Mensch III
Olivier Furter
Fine Art Drawings - 100 x 70 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0 inch
€1,200
Portrait Drawing for Sale
Portraiture has existed for many centuries. The Greeks produced portraits for funeral and religious rituals; they aimed to “bring back to life those who have passed away." In the Roman era, portraits were often reserved for the ruling figures of society; for example, a warrior would have his portrait painted to illustrate his bravery during a battle. In Europe, it is only during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance that Italian and Flemish painters started to practice the art of portraiture.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, painters created works commissioned by wealthy patrons. Painters sketched out preliminary freehand drawings, which were often then approved by the patron, before beginning to work on their oil paint or, later, watercolor. Facial features were sometimes improved to the detriment of realism, although some painters were known for their ability to reproduce their models' expressions. Some artists worked in great detail while others focussed more heavily on trying to capture the real personality of their model.
For much of its history, portrait not only told a story but it also conveyed a message of power, promoting a well-controlled image to the wider population and establishing the sitter's authority through its circulation. For example, Florentine elites would use paintings and drawings as a mean of controlling their image and establishing their authority. Portraits were a way for someone to live on long after their death. Today we find the faces of aristocracies and the European bourgeoisie in many museums, immortalized by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci or Rembrandt.
The results obtained through drawing depended largely on the tools and materials used. Red chalk was very popular (especially at the beginning of the 16th century) to represent the facial features and the warmth of the skin, while charcoal produced harder lines and pastel created a softer, colorful touch. Artists adapted their technique depending on the subject and the emotion they wanted to convey. The commercialisation of pencils in the nineteenth century made it a popular medium for artists and amateurs alike. Pencil art became more popular and the tool was often used for sketching portraits.
One thing is certain; capturing facial expressions is a demanding art form and the art of portraiture requires a lot of practice. Drawing a face down to its finest details may take hours to obtain the desired result: a protruding jaw, the shape of a skull, thick brows, smiling eyes, dilated pupils… Even more difficult, are children's portraits? It can be difficult to get them to stay still for long. The artist has to be skilled enough to immortalise these men, women and children full of life.
Gradually, sketched portraits became less and less realistic but increasingly daring and experimental in terms of colour. On Artsper, discover drawings by Jean Cocteau, Julien Calot, Alice de Miramon, Philippe Pasqua, Sabine Danzé, Bahareh Navabi and Stéphanie Stindel.
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Eclosion
Zdenka Palkovic
Fine Art Drawings - 69 x 49 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.2 x 19.3 x 0.8 inch
€1,600
Dépitée
Zdenka Palkovic
Fine Art Drawings - 69 x 49 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.2 x 19.3 x 0.8 inch
€1,600
Brave New World
Zdenka Palkovic
Fine Art Drawings - 69 x 49 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.2 x 19.3 x 0.8 inch
€1,600
Sightseeing
Michael Alan
Fine Art Drawings - 30.5 x 22.9 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12 x 9 x 0.04 inch
€2,441
C’est quoi le bonheur
Evelyne Postic
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 inch
€2,500
Les yeux ouverts
Evelyne Postic
Fine Art Drawings - 76 x 57 cm Fine Art Drawings - 29.9 x 22.4 inch
€2,000
Liberté lointaine
Evelyne Postic
Fine Art Drawings - 51 x 60 cm Fine Art Drawings - 20.1 x 23.6 inch
€1,600
Allow Me - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Black and White, Love
Sayeed Momoh
Fine Art Drawings - 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 20 x 1 inch
€1,774 €1,331
The layers get to me
Michael Alan
Fine Art Drawings - 46.7 x 34.3 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 18.4 x 13.5 x 0.04 inch
€1,200
Barbara Hutton, Portrait
Manuel Santelices
Fine Art Drawings - 25.4 x 17.8 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10 x 7 x 0.1 inch
€469
Gaze up to the Sky
Tomo Sakurai
Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 45 x 3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch
€2,400
Nicholose
Erte Tirtoff
Fine Art Drawings - 39 x 28 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.4 x 11 x 0.4 inch
€5,000 €3,500
Le Patron de la Nef
Erte Tirtoff
Fine Art Drawings - 39 x 28 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.4 x 11 x 0.4 inch
€5,000 €3,500
Sans titre
