Digital Art Bootcamp – Concept Illustration From Reference – Portraits by Ross Draws (Wizard Tier, Bootcamp 1.1)

Whenever you’re trying to break a portrait down from reference, it’s important to think in terms of big shapes and straight lines. For example, I determined the angle of her shoulders and tried to replicate it in my own drawing. In this piece, I compared the shadow shapes and angles to capture the model’s posture and lighting. Other important elements to replicate were the sharp form shadow cutting across the right side of her face, and the cast shadow from her nose.

Many beginner artists want to start off with loose, arching lines. Starting with straight lines in the beginning of your piece will help you more accurately capture the shapes in the original image. Straight lines and angles are easy to replicate; arches and rounded shapes are not. Focus on accuracy first, and then you can exaggerate what you have down.

CONTENT TIMESTAMPS

Picking a Reference 3:31

Sketching Phase 13:12 Laying in Shadows 27:04 Skin and Hair Tones 1:28:00 Rendering Details 1:54:16 Assignment 2:37:05