CREATE A PENCIL PORTRAIT SKETCH

Illustrator Brooks Kim puts methods from the masters into practice as he details the making of his Procreate drawing

- Brooks Kim

When I was teaching myself how to draw, two artists whose methods had a huge influence on me were Charles Bargue and Andrew Loomis. The skills they teach are clear and precise in both the outline and structure of their characters.

In my early days, I copied and studied Loomis's book on drawing the human body several times. It may seem like a tedious process, but it ultimately helped me improve my figure-drawing skills.

I've seen many people who are just starting out draw figures without any order. This is like wandering down a complicated road without a map. Learning the traditional methods is just like reading a map that has your destination marked out. Using these skills, you can draw more stable and dynamic pencil drawings.

I've implemented both traditional pencil and conté in Procreate, and I'm still improving it little by little. Pencil drawing is the foundation of all forms of drawing, and through it you can learn the composition and value of a drawing.

Using the methods and brushes mentioned here, you can achieve more traditional results in your own art. I update my artwork with these brushes two or three times a week on my Instagram, where you can also see the drawing process. If you're interested, be sure to stop by!

1 Discover the Bargue method

The Bargue Drawing Method is the process of interpreting a model into basic lines and shapes, and then drawing based on these. The reason for using simple lines is that it makes it easier to create proportions and balance within the elements. This is useful when you're drawing portraits or still life with subjects.