Mathilde Anclin
Fine Art Drawings - 29.5 x 42 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.6 x 16.5 inch
€720
Dernier Jour de Louis XVI à Versailles
Marcoleptique
Fine Art Drawings - 33 x 24 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13 x 9.4 inch
€550
Untitled 6
Wang Fei
Fine Art Drawings - 89 x 69 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 35 x 27.2 x 0.4 inch
€9,700
Untitled
José Manuel Menéndez Rojas
Fine Art Drawings - 64 x 97 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.2 x 38.2 inch
€2,800
The Gaze
Peter Hofmann
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
€1,000
O.T. 96
Peter Hofmann
Fine Art Drawings - 72 x 52 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 28.3 x 20.5 x 0 inch
€2,250
The Red
Tina Loiodice
Fine Art Drawings - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch
€350
American Dream
Alexandre Granger
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
€1,900
Self-Portrait 24.122
Arthur Hent
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 30 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
€280
Self-Portrait 24.82
Arthur Hent
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 21 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
€200
Amalia, Paloma, and Bindongo
Joe Lasker
Fine Art Drawings - 43.2 x 34.3 x 5.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 17 x 13.5 x 2 inch
€1,126
Red Plume
Joe Lasker
Fine Art Drawings - 22.9 x 17.8 x 5.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9 x 7 x 2 inch
€1,831
Darwin
Christian Frederiksen
Fine Art Drawings - 46 x 38 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 18.1 x 15 x 0 inch
€1,500
Darwin, Ghost
Christian Frederiksen
Fine Art Drawings - 46 x 38 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 18.1 x 15 x 0 inch
€1,500
Holding fast
Marc Bodie
Fine Art Drawings - 21 x 15 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.1 inch
€650
Where next
Marc Bodie
Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 20 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 7.9 x 0.1 inch
€750
Beyond Just a Matter of Distance
Marc Bodie
Fine Art Drawings - 21 x 15 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.1 inch
€650
Crazy World 22.04
Arthur Hent
Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 40 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
€350
Histoires urbaines 29
Arnaud Gautron
Fine Art Drawings - 59 x 42 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.2 x 16.5 inch
€500
Histoire urbaines 28
Arnaud Gautron
Fine Art Drawings - 59 x 42 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.2 x 16.5 inch
€500
Le rêve du poisson
Arnaud Gautron
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch
€500
Le rêve du corps beau
Arnaud Gautron
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch
€500
The eye of the storm
Marc Bodie
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 21 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
€650
Untitled I
Felix Treadwell
Fine Art Drawings - 14.6 x 20.32 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.7 x 8 x 0.4 inch
€3,708
Conflict
Mino Maccari
Fine Art Drawings - 21 x 29 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.3 x 11.4 x 0.1 inch
€400
Juliette
Frederic Weisz
Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 50 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€690
Juliette
Frederic Weisz
Fine Art Drawings - 80 x 50 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 31.5 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€690
Juliette
Frederic Weisz
Fine Art Drawings - 80 x 60 x 5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 31.5 x 23.6 x 2 inch
€690
Portrait 5
Prochore Tchuidjang
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 30 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
€800
La Pensive, Chasteté
Pierre Molinier
Fine Art Drawings - 20 x 22 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7.9 x 8.7 x 0 inch
€6,000
Diaquarelle n°110
Stéphane Belzère
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 40 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,000
Diaquarelle n°142
Stéphane Belzère
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,350
Diaquarelle n°11
Stéphane Belzère
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 40 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,000
Strong Woman
Helen Warner
Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 42 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 16.5 x 0 inch
€2,260
The Power of a Smile
Helen Warner
Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 42 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 16.5 x 0 inch
€2,260
Theatre
Shota Imerlishvili
Fine Art Drawings - 61 x 86 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 33.9 x 0 inch
€2,000
Red Cube
Shota Imerlishvili
Fine Art Drawings - 90 x 60 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€2,000
Genetics
Shota Imerlishvili
Fine Art Drawings - 61 x 86 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 33.9 x 0 inch
