How to Draw a Realistic Mouth in Seven Easy Steps
The mouth, like the eyes, provides a graphic illustration of how a person is feeling. Happiness is commonly expressed with a smile, while anger is typically communicated with a frown or grimace. Whatever the expression may be, sketching a realistic-looking mouth takes practice and time to perfect. Incorporate a few different techniques to create a realistic mouth out of graphite. With these skills, you will be able to turn a portrait that looks flat into a multi-dimensional composition.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Printer
- Drawing paper
- Easel or drawing board
- Tape
- HB pencil
- 2B pencil
- 3B pencil
- F pencil
- Kneaded eraser
- Tortillon
Instructions
-
-
1
Print a picture of a person's mouth. Attach a sheet of drawing paper to an easel or drawing board. Tape the picture next to the work surface, near a strong light source.
-
2
Use an HB pencil to sketch contour lines to create the lips, the skin lines around the lips and the teeth. Draw just the outline of the lips and the general shape of all the teeth together, but avoid drawing the dividing lines between each tooth.
-
-
3
Create light shading around the outside of the mouth with an HB or 2B pencil. Use light hatching or cross-hatching strokes to shade in the darkest areas around the mouth. Look at your printed photograph as a guide.
-
4
Fill in the lips. Switch to a softer pencil, such as a 3B, to create even darker shadows where the light is absent on the lips. Avoid marking the paper where the light shines the brightest on the lips. This will create highlights around the shadows.
-
5
Shade the areas in between the dark shadows and the white highlights with mid-tones using an HB pencil. Use short, even strokes to create the smooth look of skin.
-
6
Sketch the lines lightly between the teeth to create a realistic mouth with an F pencil. Examine the photograph closely and note where the light reflects off the teeth.
-
7
Finish the mouth by filling in the teeth with light mid-tones using both your F and HB pencils. Keep the highlights white, and fill in the visible back parts of the mouth with dark shadows using a 3B pencil.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Blend the hatch marks together with a tortillon to get a smooth effect.
Use a kneaded eraser to remove mistakes and to soften hard lines.
Take frequent breaks to avoid wrist and arm injury.
References
- Photo Credit BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
