Today I saw a very good portrait of a girl done from imagination by Clara and I know of very good drawings from imagination by Kay, so if you feel up to it please list your name here and we can start drawing portraits of people, girls, boys, kids just from our mind.

The front face or profile would be fine.
Also you can present as a drawing a good contour of your portrait.There will be no reference, please be honest if you want you test your skills and creativity vein.

The only judge of our work will be the visitors to this page or your gallery albums.
If a nose, a mouth, a face, eyes, eyebrows, hair look believeable then you should consider developing your ability to draw people you see in your mind.This will strengthen your drawing power as a portraitist and artist in general.

Keep in mind that some of this abilities are required when you are an illustrator.So give it a try here.
Wish you luck!

First of all let's observe for a moment the proportions of the human head designed by A.A. Braun after Leonardo's drawings.

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This is the Asaro head designed especially by John Asaroin 1970 for artists to see how light falls on different parts of the head.
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Elena
Sam
Kay
Clara
Kwon
Kev
Fred
Daniela

I'll give it a try, never know what will happen!

Thank you, Sam.

No thanks needed but I will take some luck...LOL

The secret to realism in imaginary drawing is the proportion element, a key element in all drawing. When you draw with a reference you have the proportion right in front of you either the live model or the picture. When you use only your mind you need to adjust the nose, the eyes, the lips, chin, neck to an anatomy that is credible and makes sense. You can draw nice looking people or ugly ones, there is no correct drawing but believable one.

AS an example of my exercises in drawing people from imagination I send you to my february page of ethnic faces



My question to you is : are they believable faces?

Here is a drawing from imagination done in 2006 and I think that this balerina head and shoulders has only one flaw in my view: the ears are too low on sides.What do you think?

I am not used to draw people from imagination. Usually my fantasies are only doodles I make during my work while I am on the phone or waiting for a commputerprogram to install. Just the other night my doodle turned out to be a simple face on the backside of an envelope. So here it is.

Elena, i shall try to give it a go..i am very busy over these next few days so i dont know when i will get a chance to but i will try

Cees is a good exercise. I can tell it wasn't intentional your drawing but came out good. Try to plan a face, to think where you place the eyes, the mouth, the nose, etc.This is a good memory exercise because we train ouselves to observe real people with an anatomically oriented interest.


Kay, it doesn't have to be a new drawing. Just bring an old portrait that you did from imagination here so we can have material to discuss.Thanks.

Ooh! I've done that before. It's here. (: She's a characater I decided to draw on a whim.

It's really hard. Of course, that was also my very first portrait.

Yeah, to me, they're believible, and I was able to tell what ethnic groups your ladies came from, too. One tip with Asian eyes: they're not so slanted. Everyone wants to draw an Asian's like Mulan's (From the Disney movie). With Han Geng's (Chinese) eyes have very little slant to them, but Lee Teuk (Korean) has eyes that kinda slant up (: Hyde's (Japanese) eyes kinda slant down. Hehe, I think I'm one of the very few who can tell the Asians appart.

oh ok..well the latest is this one. it is an imaginary self portrait of me being sad over the loss of my kitty. i drew it with my new derwent tinted charcoal pencils which i love by the way, but the pencils are eaten up quickly and i should have gotten two sets.

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here is another of a fairy that i tried to do in colored pencil a long time ago (does that count)? it is from my imagination also and i have learned alot since this drawing

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OK. Let's decide on this. I initially created this thread for drawing people from imagination that can be considered real people, drawn realistically as oposed to fairies or illustration characters.Which means that human anatomy is an important element in this kind of drawing, only we don't have a reference to it.
I guess all those lessons by Brenda and teachers about noses, eyes, ears, lips are very important in building an information bank in the brain from which one can extract the element nedeed and place it on paper in a portrait.
I know it's not easy and most people refrain from doing this because they are scared with the possible result.
But we can always start with a contour like i did in this portrait done when I was 12.