€2,500
Healing Greenland, Chunja & the dog
Shin Seung-Hun
Fine Art Drawings - 72 x 77.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 28.3 x 30.5 x 0 inch
€1,000
Healing Greenland, Chunja & The Tiger
Shin Seung-Hun
Fine Art Drawings - 72 x 77.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 28.3 x 30.5 x 0 inch
€1,000
Healing Greenland, Chunja and The Monkey Brothers
Shin Seung-Hun
Fine Art Drawings - 72 x 77.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 28.3 x 30.5 x 0 inch
€1,000
Healing Greenland, Teddy Bear Mask
Shin Seung-Hun
Fine Art Drawings - 72 x 72 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings - 28.3 x 28.3 x 0 inch
€1,000
The Heavenly Maids Scatter Blossoms
Qing-Yan Li
Fine Art Drawings - 68 x 68 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0 inch
€1,650
Happy Double Flying
Qing-Yan Li
Fine Art Drawings - 68 x 68 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0 inch
€1,650
Giraffe Drinking Water
Qing-Yan Li
Fine Art Drawings - 68 x 68 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0 inch
€1,650
Flying Apsaras Dance
Qing-Yan Li
Fine Art Drawings - 68 x 68 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0 inch
€1,650
Flying Apsaras Crossing Mountains
Qing-Yan Li
Fine Art Drawings - 68 x 68 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0 inch
€1,650
L'espoir en vert
Evelyne Postic
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€850
Sans titre 1
Alexandre Monteiro (Hopare)
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€7,000
Les flots de la bouche
Evelyne Postic
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 29 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.4 inch
€850 €765
Le corbeau et le renard
Zo
Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 80 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
€1,560
¿Quién es más pillo?
Joaquín Xaudaró
Fine Art Drawings - 32.5 x 25 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.8 x 9.8 x 0 inch
€3,000
Doux
Yohan Storti
Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 41 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 16.1 x 0 inch
€450
Grand portrait 2
Davide Cicolani
Fine Art Drawings - 100 x 70 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.4 x 27.6 inch
€1,350
Grand portrait 1
Davide Cicolani
Fine Art Drawings - 100 x 70 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,350
Nurse and patient
Ray Smith
Fine Art Drawings - 27 x 37 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.6 x 14.6 x 0 inch
€1,000
Acquaintance
Simon Kozhin
Fine Art Drawings - 23.5 x 19 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.3 x 7.5 x 0 inch
€2,300
Untitled
Oswald Aulestia
Fine Art Drawings - 50.5 x 32.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.9 x 12.8 inch
€2,200
Portrait of Woman
François Chapuis
Fine Art Drawings - 55 x 39 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 21.7 x 15.4 x 0.1 inch
€1,600
Portrait
François Chapuis
Fine Art Drawings - 48 x 32.5 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 18.9 x 12.8 x 0.1 inch
€2,200
Portrait of Woman
François Chapuis
Fine Art Drawings - 50.8 x 40.8 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 20 x 16.1 x 0 inch
€2,200
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
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tizlu
Fine Art Drawings - 60 x 40 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.6 inch
€1,600
Top Elite Faschions
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 61 x 46 x 0.2 cm Print - 24 x 18.1 x 0.1 inch
€550
Degas Danseur de Ballet
Martín Duque
Sculpture - 44 x 16 x 20 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 6.3 x 7.9 inch
€980
Love and Flowers - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Women
Taiwo Odejinmi
Painting - 91.4 x 61 x 2.5 cm Painting - 36 x 24 x 1 inch
€2,300 €1,725
Maiko in Springtime Kyoto
Takashi Murakami
Print - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€2,429
Need help with Portrait Drawing ?
What are some tips for drawing a realistic portrait?
To draw a realistic portrait, start with a good reference photo, pay attention to proportions, use shading to create depth, and focus on capturing the subject's unique features. Practice regularly and don't be afraid to make mistakes.
How do you choose the right materials for portrait drawing?
When choosing materials for portrait drawing, consider the surface texture, color, and weight of the paper, as well as the type and quality of the pencils or charcoal. Opt for high-quality materials that allow for precision and detail, and experiment with different combinations to find what works best for your style and technique.
What are some common mistakes to avoid when drawing a portrait?
When drawing a portrait, it's important to avoid common mistakes such as not paying attention to proportions, neglecting to capture the subject's unique features, and using too much or too little shading. Additionally, it's important to take breaks and step back to assess the overall composition.