How To Draw A Little Girl

How to Draw a Little Girl

For the most accurate approach to drawing, you should start with a grid that you can use to compare points on the reference paper to your drawing paper.

To set up a grid, measure the length and width of the reference.

Mark one side of your drawing paper the size you want it to be, then cross-multiply that amount with the original side from the reference paper and make the remaining side of your drawing proportional to the reference.

Finally, mark all four sides of both the drawing and reference picture into evenly spaced increments around the outside edges.

Label them “A, B, C…” on the upper and lower sides and “1, 2, 3…” on the top and bottom.

With your grid laid out, you can find points on the reference and mark them accurately on the drawing paper.

So proceed by finding the largest shapes, like the bottom of the chin, top of the head, and sides of the head.

As you mark these places on the drawing, be sure to measure carefully, using a triangle laid flush against one side to keep everything square as you work.

When you have at least four guide points for the head, you can draw it within those boundaries.

Repeat the process to find guidelines for the eyes, nose and mouth.

The grid will ensure that everything is the right size and in the right place.

When everything is drawn accurately, erase the guidelines.

Your portrait should be recognizable at this point.  Next, “draw” the white flyaway hairs by indenting the paper with a blunt stylus or back of a paintbrush.

Now, lay down the base tone by holding your pencil at the very back tip and putting down a light, even pass of charcoal.

If you’re working in the foreground and background at the same time, tape the sides of the drawing with blue painter’s tape before starting.

In the face, put down a base tone everywhere but the eyes.

Blend that base tone in the face with a clean chamois cloth wrapped around your finger.

Blend using circle strokes and enough pressure that the pencil lines disappear completely.

This is especially easy to do if you use charcoal pencil for the base tone, because it blends more easily than graphite.

Darken the lines of the features a bit more if they got blended out in the base tone stage, but be careful not to over-do.

Next, you want to draw the shadows on the skin.

Do this the same way that you put the base tone down, with perhaps a bit more pressure.

When the shadows are down, blend them with a stomp or tortillon.

Add more details and dark shadows to the features.

Add lines and pull out highlights, working with both your pencils and a kneaded eraser alternately to put down one line, blend out one side, and if needed, slice out a cleaner highlight.

Work in the hair by putting down a dark block of the shape with a few individual hairs coming off the main shape (as in the curl on the forehead), or by blending a very light area smooth and then pulling out the thick white hairs with a kneaded or electric eraser (as on the right, light-struck side)

Finally, add the details to the crown on her head by adding some intense darks and being sure to indent deeply in the circles of baby’s breath.

You don’t need to be too precise, because the shapes aren’t as important as the contrasts.

Enjoy!

Sharon Grey – Artist
Drawing Made Easy