About Kay's imaginary self portrait I only can say it's perfect. No because it looks like her or not but the anatomy is present, the artistic vein, the flow of the hair all are highly artistic and can be considered interpretation of a real person.
The proportions of nose, eyes, lips, neck, ear are just perfect and the effect of that hair is splendid.
It shows that Kay doesn't slavishly submit to reference for creating art that is beautiful and credible.

Kwon, thanks for the feedback on my page of ethnic faces. This was a 10 minutes exercise in which i frantically drew whatever ocurred to my mind as ethnic face. It has some caricature overtones I guess. This was done after many years of interuption of drawing.So i might say is my primitive phase of drawing people from imagination in adulthood.

Would you like to be listed as participant in this drawing thread?Are you going to try more people from your mind?They could be Asian you know. Now if you can tell so well about their eyes.Maybe you can draw some examples.

Oh thanks Elena

I think this is a very good idea, pushes us to go thurther

I think you sketches are beleiveble, some more than other , but with some more work on them, like shading they would indedd look like real people, in my opinion.
I really like your portrait done..... with 12 years wow!as a matter of fact I visited your blog the other day and you have very nice drawings that you have done when you were younger.

I like your doodled portait Cees

kay, your selfportrait morning over your loss is wonderful.

Know, I remember when you posted this one it is a very nice drawing, but its not very realistic, but then maybe tha's how you want it to look.


OK, so here are my portraits from imagination.

In this one I was realy trying to make it look realistic.
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this is just a quick scetch done in charcoal, i was trying to do a beleivable profile
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This one I did some months ago, and I was really testing my cp , I wanted to do realistic skin, so I wasn't very concentrated on the face but more on the colours, thats why the neck came out wrong and then I tried to correct it so its so dark!! also the chin is to big!
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I know a few of you have already seen these but I think it counts as an imagination drawing, Their illistrations of people from a book I read.

Fred, you have great talent as illustrator. The two drawings are very good illustrations and I would say that in the one with many portraits you develop your own style of drawing people. The girl in the second portrait is very artistically rendered and very interesting as a portrait from imagination. It's good that you can refer to characters in the books you read by drawing them. i never tried this when I was young.

Clara all these exercises are good as long as you learn something from doing them. The first portrait is definitely a sucessful one in all respects.
Now the charcoal one has a proportion problem and also placement of eyes, eyebrows, nose. Only the mouth is very well rendered here. The neck doesn't fit into the anatomy of the head. I suspect that you were not in control of your face while drawing it but rather dreaming of it.

The color portrait is very good, only the nose seems too small for the face. The chin also needs shaping but the neck being covered with hair is not a problem here, I guess.

Kay - I absolutely love the way you did the hair! And, well, everything else is wonderful (: I wish I was that good with charcoal. I guess I'd better practice, hehe.

Elena - You're welcome. And, yes, I'd love to be listed. I'll try to do a quick portait, however, I'm not very good at speed drawing.

Clara - I tried to mock the Final Fantasy style in that drawing, that's probably why it doesn't look too realistic. Plus, her eyes are misplaced and a little too big I've learned much more since then, hehe.

Good thread Elena, this is something I do not often do but I know I should do more. I know it help a lot with getting your proportions and shading right.
Kay, love your self portrait the hair on it is excellent.
Clara, Love your CP portrait so full of life.
Fred, you have some great drawing there.

So here my try a doing a face from imagination. It started as a graphite sketch I then add extra shading and highlights in photoshop
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She is wonderful Kev.Is a she, right?You are definitely a great portrait artist in all respects.

