The look
- Directional graphite strokes that follow the form of the cheek and jaw.
- Cross hatching concentrated where the shadow turns.
- A gray scale only, with the paper tone as the lightest value.
- Soft smudged transitions next to sharp, darker contour lines.
- Unfinished edges where the drawing fades out into blank paper.
Where it comes from
Drawing is the underlying discipline, and Tate defines it as depicting an image on a flat surface by making lines, though drawings also carry tonal areas and washes. Graphite, which Tate describes as a metallic gray writing and drawing material most commonly used in pencil form, suits sketching because it is stable and permanent on the page yet lifts off again easily with an eraser. The light and shade the style leans on is chiaroscuro, Tate's term for the balance and pattern of light and shade in a drawing, which is what turns flat marks into a face.
What it suits
- A quiet, professional profile picture
- Keepsake and memorial prints
- Pet portraits framed as a pair with their owner
- Gift prints that suit a plain frame
How to shoot for it
- Light from one side so there is a clear light half and shadow half to draw.
- Avoid flat on-camera flash, which removes the tonal range the style needs.
- Keep the background dark or plain; graphite has no way to render clutter.
- Hold a still, level expression, since line describes structure more than mood.
This look is not in Toonsta today. It is described here so you can recognize it; the closest Toonsta styles are listed below.
Related styles
- Watercolor portrait: A watercolor portrait keeps your face recognizable while letting the edges go soft.
- Oil painting portrait: An oil painting portrait rebuilds your face in thick worked paint.
- Caricature generator: A caricature exaggerates whatever is already distinctive about your face and simplifies everything else.