Portrait Drawing Tutorial for Beginners – Step by Step

In this article, I’ll guide you through transforming a photograph into a finished pencil portrait.

This portrait drawing tutorial is perfect for all skill levels! Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate artist looking to improve your drawing skills, this article is for you!

We’ll go step by step, starting with setting up your document, creating an initial sketch, and finally shading the portrait.

By the end, you’ll have a completed portrait drawing you can proudly call your own.

Setting up the Photoshop document

We’ll work from this photograph below.

To follow along, start by creating a new Photoshop document (CMD/Control + N or File > New Document). 

Change Pixels to centimetres, and change dimensions to 15 x 18cm.

If you want to use other dimensions that’s fine, but it needs to match the exact dimensions of your drawing.

Next, copy the photograph and paste this into your new 15 x 18cm canvas.

Change this to a smart object by right clicking the layer and selecting ‘Covert to Smart Object’, this ensures the image quality stays consistent when resized.

You’re going to add grid lines to the image, making it easier to draw from later.

Position the photograph to a placement of your choosing, and then draw guides lines from the top and side.

To show grids, use shortcut CMD / Control + R, and make sure Snap is checked by clicking on ‘View’ and then ‘Snap’. Guides should then snap to the centre of your canvas.

Next, draw a rectangle and position the box top left, making sure it’s flush with the guides and sides of the canvas. Use shortcut CMD / Control + T, change the Width to 50%, making sure the chain or link is checked to the right of this.

This makes the box halved in size. Draw guides to create a 4×4 grid, like shown. Use the align tool buttons at the top to position your box in the corners by using shortcut CMD / Control A.

You should then have a grid of 4×4 setup! Delete the rectangle, and I’ve changed the position of the photograph so the composition is more engaging.

We now have the reference photograph set up so you can start creating an engaging artwork!

The grid technique has been used by artists for centuries to create accurate and proportionate drawings, particularly for portraits and large-scale artworks.

Setting up the drawing

Use a hard pencil for this stage. I’m using a 2H pencil.

It’s important to create a canvas size which is exactly the same as the Photoshop file. In this case it’s 15x18cm.

After your box has been drawn, halve the height and width, and halve again to create your boxes. So starting with 15 x 18cm, halved 7.5 x 9cm, then halved again 3.75 x 4.5cm.

It’s far easier to see the different tones from a B&W image than from a colour image. You can do this in Adobe Photoshop by clicking on ‘Image > ‘Adjustments > Hue / Saturation’, and reducing the Saturation bar to -100.

You should then be left with a 4×4 grid. Now we’re ready to start drawing!

Starting the drawing

Focus on drawing straight lines first, mapping out where everything sits within the image. Including the hairline, facial features and where they sit.

Keep looking at your drawing and the photograph, and pay close attention to where the facial placements sit in relation to the grid lines.

Keep everything as simple as possible, begin to map out the facial features like I am here. 

To help you notice any errors, turn your drawing and the photograph upside down, and correct your drawing if you feel it needs it.

It’s really important to keep checking your drawing and the photograph. Pay close attention to how things align to one another. Where does the ear sit in relation to the eyes? What angle is the side of the face? Where does the left eye intersect with the grid lines?

I’m keeping my pencil pressure quite light here, again focusing on big shapes, and straight lines.

Don’t worry about the details at this stage; the focus is on ensuring everything is in the right place. Keep practicing and refining the initial sketch.

Feel free to erase, redraw, or follow along with how I approach the portrait if you’re unsure.

Shading The Eyes

Once you’re happy with the placement of the portrait drawing, it’s time to add shading. This is the fun part of this portrait drawing tutorial!

Begin with the left eye, keeping it very simple. I’m using a 4B and 9B here, but choose a soft pencil if you have them.

Shade around the eye. The darkest tones come from the eye iris, hair and the neck. Move onto the eye brows with a dark tone, and then the right eye and eyebrows.

If you’re struggling or want some extra tips and advice, give me a comment below! I’ll be more than happy to help you out!

Shading The Hair & Face

At this stage it would be a good idea to erase the lines, which I forgot to do before the shading began!

Go back into the shading process and start with the nose, shading dark underneath the nostrils, and adding a light tone to the side of the nose.

Next up is the mouth, add a dark tone or line inbetween the mouth, and then add a mid tone shade on the upper lip, and a dark tone underneath.

Then add shading to the side of the face and the neck. 

Don’t hesitate to rotate your drawing as you work, especially when tackling tricky angles or difficult lines.

Sometimes, turning your paper can give you a fresh perspective and make it easier to achieve smoother, more precise strokes.

Shading The Hair

You’ll notice in my drawing process that I often rotate the page on its side, particularly when drawing long, curved lines.

This not only helps with accuracy but also improves line quality by allowing your hand to move in a more natural, comfortable direction. Always prioritise your comfort to ensure consistent, clean results.

When drawing hair, many get caught up in individual strands, which can overwhelm and reduce effectiveness. Instead, focus on capturing the direction and flow of the hair in larger masses.

This approach simplifies the process and creates more realistic-looking hair without getting lost in the details.

Use confident, sweeping drawing lines to suggest volume and movement, and break the hair into manageable sections.

If you struggle, simplify your approach and build details gradually once the overall shape is in place.

A striking portrait relies on balancing light and shadow. As you shade, ask yourself: where are the darkest areas compared to the lightest? Identifying these contrasts adds depth and dimension to your drawing.

Drawing The Details

Don’t be afraid to shade darker in areas like the shadows under the chin or around the eyes, while keeping the highlights bright.

Gradually build up the tones, layering them softly to avoid harsh transitions. Focus on the overall values to give the portrait a realistic and cohesive look, continuing to refine as you go.

Shade a dark tone for the hair, again being simple in your shading, and drawing in the direction of the hair. Add shading to the ear, and add more and more details to the entire face. Don’t forget to shade the background too.

Don’t worry about the arms and hand in the background.

Remember, have fun! If your drawing isn’t turning out as you imagined, it’s all part of the learning process.

Don’t be too hard on yourself – you can always retry the portrait as many times as needed. Mistakes are just opportunities to improve!

Your Finished Portrait Drawing

And there you have it!

Your finished portrait drawing! You can apply these techniques, such as using grid lines, to your future portraits too.

I hope you’re happy with your drawing—leave a comment to let me know how it turned out below! Don’t forget to like and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos!

How Did You Get On With This Portrait Drawing Tutorial?

I hope you enjoyed today’s article! Be sure to give me a comment below with how you got on! I’ll love to hear from you!

Check out this recent article all about how to paint with gouache on watercolour paper. Or if you would rather watch instead of read, see my recommendations if you’re bored and don’t know what you draw.

Many thanks for listening and visiting my blog today. You can follow what I’m up to on my Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram pages, I’ll really appreciate it if you do, and don’t be afraid to say hi to me! Many thanks again, and have a great day!