This is a September imagination drawing of a Renaissance young woman which I call generically, Francesca, the Renascentist prototype is blonde Tuscan kind of beauty.I used for this my memory from my travel in Italy many years ago of portraits from museums.
I just added shading with a 2HB as it was initially in 2H.
I am awful with hair, especially blonde.

well..it seems we all have a fairly good idea of placements of the head.. lets see if i can jot down a few things that we are suppose to keep in mind, (which is hard i know but the more we draw the more natural it becomes) i am living proof.

some measurements:

eyes halfway from the top of the head (run an imaginary string like a puppet from the center of the head)
bottom of nose is generally (not always) the same width as the eye
ear lobes generally (not always)line up with the bottom of the nose and the top of ear with eyebrow
The face area from top of forehead to chin is one hand size from the tip of middle finger to base of palm
the face is generally 5 eyes wide
the length of the chin from bottom lip is apprx the same size as the eye SOCKET
the face is the only area on the body where the muscles attach directly to the skin.
one eye width between eyes
the widest part of the face is across the cheekbones
tilt the top eye line for ethnicity
from the very corner of the mouth to the jawbone is the same distance as one eye width
the half length of the face from the center of eyes to chin is apprx the same size as the widest part at the cheek bones


thats a few things i have learned..i dont necessarily remember them all at the right times, but i am aware of them and each drawing gets better and easier.

Kay, I admire your knowledge I didn't know any of these rules yet i could draw that girl when i was 12 better than this Francesca whose eyes by the way are too close to each other.Any other problem you seem to see with my drawing please tell me.

thanks Elena, yes the charcoal profile drawing is way out of proportions, i was aware of that, it was a quick skecth, But I will soon try another profile one and try to keep proportion rigth!

Fred, those are very nice
I like the number two very much

Thank you Kev, I love your portrait I think its very well done.

Elena, nice sketch.

Kay, wow, I never listed the rules, that's a very good idea thanks.I was never very good with going by the rules , One thing made me think, my head is not normal I measured it (with my fingers) and found out that my ear goes from my eyebrow to my lips , and I DON'T have big ears neigther a small nose...??? so wonder why is that I think I have a small head!! thats why I was givven lots of curly hair to compensate

Here is mine...

Elena I am glad you suggested this exercise. I have only tried to do portraits from pictures and it was very frustrating. I found while doing this I really focused on trying to think of how the eye looked in profile, or a cheek bone. I enjoyed this and feel it will only benefit me in the long run. I know the forehead is wrong and the ear too small, but I am pleased with what I was able to do without worrying about why mine looked different from what I was looking at. I think I will start playing with my 'skills' now since the initial fear barrier is gone!

I might end up tryign more but don't want to promise!

I really don't know what you had in mind, Sam but to me it looks like an ethnic face of an Amerindian.
Of course anytime we can go over it with a rubber(eraser) and fix here and there an eyebrow or an ear.
The important thing is what you just mentioned :to start thinking while drawing. Most of the copying process, i.e drawing from pictures is mechanical and we don't store information for future reference in our mind library. Maybe is also good to see some charts of anatomical heads for this exercise in which we can observe the details of each element.I will try to add that to the thread.

add me
please!

also the point between the eyes to the chin is the same as the point between the eyes to the top of head, thus the center of the eye rest on that imaginary line
also the point between the eyes to the bottom of the chin is the same distance as from the bottom of the chin to the chest (at the hole at the bottom of throat) cant think of the tech term for it.

oh and from the outer corner of the eye to the outer edge of nostril is apprx 1 eye width too


supposedly the length of the foot is also the length of a face and also the same size as the distance between the elbow and the bottom of palm..just things i picked up from here and there learning as i go..


nothing is hard and fast though

Ok, Daniela.
I added the Asaro head designed in 1970 by John Asaro for artists.In the (main) first post.

Come to think of it Elena, I have always been drawn to Native American facial features so I wouldn't be surprised if that is where my profile came from subconciously. The features are striking and noble and tend to grab my attention the most.

I really wasn't thinking of anything other than "Sam, suck it up and draw the picture! The world will not end due to your lack of portrait knowledge!' I will try another one and actually think of specifics this time...

Ok let's see if I can catch up on some commenting here...lol

Elena Your ethnic page is amazing to me, with a quick sketch and few lines you highlighted the different ethnicities and realistically.

