Pencil Portrait Study: Light & Shadow

When I start a pencil portrait study, I think in big value shapes before features. Here’s my 5-step flow:

1. Gesture & landmarks (2–3 min): Loose envelope, tilt lines, and placement.
2. Block-in values (5–8 min): Squint and mass in light vs shadow with HB.
3. Turn the form (8–10 min): Compress mid-tones, reserve the brightest lights.
4. Edge hierarchy (5 min): Sharpen focal edges; soften away from the center of interest.
5. Accents & pull-backs (3–4 min): Hit dark accents with 4B; lift lights with a kneaded eraser.

Pro tip: If a feature looks wrong, fix the value shape, not the eyelash.

Materials

• Newsprint or smooth Bristol
• HB, 2B, 4B pencils
• Kneaded eraser, blending stump (sparingly)