How to Draw an Old Man

Human figures are the toughest and the most challenging ones to draw. While being realistic, they have to capture the imagination and creativity of an artist as well. With aged figures, the job gets trickier due to weak frames and wrinkles. In the case of human figures, the basic shapes and proportions largely remain the same. For drawing different types of old men, you can experiment with various kinds of shapes, like for drawing a fat man you can use an oval, whereas to draw a short old man you can use small ovals, rectangles, & small circles. As a final touch, outline the figure with a light pencil.

Drawing an Old Man:
The steps here give comprehensive details on how to draw an old man. We are taking up cartoon figure to begin with. The real frame may be difficult to achieve and requires lot of practice.

Required Drawing Tools:

• a) Pencil
• b) Paper/ Canvas
• c) Colors (optional)
• d) Paint brush (Optional)

Steps:
We are sketching an old man reclining in his chair.

Outline:
Before attempting to draw the details of a human figure, it is very important to form a rough outline of the overall built. Based on your imagination, you can draw the old man to be standing or sitting. We can draw a circle for the face, a round oval for the body, and elliptical curves to depict the legs.

Face:
As per your imagination, you can have a round, oval, or a rectangular shape for the face. After the outline, draw symmetrical lines around the face for proper proportions of the nose, jaw, head, and eyes. Since its an old man, the jaw should be thick and sagging. The mouth needs to be outlined with shaky strokes to highlight aging skin and frame. Eyes and nose have to be drawn around the symmetrical lines. After the shapes are sketched, the symmetrical lines need to be erased for a neat effect.

Body:
The body of an old man can be broadly divided into arms and chest. For arms, draw a U-shape to portray the sagging arms. While drawing the body, a line should be sketched from the face to the center of the page wherein the shoulders and chest can be drawn evenly. Since we are sketching an old man, the shoulders should not be tight but should have an oval and dropping shape to it.

Hips and Legs:
The hips should be drawn in direct proportion to the head. Generally, the hips and legs are formed seven times more in length than the head. For the hips, the artist has to draw free contours up against the body, and have these outlines for general reference.

Wrinkles:
The characteristic feature of any old person is the wrinkled skin. These folds can just not be drawn as simple lines. The right type of light and shadow. The artist should also keep in mind the line's composition, whether it is thick, light, or in between facial muscles. The wrinkles should depict undefined, random lines across the body of the old man.

Finishing:
One should erase the symmetrical lines and use outlining and shading for further realistic effect of an artist's imagination.

Drawing Courses:

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About the Author:
Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. Please visit the website at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited.

Article Source: How to Draw an Old Man