The Ballerina is also realistic and I see what you mean about the ears. Since reading this challenge earlier I have found a new fascinaination with how the face is made up and I had never really thought about ears in relation to eyes, nose to chin etc. Something about the nose seems off to me but I have no clue why...there is my 'insightful' three weeks of drawing experience shining through... The sketch from when you were twelve is amazing, I have no other word for it, realistic and seems dead on to my eye. Francesca is very Nordic and your shading is very realistic to my eye.

Cees If only my drawings could be as on as your doodle's! Seriously though, for not being planned out it is great. i can see the beginning of realistic type features.

Kwon Your work with eyes is great, in few shapes and lines you who much expression which transforms the whole face

oliverandjazz Thanks for the tips on faces, it really opened my eyes (no pun intended but you can laugh anyways if you want). Your self portrait is fantastic, the structures and lines are realistically a person (and it looks like you) and conveys the mood of the portrait clearly. (Sorry about your kitty)

Clara The placements look good to me though I can see where some of your proportions were off. I am really impressed with your facial line shading. putting those muscle elements in without drawing all attention to them just amazes me.

Fred I love to read and am always visualizing the stoy in my head but it has never occurred to me to draw them. Fantastic work, your characters are realistic and I am sure they fit the characters well.

I think I got everybody! Well off for now and hopefully to begin a new face with the lessons highlighted so far!

oh lets not forget this lady i did in watercolor..the hat is not quite right but the feeling is still there and she is from my imagination..i did her a month or two ago..

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Yes I remember that. Very nice, indeed.I still want your opinion Kay about my portraits.

this one i find to be beautiful and the first of the page of ethnic faces i find to be charming and expressive doodles that get your idea across quickly and cutely i might add. any other comments i might add to the older drawings are things you are well aware of at this point in your drawing journey than you were at 12. and would be redundant to hear again. you have really progressed with your faces and portraits since we joined drawspace and just keep the basics in mind and you can pretty much draw any type of face you want.

drawing eyes


there is a link to a pic i posted in inspiration. it is helpful info regarding eyes that may be helpful here in this thread too

I encourage drawing from imagination and I think we all do it in varying forms. In portraiture, whether you want abstract, impressionistic, surreal or realistic images, you have to know and understand the basic anatomy of how a head is structured, the proportions of facial features and lighting/shading to achieve accurate drawings.

Beginners can draw people from imagination, but then tend to get frustrated because their drawings do not look like the person they want it to be. They need to see the real thing to progress and understand.

I, like all of you, can draw images of people that are recognizable as humans, but they won't be accurate in likeness or anatomy unless I have a person in front of me to draw from or reference images. In terms of drawing a person from imagination, ability, creativity and experience will all impact what the end result will be.

I'm not saying drawing people from imagination is a bad thing, as all drawing practice is good, but I see the potential for frustration here, especially in those learning to draw. The 'rules' are guidelines created to help artists depict accurate renderings of humans. Without a reference to go by, the guidelines have little meaning as you have nothing to check against. In life classes for instance, I take constant measurements of features or body parts to ensure accuracy. Even with thousands of drawings under my belt, I still could not accurately draw a figure in an art piece without referring to a reference of some sort for guidance. Yes, I can provide a pretty good overall shape, but I wouldn't be pleased with the final outcome.

Perhaps a little guidance in drawing a figure or portrait could be useful to put the seed in place. For instance, here's a little exercise that we used to do at art classes. A description of a face/figure is provided, now see what your interpretation of it is. You can search out references to help you or try it from your imagination in any medium you like.

