Interesting Looking People (to draw)

[Weeda]

When I draw, the subject is almost always a person. The problem is, I'm not very good so everyone I draw always looks exactly the same. I'm trying to rectify this problem by drawing a lot unique portaits from photo references of interesting-looking people. My hope is that I will some day be able to use all of the distinctive characteristics that I notice while drawing them in my own drawings from imagination. It's a lot of fun but I'm running out of fun references.

Basically, this is a topic to post pictures of interesting-looking people with unique or distinctive characteristics.

PS: Sorry if this is a lame topic.


I'll get started.


Noodles, the guitarist from the Offspring. I love his coke bottle glasses that, according to a friend, were so thick they could make out his eyes while he was on stage.


I love Abe Vigoda but you just can't tell me he doesn't look like this monkey. Especially when you see him with wide eyes.


And finally, just some jovial fellow.

But I've already drawn all of these and I'm now searching for more. If anyone else wants to contribute, that'd be great.

Again, sorry if this is a lame topic.

[mambo]

Fantastic idea for a thread.
One can never have enough reference for characters. Let me dig through the HD and I'll post up some good faces.

Mambo

[bluefooted]

Pretty interesting topic.

I think Hugh Laurie has an interesting looking face. Plus, he makes a lot of strange expressions. I used this as a reference for something once:

[Justin.]

It's a fun challenge to make non-interesting things interesting. When I was younger I would draw less saying "that's boring.. that guy is boring.. this is boring... boring boring boring"

then I thought one day

If I could make all that stuff not boring I'd be drawing a lot more stuff

so I did and I do.

[Rhynome]

It's a fun challenge to make non-interesting things interesting. When I was younger I would draw less saying "that's boring.. that guy is boring.. this is boring... boring boring boring"

then I thought one day

If I could make all that stuff not boring I'd be drawing a lot more stuff

so I did and I do.

I don't draw much, I don't draw enough, but when I do sometimes I come out with some fairly decent stuff. I also go with this policy. Although it may not be great for learning portraits (I haven't really spent enough time on them, to be honest) it can be great fun.

Say, drawing a 70s office block in London, it's good for perspective and for shading, etc. but, well, it's boring. Where're the giant space pandas fighting with the laser-squids? Well there aren't any, so you add them. It just makes it more fun.

[Gory]

I don't mean to be a detractor from an otherwise great thread idea, however....

As far as learning to be a good portrait artist goes, I think it's best to learn on particularly normal-looking individuals. (not to mention from LIFE) The blander the better, IMO. The reason I say this is because you'll really learn to appreciate the subtle differences that makes a person who they are. Learning on people who are already a caricature of themselves really is taking the challenge out of it because you can get away with rather large mistakes but it will still look like them because they have such a unique face.

Don't worry, everyone goes through the "wow this really looks nothing like the person I'm drawing" phase.

Anyway, as I said I think this is a great thread idea. Although I have nothing to share.

[Weeda]

I don't mean to be a detractor from an otherwise great thread idea, however....

As far as learning to be a good portrait artist goes, I think it's best to learn on particularly normal-looking individuals. (not to mention from LIFE) The blander the better, IMO. The reason I say this is because you'll really learn to appreciate the subtle differences that makes a person who they are. Learning on people who are already a caricature of themselves really is taking the challenge out of it because you can get away with rather large mistakes but it will still look like them because they have such a unique face.

Don't worry, everyone goes through the "wow this really looks nothing like the person I'm drawing" phase.

Anyway, as I said I think this is a great thread idea. Although I have nothing to share.

Good point. This thread will just be for when I feel like having fun rather than studying. Although, I guess I should take the advice offered earlier in the thread and try to make boring subjects fun. In any case, it would seem the important thing is that I just draw more than I have been.

[Jabo]

bluefooted, I think Laurie is one of the strangest looking guys in Hollywood. Really cool.

For me, Ed Harris is the prototype of squar-ish heroes with sharp cheekbones, tense cheeks and small, captivating eyes.
Ed Harris

And here goes Mr. David Strathairn in "Good Night, And Good Luck". I don't know what it is, maybe the tear sacs and the birdlike mouth.
David Strathairn

The younger Francis Sternhagen looked odd in some cases and continued to look even more interesting when she got older.

Steve Buscemi (!).

His friend Peter Stormare.

Macy Gray for her extremely broad face and edged contours.

[Sleep_Eden_sleep]

Here's my contribution:

1. Tilda Swinton: Her androgynous looks and structured face is very artsy in my opinion.





2. Helena Bonham Carter: Tim Burton's wife, she has a very odd-but-beautiful look. Hurray for Bellatrix.




3. This guy: Not sure who he is, but I randomly saw his picture and thought that he was beautiful - in an artistic way I mean.



That's it for me. Hope you found them as inspiring as I do..?

