Advice on Pencil Portrait Sketching – Muscular Forms That Build the Smile
A smile is the consequence of happiness. It lifts and extends the lower face and the uplifted cheeks will often crease the flesh just below the eyes resulting in the so-called “crow’s feet”.
To recognize the makings of a smile in its numerous manifestations we must first recognize the underlying anatomy.
Below we list the 3 major muscles that add to a smile:
* The Zygomaticus Major – is the main “muscle of happiness”. This elongated muscle begins at the front area of the Zygomatic Arch (cheek bone) and attaches to the node.
When the zygomaticus major contracts it bulges and lifts the cheek while further deepening the Nasolabial Furrow or smile-line.
* The Malaris – rests on top of the zygomaticus major and is a extended, ribbon-like deep-seated muscle. It begins at the temple and attaches to and forms the lower half of the nasolabial furrow.
The malaris is the cheek muscle. It heaves up the cheek in an outwards and backwards direction making it swell and giving it the puffy cheek look.
* The Buccinator – quadrilateral muscle forms the “cheek pad”. It begins on the rear, inside of the jaw and attaches to the “corners” of the mouth.
When smiling the buccinator contracts thus heaving at the corners and extend the mouth.
As the mouth is extended and heaved by both the zygomaticus major and buccinator the lips are stretched and flattened. So is the chin. The philtrum is shortened and the nostrils flare somewhat.
Below are still other minor muscles that add to the smile:
1. The Risorius – is a strange muscle because not everyone has one. Some people only have a risorius on one side of their face. Other people have a large, expansive triangular shaped one.
The Risorius begins in the fatty tissue of the Masseter (whose action is made use of mainly for chewing) and attaches to the node of the mouth.
The risorius subtly heaves the node backwards and up. Its effect is mainly noticed in gentle smiles.
2. Incisivus Labii Superioris and Inferioris Superioris – The superioris does the lifting. These thing, band-like muscles begin just above the incisor tooth area and also insert into the node.
When fully shrunk, a puckering up of the lips (a kiss) is produced.
3. The Levator Labii Superioris is a narrow, quadrilateral muscle whose effect on the smile is somewhat restricted.
But, the upper part of this muscle adds to the volume of the cheek and the nasolabial furrow.
Over the 3 major muscles goes the most complicated of all the facial muscles, the Orbicularis Oris which operates throughout a large range of movements and expressions.
During a smile the lower eyelids are also pressed upward. This is the result of a secondary action where the Orbicularis Oculi (the muscle of the eye socket) contracts.
The nasolabial furrow is deepened as it is simultaneously heaved and pressed upward and outwards. It is best to understate the sharp fold of the nasolabial furrow otherwise the smile will degenerate into a scowl.
As the node of the mouth is heaved out and upward the flesh is gathered into delicate vertical ridges.
The interstice of the mouth curves upward, stretching and flattening the lips while reducing the philtrum. The nostrils of the nose also extend as they are heaved outwards.
The upper portion of the nasolabial furrow is produced by a slender, three-part muscle called the Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi. This is the muscle that produces wrinkles in the nose during sniffing.
The parts of this muscle are the furrow section which attaches to the upper part of the nasolabial furrow; the alar section which inserts under and behind the wing of the nose (Alae Nasi); and the lip section which inserts continuously into the ridge just above the upper lip and to the philtrum.
When rendering the nasolabial furrow be careful not to over-do it. A subtle suggestion is all that is needed. Otherwise your lovely smile will quickly degenerate into a scowl.
With this we have detailed and discussed the most essential muscles that are involved in the smile. This should put you on the right path for appreciating the anatomy of the smile.
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Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced sketching teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits.
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Arts, Entertainment and Music | Comment (0)Get Important Tips – Pencil Drawing Tips on Shape Balance
Pencil Drawing Tips on Shape Balance
Composition refers to the relationship of a number of elements that constitute a drawing. The positioning of shapes is one of those elements.
A viewfinder is a see-through adjustable piece of cardboard that lets you frame and isolate certain parts of the composition you are trying to realize. It is an invaluable tool to plan your composition.
You can easily construct a viewfinder as follows:
From a piece of cardboard, cut two identical L-shaped forms.
Join the two pieces together using two paper clips so that they form a square frame.
Because we used two pieces it is now possible to adjust the window of your viewfinder to the size of the scene you want to view.
For the purpose of composing a drawing we must take into account not only the positive shapes (the objects themselves) but also the negative shapes. In addition, you also must see all those shapes in relation to the dimensions of your drawing paper.
With your viewfinder as an aid you can now apply some or all of the following guidelines:
1. As already pointed out, be aware of the format of your paper when placing your shapes.
2. Throughout your drawing effort be constantly aware of the location of your chosen focal point.
3. Unify not only the positive spaces but also do the same for the negative spaces.
4. Two equally sized shapes should be positioned more or less the same distance away from the focal point. When one object is much smaller than another then the small object should be proportionately further away from the focal point than the larger one. Thus, in the end, the focal point should approximately function as the centroid of your drawing.
5. Generally speaking, a shape-unbalanced drawing or painting will look inharmonious and produce discomfort for the viewer. If this is not your intention you should improve the shape balance. On the other hand, unbalancing your shapes is a good way to purposely create an uncomfortable tension in your work.