Male, seated on a box, arms resting on his knee, right hand draped over the left arm which is extended. Left leg bent back, right extended. Rounded face, hooded brown eyes, head turned slightly to the left, drooping moustache, receding hairline, light brown hair, late 30s. The lighting is from the right.

wow jeanette..i feel much better now as i am ALWAYS frustrated when i try to draw a person from my mind..it NEVER looks the way i want it to. so at least i know that is a natural feeling and i am not alone. i think i shall like to try that lil exercise too. wow..there is so much going on here at drawspace that i want to try and ACK!! my time these days are limited. WINTER is COMING..so i will have plenty to keep me occupied. shoveling and drawing and shoveling and drawing and shoveling..

Its a natural feeling Kay because you haven't got all the information that you need to complete the task. Its like baking a cake and not having all the ingredients. Sure you'll have a cake if you leave out the eggs, but it won't taste so great.

I guess I see using imagination and creativity as a tool to create a piece of art. The concept of a composition or image is in your mind, but you need a dose of reality to bring it to life. Of course not everyone wants to draw realistically as I do, but no matter what your style you still need to know the basic techniques of anatomy, proportion and how to apply your medium to your support.

I'm trying to finish a creativity piece started ages and ages ago. Its a symbolic self portrait. The concept was to create my self portrait but not using me in the drawing. I had to use images that represent me and what makes me unique. Its very difficult to do to make the decisions around what those representations should be. I have half a 22 x 30 sheet of illustration board done, now need to decide on what to fill the right side.

My point is, that the composition and images of what I wanted to represent came from my mind, but the actual drawing came from many many references, both life and photographs to create the final piece.

Kay, just do what you enjoy doing here at Drawspace. There's always be lots going on, but you can't take part in everything or you'll never have time to grow and learn or concentrate on any specific thing.

This is my attempt at a face from purely imagination, just trying to remember what I've learned here at Drawspace. Obviously I forgot how to shade above the eyes, but didn't want to cheat by looking at a reference. Also I couldn't quite remember the anatomy of the insides of the ears. And hair is still a hopeless proposition for me...

This seems like a good exercise once in a while to test what information you've retained and to discover what needs more practice, but for myself I prefer to keep working from references or real life wherever possible. You know what's sort of freaky though? My drawing looks like me (on a really bad hair day).
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Mindy, your portrait looks a bit like you and it shows that you have by know the basic of facial anatomy. I find that if you were to redo this portrait you have only three things to keep in mind, the size of the ears, nose, and neck.
This exercise doesn't replace or eliminate reference drawing but checks from time to time your strength as an artist and also you understanding of human anatomy. It is not done for producing art but rather train your memory and eye to see, observe real life people.When draw from a picture you process that information and often this ends with flat results.
But from life you learn to observe real people and memorize that information in 3d form. Then you reproduce it on paper.
What you can do now and all of us who have produced drawings of faces from imagnatio is to place a copy of Braun head over your drawing and try see the difference in understanding proportions.

This is a sketch from imagination which I call Kelly and the purpose is to see if I can get the proportions of a human face right. So hair and the rest don't interest me for now.
After scanning i enlarged a bit the nostrils so her nose is better shaped now.
I am usually drawing from imagination without having a model in mind. I just create it gradually on paper while figuring out where to place an eye or an ear.In this way i am more in control of the whole face as opposed to reference drawing where i only draw parts of the face and check and double check for accuracy going back and forth from my drawing to the reference.
I need your constructive criticism on this and also shading advice.Thank you.

This is the profile of a Roman(like in Roman Empire) that took me 5 minutes to draw the contour and 10 more to do the shading.
Some details of the eyelid occured to me after scanning.What I actually intended here was to render the Roman nose.

Elena - I don't really like putting in criticism of people's work, but his eye is a forward view and the rest is profile. You only see one side of the eye from the side. Norma

Thank you Norma. I had the same feeling, that something was not right with his eye.Need to observe more.

oh thanks Elena
Im doing a little girl in the nature

Here's a vampire one I did long ago.

Another old one.

The girl with sunglasses is real good, rsine.

I used to draw ladies like this on the covers of my exercise books at school. I haven't done this type of drawing for ages and I can see why!!