How to Draw a Face Using an Ink Pen
Drawing faces with ink can be a challenge. Ink drawing requires skilled shading techniques and creative use of lines to bring out drawings with depth and definition. This is especially true of faces. Artists who draw and color with ink pens learn to use a variety of shading to bring out facial features. Despite the limited variations, ink pen drawings can be as detailed and breathtaking as any other type of medium. Learning to create an artistic masterpiece with pen and ink takes practice, but the results can be awe-inspiring.
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Instructions
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Sketch an outline of the shape of a head to set the angle you'll be using to draw the features of your face. Use a pencil for this phase. You can also use a reference photo if you aren't good at facial features by memory. Add a few lines for the hair, but don't add details yet. Place enough lines down to determine the hair line. This will also help you get a feel for the shape of the forehead and the cheeks.
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Sketch in the eyes next. Decide if you want them to be oval shaped, slanted, or round. Once the eyes are in place, sketch the pupils in, but don't add any shading yet. Place the nose on the face using the eyes as a guide to placement. Begin with a line between the eyes and work slowly to develop the nose. Bring the line down and around, curving the line into the tip of the nose and shaping the flare of the nostrils.
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Draw a mouth by using the end of the nose as a guide for placement. You can always erase and try again to get the look you're after. Sketch the mouth open or closed; sketch in the shape of the teeth if they are going to be visible.
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Go over your pencil lines with ink. Take your time and be sure to cover all of the pencil lines. Add shading around the curve of each nostril to bring out the depth of the nose. Color the pupils of the eyes, leaving a little white in the center of each to give the impression of moisture and light. Shade in the eyebrows using light strokes of the pen and shaping as you apply the ink. Continue to shade until you reach the desired thickness.
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5
Add a few pen lines around the mouth and at the corners of the eyes to give texture to your facial features. The lines should vary in thickness to help take away the flat appearance. You can also add short pen strokes and use your fingertip to blend the ink to give your face a skin tone.
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Thicken the hair on your character. Use overlapping straight pen lines to make thick, straight hair or short, curved lines to add more curl to the hair.
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