Step1 to create depth in pastel
If you want to make a portrait lifelike, you need, among other things, a convincing sense of depth. In this blog, you will find one of the ways to suggest depth.
Drawing depth
Depth is a very pleasant addition to your drawing. The nice thing is that if you understand how to achieve depth, you also understand how to intentionally make an area flat. You don’t create depth in just one way; there are various methods that you can use simultaneously. With the tip below, creating a drawing with depth becomes easy.
‘Lilly’, PanPastel and pastel pencils on matte pastel paper.
Contrasts between dark and light come to the fore. I am referring here to abrupt transitions between dark and light. The more abrupt the transition and the greater the difference between dark and light, the more it stands out and demands attention.
The softer the transition, the smaller the contrast between dark and light, and the further the section recedes.
How do you apply this in practice?
If you understand this principle, you can make good use of it (and I do this in every work I create ;-).
Therefore, place your contrast and/or the darkest tones in the parts you want to bring forward or focus attention on. Draw less high-contrast transitions in the areas you want to recede. This is how you create depth.
Image: from a booklet, maker unknown
You can see the same effect in the images above. The angle appears sharper when the contrast between dark and light is greater. In the case of the box, the angle with the most contrast comes to the fore; that is why most people perceive depth primarily in the bottom image of the two boxes, and the top box appears more tilted.
Contrast arises because you create a transition that is abrupt; there are few midtones between the light and dark tones. Fading occurs when the transitions are gradual and when the tones lie close together on the tonal scale, for example, when only the midtones are drawn, only light tones, or only dark tones. The transitions are therefore small and with little contrast. Fading automatically recedes, since contrast comes to the front.
This effect is often enhanced in photography to create depth; see the photo at the bottom right and the photo at the bottom left.
Images by HeungSoon via Pixabay and by Maark via Pixabay
You can of course use this in your drawing too ☺! In the drawing of Yessi, I made the eye sharper and more detailed, and softened all the transitions I wanted to de-emphasize. You soften these transitions in pastel by smudging with your finger or a blending tool. Is the area to smudge very small? Then use a very small blending tool.
Image: Yessi in pastel on pastel paper
Would you like to learn more about creating depth in pastel crayons and pastel pencils under guidance? Then take a look at my portrait drawing course as well.
Need more information? Feel free to contact us.