu explains his portrait drawing techniques and how he captures emotions

BY KAZAD

Jeffrey Appiatu, Stages of Evolution. Charcoal and graphite on Canson paper. Scale : 28 x 20 inches. © Jeffrey Appiatu 2015

Portrait drawing deserves a lot of patience. Besides trying to render the sitter’s features, the effort to capture mood and emotions makes drawing portraits very time-consuming. Jeffrey Appiatu’s recent portrait of a woman allows an insight into his portrait drawing techniques and how to draw portraits. The charcoal and graphite on Canson paper reveal the delicate skills and sensitivity that go into the creative process. It took 95 steps to complete. From the preliminary sketch to the finished work, the painstaking effort of drawing is revealed. Here, we present a few of the step by step of Appiatu’s techniques, and approach to pencil drawings. For Appiatu, the process deserves patience and skills. Appiatu is a member of the Art Drawings, a Facebook group that provides portrait drawing tips for young artists. You can view more of his works on Instagram and Facebook.

Drawing Materials

• Pencils
• Canson paper
• Sharpeners
• Erasers and stumps

ART & SOCIAL MEDIA | READ ALSO: Stunning Drawing Skills Distinguish Art Drawings Facebook Group

Stage 1: I begin sketching out the whole picture

Jeffrey Appiatu, portrait drawing. Stage1. Courtesy Artist

Stage 38: Once both eyes are done I draw the hair and ears.

Jeffrey Appiatu, Drawing the hair and ears as part of his process. Courtesy Artist

Portrait Drawing-Stage 46: I then start to bring out the forehead

Image: Jeffrey Appiatu, Bringing out the forehead. Courtesy Artist

Stage 51: I work on the nose afterward

Jeffrey Appiatu working on the nose. Courtesy Artist

Portrait Drawing- Stage 70: I then work on the mouth and the rest of the face

Jeffrey Appiatu working on the mouth and the rest of the face. Courtesy Artist

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jeffrey Appiatu is a 20-year-old Ghanaian pencil artist. He specializes in the genre of hyper and emotional realism. Jeffrey began drawing in 2011. He derives his inspiration from his mentor Kelvin Okafor. Jeffrey uses charcoal, graphite, and black colored pencils to produce his works. His aim is to get his works to be featured in art galleries worldwide and to create an emotional connection between the viewer and the artwork.

Portrait Drawing Tips

If you want to learn about drawing portraits you can learn from Jeffrey Appiatu. In the meantime, here are some tips.

1. Invest in good quality art materials
2. Learn from the masters: Look at historical paintings
3. Learn to see abstractly
4. Figure out how the features align
5. Draw lines to measure the distance between features
6. Use a reference
7. See facial features in shapes like circle, triangles and cylinder and others

Drawing a portrait takes patience and focus.  What do you think of Jeffrey Appiatu’s process?  Join the art conversation: Share your thoughts and comments.

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