How to get things in the right place when drawing portraits freehand

There are many ways to do this, but I wanted something simple.
I needed something that would fit with my responsive mindset driven approach.
Let me show you my "3 Dot" approach
www.thejoyofportraiture.com
#drawingportraits #drawingfaces #drawing

[@rsa4510]

I've taken a few days to evaluate what you are telling us here, Tony. It's not often I see something on KZbin that's so profound to me, but this is one of them. For years, I have been sketching by picking a point on a reference image, and copying its position onto my drawing. I didn't realize that for all this time I was not using COMPARISONS properly when placing marks. It's taking me some time to get used to, but I see a definite improvement now. My little brain is fighting me because it wants to do it the familiar way, but I truly think your way is the best. Thanks so much, it's changed my art.

[@TonySwaby]

Thank you :

[@JescoStudio]

I’m gonna try to replicate this with ink and wash. Idk how it’s gonna work but I’m really liking this idea. I just spent a while trying to learn the Loomis method and while it’s a great tool I feel like it personally made my portraits really stiff looking. Your videos and skills are really impressive

[@TonySwaby]

Cool, let me know how you get on :)

[@the_rightpill7859]

I just wanted to say the best advice you've given me is to lose expectations and just draw somehow it changed the very way I look at the Art I create. How it looks in the doesn't even matter to me anymore its more about the act of creating the drawing. weirdly it dose make the art turn out better but the reason for that is I think is I allow myself to draw and express what I saw in the picture that moved me and some how it just happens and works out. You've really helped me get through a kind of block towards my own creativity. For along time I wanted to draw a specific way and I only found it when I just started drawing for the drawing sake.❤

[@TonySwaby]

You have to be you, it's the only way :)

[@KLeonardM]

Wow. I follow you on IG as well but as I listen to you , ever so intently here on KZbin my brain catches the meaning of what you are speaking about but when you pick up that charcoal and glide across the page I am astounded at the years and years of work that has brought you to this beautiful place of transforming lines and marks into full blown beautiful faces!!! I didn't pick up a paint brush until I was in my 60's in lock down with covid. I'm sure if I picked up a piece of lead every day I would be a tiny bit more progressed but your" nothing complicated" saying blows my mind as well as your talent. Looking forward to your work always. Kathleen.

[@TonySwaby]

I was 62 in 2019 when I started drawing portraits. I occasionally painted watercolours until I stopped making any kind of art in 1989.

[@KLeonardM]

@@TonySwaby My goodness. You're a naturally talented person or do you do this every day? I'm guess you are naturally talented but you did mention drawing at the age of 14 . Seems we are the same age but I went to Catholic school in the states and as a baby boomer those nuns sure weren't handing out art supplies to teach us. Unfortunately but I am interested now. Thanks so much for sharing your work.

[@TonySwaby]

@@KLeonardM I too went to a catholic school and don't remember art being pushed, but that would be true of any of the schools at the time, we were all expected to go down the mines. I was never really encouraged when I was young, always felt I had to prove myself, very damaging to an artist. Even tho I liked art I had to get a job so I did graphics then got into computers.

[@KLeonardM]

@@TonySwaby sounds like we grew up pretty much the same. Sometimes I just shake my head....if I'm honest, I do more than that in my head...haha.

[@annebuchanan1501]

Thank you! So important for an inexperienced artist to hear your thought processes. So useful, as someone who draws a lot could take those concepts for granted. For a beginner, these basic concepts need to be articulated For example, I teach piano. A student was confused one day when I asked them which were the high notes. It took me a moment to realise they were looking at the keyboard and it is horizontal - no high or low. Something an experienced pianist would take for granted.

[@TonySwaby]

Indeed pre-suposed comprehension is curse of many teachers :)

[@patfoley4888]

I have the day off and I'm watching your videos back to back finding the points is life-changing no more searching for the angle or geometry thank you so much for making so many videos to learn from. I can't use charcoal because I'm in the middle of nowhere and I don't have any but I'm using a 8B drawing pencil which allows me to get the same kind of in effect when I use it on its side. Thanks again

[@TonySwaby]

My pleasure, it makes no difference if you use a soft pencil it will still work :)

[@darranthompson8202]

Great tutorial as always learning alot.

[@TonySwaby]

Thank you :)

[@xRT59]

Thank you for sharing this great tutorial. It was very informative and helpful, and I’m looking forward to putting your advice into my work today. Hope you have a great day and looking forward to more great videos & tutorials.

[@TonySwaby]

My pleasure and thank you :)

[@SaltC]

Great video! Ive been drawing for 3 years (from scratch) and I discovered myself doing this, I realized the points are no more than a 2d mapping that I set, or variables that I build around. Those points that you can set can represent basically any and everything as long as you're aware in your mind of your intention within the point. Thinking like this made things a lot simpler to scale up or down within a sketchbook and drawing from life, the method is the exact same.

[@TonySwaby]

Indeed, it's a simply and easy way to draw. Thank you :)

[@casallachs]

Agree 1000%. You read my mind.

[@TonySwaby]

Thank you 🙏

[@chuck889]

thanks - enjoyed that one

[@TonySwaby]

Thank you :)

[@bahumdinger8361]

Very helpful....ty Tony

[@TonySwaby]

Thank you :)

[@rsa4510]

It seems it would be easier to do this for a one-to-one size drawing. When you are enlarging a drawing, you must constantly apply a scale factor in your mind as well as the relative distance. Tricky indeed...

[@TonySwaby]

I think if you focus on compartative relationships you will be fine, whether you are enlarging or reducing :)

[@Ty-1452]

That drawing at 22:15 of a black man, can I buy it ?