Ideal Settings For Candid Portraiture

One of the most common reasons people want to learn how to draw portraits is so they can capture exciting and emotional scenes, like enjoying a day at the beach, or a group of friends having fun at a picnic. When you start, however, chances are that you may want to focus on still subjects to develop your technique. Having said that, it’s not a bad idea to face the challenge of taking on a real person from time to time and trying to capture a candid situation.

People can be found everywhere, but there are some situations that will give you a better range of emotions than others. Simply watching people walking up and down the street might not be the best rest; they’ll often just be deep in thought, unlikely to break stride or give you something of interest to work with. Instead, you need to think about places where there will be unique reactions and emotions that truly test your skills.

Here are four ideas you can use to make your next drawing session a bit more fun.

Airports

Going to an airport in order to take a flight tends to be a very stressful activity. You have to arrive early, check your bags, and walk around trying to desperately find a comfortable place to wait for your turn. However, if you have ever had to wait for someone to arrive from another country (or if you have seen the opening scene from Love Actually), you may have witnessed amazing scenes like parents welcoming a son or daughter who went to study in another city, or a couple reuniting after being separated for weeks. Regardless of the situation, you won’t need to wait long before a joyful meeting takes place that you can sketch.

Concerts

These days technology allows us to listen to any single piece of music we want, at any place or time. Nevertheless, people still appreciate going to concerts and getting a glimpse at an artist they have been following for years performing their favorite piece live. The sense of excitement and wonder expressed by those attending a concert is an excellent inspiration for a portrait, regardless of whether you are at a spectacular show offered by a world-famous band, or at an intimate recital. With such emotion on show, there’s lots of material for you to work with.

Poker Games

While every live poker game is different, the fundamentals of poker more or less dictate that players stay still and maintain concentration. They need to pay attention to the other players’ behavior and bets and adjust their strategy accordingly. As a result, you will find the subjects trying their best to control their facial expressions, followed by the explosive manifestation of excitement and disappointment for the results. It's a melting pot of different expressions, emotions and facial interests, perfect for going all-in on testing your skills.

eSport Competitions

The simple hobby of playing online games has transformed into a billion-dollar industry. People from all around the world gather on live events where players with amazing skills battle for both profit and bragging rights. The artist attending these events can choose to focus on the audience or the competitors, which in contrast to poker players, have no problems expressing their excitement and frustration during these intense tournaments.

Learning how to draw a portrait is not easy. It requires a lot of time and discipline to see some progress and eventually master the technique. But in order to continue practicing, it’s important to ensure that the activity remains fun, even if this means making a couple of mistakes while trying to keep your eyes on a couple hugging at the airport, or a poker player trying to win at a high-stakes game.