How to Draw Accurate Proportions

This Realistic Drawing Tutorial explains how to draw accurate proportions on your paper before you start shading a drawing. This is especially useful for drawing realistic portraits.

I discuss the pros and cons of the "grid method" and give some alternatives if you want to progress out if it.

You can use the proportional divider and compass I mention if you like to draw from life as well as creating realistic looking drawings from reference photos.

Make sure you check out the various tutorial subjects available. I’d love to help you learn to get the realism in your drawings you’ve been wanting.

Thanks for watching!

[mikibishop]

You have no idea, dear critics, how difficult drawing is. Even with the help of brain tools like this, talent, and your own developed skills, education, and hard-earned wisdom, .you will still spend a lifetime learning how to draw. I personally think it takes two lifetimes. LOL I learned this tool in college, but Mr. Hillberry has helped expand on it. It's a tool, not his entire oeuvre. If you don't like it, I suggest you try it for yourself, then maybe a little humility and understanding will sink into your spirit. I've used this technique to enlarge my own drawings. Is that cheating? This is a tool, and a good one.

[terradan]

Wow! Some of the comments people have made are so narrow minded. Just because this guy shows a technique on how to get proportions correctly does not mean that he
can't draw or that it's cheating. If you know anything about drawing portraits you'd know that proportions are very important and everything must line up correctly in order to capture the photo accurately. SMH.

[teej]

Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man was made using a type of grid. Are all of the "Art Critics" here saying that he was not a "real artist" or someone who could not draw from "real life" or that his paintings were dead? Why does Youtube attract so many negative people who seem to feel that their existence on this earth is to criticize everyone around them as if anybody really cared about their opinions of feelings?

[art_by_adrian]

I've been using the grid method since high school I'm almost 29 so I'm addicted to it so to speak but this is very helpful thanks

[flxdcatbruce]

Having used the graph method (then transferring with tracing paper to clean paper rather than erasing) for some 35 years I thought I would try this 8 line method.    I think I just drew the best portrait I ever have....this will now be the only way I reproduce from a photo...excellent lesson, thank you so much.

[AlishaArlene]

WOW! I'm way too impatient to draw... Much respect to people who can sit still for HOURS and draw like this, and be so specific about it!

[rsa]

There are few aspects to portraits more frustrating than going through a whole painting (especially one to share with friends and family) and finding there's something wrong with the underlying drawing. These methods are simply great! There are times when you want to freehand sketch, and there are times when you want to practice painting. The ability to quickly and accurately duplicate reference material onto your canvas or watercolor paper is unbelievably useful when you want to focus on slinging paint for the sake of practice, or even a nice end result... Bravo, thanks JD Hillberry.

[claire]

Well darn. Sixteen stubborn years of trying to figure everything out on my own and I never thought to try this. Proportions are what I struggle with the most. I'm so excited to test it out and see my drawings improve! Thank you so much!

[Deathshuck]

It's hysterical how good that drawing is. I mean, it's impeccable.

[amandalarissavieira]

OH MY GOD!!! I must admit I was getting really bored with the grid method, but then you started the diagonal method and MY MIND JUST BLOWN. I want to do that to every single photograph I have and try some realism right now. Thanks for sharing.

[Pegisus]

This is wonderful! :-) You just demonstrated what an artist is doing with their eye after they have become expert with the proportions. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[oldblubblub]

I use a variation of the grid technique. I draw a normal gird on the reference photo but instead of drawing lines on the drawing paper, I make little dots at the points where the lines would intersect. It works very well for me as it minimizes erasing and it's less likely to leave a visual impression unlike the lines.

[nossasenhoradoo]

This a great video. As a beginning artist it's nice to know that seasoned or professional artists like yourself also have to use mechanical techniques to get their proportions and measurements correct. Thanks.

[viianapoa]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge to us Sir! I salute your kindness and generosity. May you be even blessed!

[noahlambe]

all of these tutorials are great, you're really helping people follow their dreams by them gaining confidence through your teaching.

[umaornk]

WoW! Thank you so much for the good technique on this VDO. I'm just a beginner so this VDO is very useful for me. You're a great teacher. Thank you Youtube as well !

[chrischapman]

This is brilliant JD, I just can't understand all the negative comments about the approach.
I am a novice drawer, but absolutely love it. It gives me the head space I need after a long hard day at work.

I have started using a proportional divider in some of my more recent work and I'm really pleased with the results, and like some have said, even if all the proportions are correct, the real artistry is in the lines and shading.

Keep up the awesome tutorials

[dshe]

I've aways drawn without guidelines, but someone has asked me to draw different bird species and to make them realistic, all proportions and angles are critical. I was spending a lot of time making slight corrections. I tried dropping a see through grid over my reference photo, but drawing grid lines was just too tedious. I've just ordered some proportion/scale dividers and am going to have a go with cross and diagonal guidelines. Many thanks.

[miguelrivas]

Thank you! Every video of yours that I have watched, has really taught me something new. I ve been stuck in the same obstacles for at least 6months. After watching a video on values that u discuss. Waalaa my 1st drawing after that, which I had drawn before, looked soo much better. Now I can keep practicing. Thank u again.

[daisyfield]

Thank you for the wonderful instruction!