Cheeks

[Mr Man]

I find this the most annoying part of the face to draw.
How do you draw cheeks.:rolleyes:

[klev]

I've never thought about drawing cheeks.
I don't think I've ever drawn a cheek per se.

What do you want to use? Pencil, paint or ink?

If you just concern yourself with values, the cheeks will be there.

[Mr Man]

Just as a general pencil drawing.
I never know what shape to draw them

[klev]

First map out the features (shape of the head, eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) Make sure they're proportionate. This is done real light with a charcoal pencil. (Or whatever else.) Than, blur your eyes and map in a middle toned value...darkest darks against lightest lights. Than, go in and erase the lights in the middle tones. Than, make the darkest darks a bit darker.

You have to remember that you're not drawing "cheeks." You're creating a 3d illusion of cheeks on a 2d surface. It's an abstraction of shape with value and edge control. Cheeks generally always have a form shadow, so there are no hard edges, just a smooth transition.

It helps me to stop thinking that I'm drawing a "face" or "cheeks" and start thinking that I'm simply looking for light and dark values, and how these values come together at a sharp angle or a smooth transition.

If you view art this way, it will be easier. It's easier to start simple and break a large object up to simple shapes and values, slowly building up complexity. (This is true in drawing and painting)

Hope this is helpful

pz