Portraits of People We Know

A portrait is a drawing or painting of a real person's face and sometimes their shoulders, and making one of someone you know helps you look carefully and capture what makes them special.

Reading is good — doing is better. Practice Portraits of People We Know as an interactive lesson.

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Definition

A portrait is artwork that shows a specific person, usually focusing on their face. When we make portraits of people we know — like a parent, friend, grandparent, or teacher — we practice looking closely at real features like eye shape, hair color, skin tone, and expression to make the picture look like that person.

Remember the rule

Face facts: Eyes go in the MIDDLE of the head, nose goes between eyes and chin, mouth goes between nose and chin — divide the face into halves and thirds and you will not go wrong!

Key words

Portrait: A drawing or painting that shows what a real person looks like, especially their face.
Feature: A part of the face, like eyes, nose, mouth, ears, or eyebrows.
Expression: The look on a person's face that shows how they feel, like happy, surprised, or calm.
Proportion: How the size of one part of the face compares to another — for example, eyes are about halfway down the head, not near the top.
Skin tone: The color of a person's skin. Artists mix colors to match many different skin tones.
Contour: The outline or edge of a face or feature that you draw to show its shape.
Symmetry: When both sides of the face look about the same — the left eye and right eye are roughly the same size and in the same place.
Background: The area behind the person in the portrait, which can be plain or show where the person is.

Worked examples

You want to draw a portrait of your mom. Where do you start?

→ Start with a large oval for the head. Draw a light line across the middle — that is where the eyes go. Draw a line halfway between the eyes and the chin — that is where the bottom of the nose goes. Draw a line halfway between the nose and the chin — that is where the mouth goes. Now add ears on the sides at eye level, then hair around the oval. · Sketching these guide lines lightly first helps everything land in the right place before you add detail.

Your grandpa has glasses and a gray beard. How do you show those special things in his portrait?

→ After placing the basic features, draw two oval or rectangle shapes over the eyes for the glasses. Then add short, slightly wavy strokes below the nose and around the chin using a light gray or white crayon to show the beard. · Details like glasses and facial hair are what make a portrait look like a specific person instead of just any person.

You are trying to match your friend's brown skin tone using crayons. The box only has one brown. What do you do?

→ Layer colors! Start with a peach or light brown, then lightly add orange or sienna on top, then add a little dark brown in the shadows under the chin and beside the nose. Pressing lightly and building up layers gets you much closer to the real tone. · Real skin is never just one flat color — layering is what makes it look natural.

You drew the eyes at the very top of the head. It looks strange. What went wrong?

→ The eyes are too high up. Remember the rule: eyes sit in the middle of the head. The top half above the eyes is all forehead and hair. Erase and move the eyes down to the halfway line. · This is the most common proportion mistake — our brain thinks the face takes up the whole head, but hair and forehead take up a lot of space.

How do you show that your teacher looks happy in the portrait?

→ Draw the corners of the mouth curving upward into a smile. Raise the cheeks slightly by making a small curved line under each eye. You can also draw the eyebrows in a relaxed, slightly raised position instead of flat or furrowed. · Expression comes mostly from the mouth and eyebrows — changing just those two things changes the whole feeling of the face.

Your portrait background is just white. How can you make it feel more like your dad's portrait?

→ Think about where your dad loves to be. If he likes being outside, add simple green and blue shapes for trees and sky. If he works in a kitchen, add a simple counter behind him. Even a solid favorite color as a background tells something about the person. · The background adds story to the portrait and makes the person feel more real.

Common mistakes

Putting the eyes near the top of the head instead of in the middle — always draw a halfway line first.
Making the head too small and the features too big so they do not fit — draw the head oval large first, then add features inside it.
Using only one flat color for skin instead of layering colors to show depth and real tone.
Drawing both eyes exactly the same like two identical circles — real eyes have different shapes and have a white part, a colored iris, and a dark pupil.
Rushing past the observation step — spend time really LOOKING at the person or a photo before drawing, because a portrait needs to look like that specific person.

FAQs

Does my portrait have to look exactly like the real person?

It should try to capture the person's most important features, but it does not have to be perfect. Even professional artists make portraits that look a little different from the real person. The goal is to try your best to notice and include what makes that person look like themselves.

What if I mess up a line?

That is totally normal. Lightly drawn pencil lines can be erased and redrawn. Many artists sketch lightly first and then go over their best lines with darker pencil or marker once they are happy. Mistakes are just part of learning to look carefully.

Can I draw a portrait of myself?

Yes! A self-portrait is a portrait of yourself. You look in a mirror and draw what you see. Many famous artists, like Frida Kahlo, made lots of self-portraits. It is a great way to practice because your model is always available.

What materials can I use for a portrait?

Pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint, or even torn paper collage all work for portraits. In 2nd grade you will often use pencil to sketch and then crayons or colored pencils to add color.

How do I draw hair without making it look like a hat?

Draw individual strands or small groups of lines that start at the top of the head and flow outward and downward in the direction the hair actually grows. Hair is not one solid shape — it has layers and movement. Leave some lighter areas so it does not look like a solid block.

Why do we draw people we know instead of made-up people?

Drawing someone you know gives you a real model to look at and makes the portrait personal and meaningful. It also teaches you to observe carefully — a skill that helps in all kinds of art and in school.

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