6. Objects and/or subjects are best arranged asymmetrically relative to the focal point.
7. For some reason, it is more pleasing to the eye to see a group of an odd number of shapes than a group of an even number of shapes.
8. Your shapes should be arranged in such a way that the eye is always being led back to the focal point.
The few guidelines should give you a good start in your handling of shapes. However, remember not to apply the rules too strictly. Give your intuition and natural ability plenty of room when composing your next masterpiece.
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Free Guidebook – Oil Painting Supports
Beginners Oil Painting Info – Oil Painting Supports
A ground or support is any kind of surface you can paint on. The choice of ground is in quite important because it determines in part how your painting will be perceived by the viewer.
Your support must satisfy a minimum of conditions. It must accept the paint well without absorbing too much of the pigment.
The least expensive oil painting ground is treated paper. It is very useful for practice and even for doing certain commercial work. You can also buy canvas pads. These pads usually contain 10 sheets of medium tooth 5-oz cotton canvas that has been triple-primed with acrylic gesso. The tooth of paper or canvas is the degree of roughness or smoothness of the canvas. You can tape the oil paper or canvas pad paper to a drawing board. Make sure it is secure and does not shift when applying brushstrokes.
Next in line are the popular canvas boards or panels which are sheets of cardboard covered with inex-pensive white painted cloth. These panels are very popularity because they are inexpensive (particularly when bought in bulk), easy to store, and easy to carry outdoors. They are however not permanent, i.e., they will deteriorate over time.
Good results can also be obtained from un-tempered Masonite or 3-ply chipboard prepared with three coats of gesso on the front and one coat on the back to prevent warping.
You can also use so-called museum board which is on the order of good-quality mat board. This board is quit absorbent but is inexpensive to practice on.
The ultimate ground for oil painting is canvas stretched over a wooden frame. It has wonderful elasticity and resilience, and history has shown that it has very good permanence. Canvas is of course more expensive but when you’re ready this will be your ground of choice and you’ll never want to go back to anything else.
You can buy commercially pre-stretched canvas. In fact, there are plenty of brands, sizes, weights, and qualities to choose from. Only experience will teach you which type of canvas is best suited to your style and subject matter.
Canvas cloth is either cotton or linen. The finest canvas and most expensive is made of linen, which stretches better and has a better tooth. Cotton can be a bit difficult to prime.
Look for cloth with an even weave. The canvas tex-ture can be tightly woven and smooth to fairly coarse with an open weave. That means the tooth of the canvas can be fine or coarse and anything in-between.
If you paint a lot, even commercially pre-stretched canvas can become expensive. If so, you can buy rolls of primed or unprimed (raw) canvas. Then with stretcher bars you can create a support of a certain size. If you bought unprimed canvas, you still have to prime the canvas with an oil-based primer.
To save money you may be tempted to work on small canvases. This is not recommended. Unless you are an experienced artist, working on a small ground can easily result in tight, overly controlled paintings.
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Other | Comment (0)Understand Useful Painting Advice – Oil Painting Supports
Beginners Oil Painting Info – Oil Painting Supports
A ground or support is any kind of surface you can paint on. The choice of ground is in quite important because it determines in part how your painting will be perceived by the viewer.
Your support must satisfy a minimum of conditions. It must accept the paint well without absorbing too much of the pigment.
The least expensive oil painting ground is treated paper. It is very useful for practice and even for doing certain commercial work. You can also buy canvas pads. These pads usually contain 10 sheets of medium tooth 5-oz cotton canvas that has been triple-primed with acrylic gesso. The tooth of paper or canvas is the degree of roughness or smoothness of the canvas. You can tape the oil paper or canvas pad paper to a drawing board. Make sure it is secure and does not shift when applying brushstrokes.
Next in line are the popular canvas boards or panels which are sheets of cardboard covered with inex-pensive white painted cloth. These panels are very popularity because they are inexpensive, easy to store, and easy to carry outdoors. They are however not permanent, i.e., they will deteriorate over time.
Good results can also be obtained from un-tempered Masonite or 3-ply chipboard prepared with three coats of gesso on the front and one coat on the back to prevent warping.
You can also use so-called museum board which is on the order of good-quality mat board. This board is quit absorbent but is inexpensive to practice on.
The ultimate ground for oil painting is canvas stretched over a wooden frame. It has wonderful elasticity and resilience, and history has shown that it has very good permanence.
You can buy commercially pre-stretched canvas. In fact, there are plenty of brands, sizes, weights, and qualities to choose from. Only experience will teach you which type of canvas is best suited to your style and subject matter.
Canvas cloth is either cotton or linen. The finest canvas and most expensive is made of linen, which stretches better and has a better tooth. Cotton can be a bit difficult to prime.
Look for cloth with an even weave. The canvas tex-ture can be tightly woven and smooth to fairly coarse with an open weave. That means the tooth of the canvas can be fine or coarse and anything in-between.
If you paint a lot, even commercially pre-stretched canvas can become expensive. If so, you can buy rolls of primed or unprimed (raw) canvas. Then with stretcher bars you can create a support of a certain size. If you bought unprimed canvas, you still have to prime the canvas with an oil-based primer.
To save money you may be tempted to work on small canvases. This is not recommended. Unless you are an experienced artist, working on a small ground can easily result in tight, overly controlled paintings. So use supports of at least 16″ x 20″.
Read also about how to draw with pencil and tattoo tips.
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