[Mr Man]

Nice idea! Actually its good timing as I'm at this stage of learning about face variation. Personally I try and stay away from photo refs as much as possible, but as I have been stuck in the middle of nowhere over the summer holidays I have found it hard to build up my visual memory just from drawing my parents.
So what I have been doing is looking at and comparing faces to each other. I have only just begun this experiment so not much progress just yet.

I felt ever so strange the other day when I left the house to go shopping. I was staring at everybody with amazement as to how diverse people can be.

This site is incredibly fascinating! Here

[mambo]

Mr. Man... brilliant post.

[kayness]

great topic guys!

[Matsign]

Mr. Man, your post instantly reminded me of a favorite television movie of mine, Gettysburg. In the opening credits they had many of these old pictures of generals and officers and then they're transition to the actors portraying them. The likenesses were very uncanny.

Some links I found:

[drd]

Mr. Man, your post instantly reminded me of a favorite television movie of mine, Gettysburg. In the opening credits they had many of these old pictures of generals and officers and then they're transition to the actors portraying them. The likenesses were very uncanny.

Some links I found:

I just had to watch this movie for my American History Summer night class, its a great movie.

[lefran]

Models are often chosen for having a different kind of look, not the normal type thing, the alien shape head and huge eyes is quite common among other things- so theres loads of great references in that field in terms of not your average looking person to draw
Iekeliene Strange


Gemma Ward


Lily Cole


And Devon Aoki

You might know her from films like Sin city

I'll have a think of a few more, i'm kinda into fashion hence the models, but ill think of something else hehe

[Ellingsworth]

When I draw, the subject is almost always a person. The problem is, I'm not very good so everyone I draw always looks exactly the same. I'm trying to rectify this problem by drawing a lot unique portaits from photo references of interesting-looking people. My hope is that I will some day be able to use all of the distinctive characteristics that I notice while drawing them in my own drawings from imagination. It's a lot of fun but I'm running out of fun references.

Basically, this is a topic to post pictures of interesting-looking people with unique or distinctive characteristics.

PS: Sorry if this is a lame topic.


I'll get started.


Noodles, the guitarist from the Offspring. I love his coke bottle glasses that, according to a friend, were so thick they could make out his eyes while he was on stage.


I love Abe Vigoda but you just can't tell me he doesn't look like this monkey. Especially when you see him with wide eyes.


And finally, just some jovial fellow.

But I've already drawn all of these and I'm now searching for more. If anyone else wants to contribute, that'd be great.

Again, sorry if this is a lame topic.

Who else, when seeing that picture thought INSTANTLY, Borat? Maybe it's just me.

Mr. Man: Those are some beautiful pictures, thanks for posting them.

[stoph]

my grandma and i were going through some old old photos of my great great grandparents. they were from belgium, and my grandfather lived to be 100, which was a huge thing back in the early 1900's, got in the paper and everything. anyways, there were some amazing photos taken of him and his wife and a few other relatives. all very intricately detailed, beautifully taken. ill try and find them and scan them in for you guys.

[joelhinxman]

i like drawing older people and rural people who look like they have spent alot of time working really hard. most of mine i find from http://www.trekearth.com (man i post this link so much i feel like im advertising for them) just click on the map and ya find interseting people from all over the world.

[Snarfevs]

Eskil Simonsson

[kayness]

what an inspirational thread everyone here seems interesting to me(except the models, I'm not into alien head kind of models )

my vote goes to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, not because he's particularly interesting in terms of facial features, but he had a congenital defect which left his left arm withered, smaller than the other one and unusable, and the great lengths that he goes to conceal that arm in pictures are VERY interesting to me, and plus, all those flamboyant braids and buttons and arrogant, over the top poses in his pictures. It's a bit like when someone has a tiny dick and bought a big car to compensate for their lack of size ...*cough*

I dont' know why the artist paints his left arm normally there, but i guess it's meant to flatter...sooooo

poser!

[DanielC]

It's an old one..but still interesting

[lumar]

It's an old one..but still interesting

haha trust the crazy guy to pick that stupid ass gun

[ArtZealot]

Why would anyone give this guy a gun?????

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1188398454

It's an old one..but still interesting

[Peter Coene]

Why would anyone give this guy a gun?????

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1188398454

you never know... since most people close an eye while aiming he might be a reliable shot.

[FraserMcT]

It's an old one..but still interesting
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1188398454

Am I the only person that got reminded of Albrecht Durer from this?





This guys flickr is filled of awesome portrait photography.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/louobedlam/

[kayness]

why the caboobie is that guy's head/eyes like that??? O_o

[tarc]

Grace Kelly

[CGMonkey]

'The art is not to find interesting people but to find something interesting in all people.

[Yiako]

[ciots]

wow! who is that woman? that is easily the most interesting face i've seen in a long time