There’s no better way to connect to someone you love than by really focusing on what it is that you love about them.
A portrait doesn’t have to be a drawing. It could be a photograph, a collage or a piece of writing, even a song.
The main aim in creating a portrait is to capture the essence or the spirit of the person you are portraying. You’re not trying to make them look like a famous portrait. Idiosyncrasies and mundane little details are key. That’s not to say that you have to try and communicate a person’s whole character in a brushstroke or a sentence – you might choose to make your portrait a specific memory rather than a character description – but just that it’s important not to feel the weight of portrait history breathing down your neck. Be unique and personal.
Think about what it is that you associate with the sitter that you want the portrait to capture. It could be a favourite place, a smell (represented by a certain flower, tobacco, a perfume bottle), the way they dress, a meal you always share with them, a time of day that you associate with them. The best thing about portraiture is that it can be a composition of all these things. Spend some time gathering the parts of your portrait. Write down a minimum of five key qualities or memories that you want to include in your portrait.
If you can spend time with the subject of your portrait, do so. Ask them for their own interpretations of the key qualities or memories that you’ve chosen. If they’re willing to sit for the portrait, fantastic! The conversations that will emerge during the sitting will only serve to strengthen your bond. If you’re based in different cities or countries, think about whether or not you’d like to study them via video call or, if you find it easier working from a photo, maybe you could chat to them on the phone while you’re working.
Now that you have an outline for the content, decide what medium you’d like to create your portrait in. If this is your first portrait, choose something you’re comfortable with: don’t put too much pressure on your technical skills. The list below provides some ideas for what is best depending on what your end goal is.
Brilliant for capturing colour, movement and energy. Also good for arranging a composition of several parts and bringing it altogether as a single entity without it looking forced. Be confident in your style – the more you can see your hand in the work, the more personal the finished piece will be.
Perfect for creating an accurate representation of someone. Play around with lighting, setting and clothing to make the message of your portrait more defined. Just because a photo can be taken in an instant doesn’t mean you can’t take your time bringing it together.
Fantastic for portraying a person’s wider world. Incorporate photos, news clippings, illustrations, pieces of text.
As with painting, a brilliant way for your own hand and style to have a presence alongside the representation of the person you are drawing. Don’t try to create a pencil drawing that looks like a black-and-white photograph of someone (i.e. all the same tone and depth) – use darker lines to outline and highlight their strongest features, or to accentuate the movement of their hair, or to emphasize their shadows.
A great way of bringing a physical presence into the room. Depending on your experience, this can be a rudimentary or even an abstract form – emphasizing the outline of their face, or the hollows of their bone structure – or it can be precise, using exact measurements and creating life-like features to replicate them in 3D.
A favourite memory, an irritating but endearing quirk, a precise description of the person’s appearance… build an image using language. Take some time choosing your words and use similes to evoke sensations linked to the sitter.
If you’re musically gifted, you could try capturing your sitter in a song. What do they sound like? What is their rhythm? What instruments represent them? Take some time getting to know their favourite music before you start composing, and see if you can work this in to your piece too.
REMEMBER.
Make it personal, from your style to the subject matter. Don’t try and emulate, otherwise the portrait loses its original connection.