HOW TO DRAW
TM
SHAKESPEAREAN
CHARACTERS Mark Bergin BOOK
HOUSE
Y O U
D R A W
C A N
S H A K E S P E A R E A N
Published in Great Britain in MMXVIII by Book House, an imprint of The Salariya Book Company Ltd 25 Marlborough Place, Brighton BN1 1UB www.salariya.com ISBN: 978-1-912006-28-1
© The Salariya Book Company Ltd MMXVIII All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
135798642 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed and bound in China. This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Author: Mark Bergin was born in Hastings in 1961. He studied at Eastbourne College of Art and has specialised in historical reconstructions as well as aviation and maritime subjects since 1983. He lives in Bexhill-on-Sea with his wife and three children. Editor: Nick
Pierce Visit
www.salariya.com for our online catalogue and free fun stuff.
C H A R A C T E R S
Y O U
C A N
D R A W
A N Y T H I N G
C4 on tent s Making a start
6 8 1O 12 14 16 18 2O 22 24 26 28 3O 32
Drawing materials Perspective Character heads and poses Puck Katharina Minola Henry V Caliban Sir John Falstaff Prospero Bottom Romeo and Juliet Oberon and Titania King Lear and Fool Glossary and index
Y O U
C A N
D R A W
S H A K E S P E A R E A N
C H A R A C T E R S
Making a start
L
Bottom in A Midsummer earning to draw is about looking Night' s Dream and seeing. Keep practising and get to know your subject. Use a sketchbook to make quick drawings. Start by doodling, and experiment with Hamlet and Ophelia shapes and patterns. There are many ways to draw, and this book shows only some of them. Watch theatrical productions and film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, visit art galleries, look King Lear , at artists drawings, see how friends draw, but above all, find your own way.
William Shakespeare 1564-1616
The Witches in Macbeth Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream
4
Y O U
C A N
D R A W
A N Y T H I N G
Katharina Minola, The Taming of the Shrew Katharina Minola's wardrobe
Othello Henry V's suit of armour
Antony and Cleopatra Make annotated notes in your sketchbook about costumes and prevailing fashions in the period settings of Shakespeare's plays.
5
Y O U
C A N
D R A W
S H A K E S P E A R E A N
C H A R A C T E R S
Drawing materials
T
Ink silhouette
ry using different types of drawing paper and materials. Experiment with charcoal, wax crayons and pastels. All pens, from felt-tips to ballpoints, will make interesting marks – or try drawing with pen and ink on wet paper.
Lines drawn in cannot be erased, so keep your ink drawings sketchy and less rigid. Don't worry about mistakes, as these lines can be lost as the drawing develops.
Prospero and Miranda in The Tempest
Use solid ink for the very darkest areas and cross-hatching for less dark tones. Use hatching for the midtones. Leave the white of the paper for the lightest tones.
Ink lines
6
The Witches, Macbeth
Y O U
C A N
D R A W
A N Y T H I N G
Pastel pencils Othello and Desdemona in Othello Pastel pencils come in a wide range of colours.
Pencil Pencil drawings can include a vast amount of detail and tone. Try experimenting with different grades of pencil to get a range of light and shade effects in your drawing. Remember, the best equipment and materials will not necessarily make the best drawing - only practice will!
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Macbeth
7
Y O U
D R A W
C A N
S H A K E S P E A R E A N
Perspective
I
f you look at anything from different viewpoints, you will see that the part that is closest to you looks larger, and the part furthest away from you looks smaller. Drawing in perspective is a way of creating a feeling of space - of showing three dimensions on a flat surface.
C H A R A C T E R S
High eye level (view from above)
Lady Macbeth
V.P. = Vanishing point
Normal eye level
V.P.
Falstaff
V.P. V.P. The vanishing point (V.P.) is the place in a perspective drawing where parallel lines appear to meet. The position of the vanishing point depends on the viewer's eye level. Sometimes a low or high viewpoint can give your drawing added drama.
8
Y O U
C A N
D R A W
A N Y T H I N G
Hamlet Low eye level (view from below)
V.P.
V.P.
V.P.
V.P.
Two-point perspective uses two vanishing points: one for lines running along the length of the subject, and one on the opposite side for lines running across the width of the subject. High eye level (view from above)
Julius Caesar and Brutus
9
Y O U
C A N
D R A W
S H A K E S P E A R E A N
C H A R A C T E R S
Character heads and poses
H
eads are difficult to draw as faces include some of the most expressive features of the body. When drawing figures, motion and balance are vital aspects to consider. Make your construction lines more fluid to capture a sense of movement. Practise a wide variety of poses.
1O
Using these basic construction lines for the head allows you to position the facial features correctly.
Puck
Witch
Macbeth
Falstaff
Cleopatra
Othello
Prospero
Anthony
Y O U
Hamlet
C A N
Anthony and Cleopatra
D R A W
A N Y T H I N G
Practise drawing artists' maquette figures in different poses to get a feel for the proportions and movement of the human body. Desdemona and Othello
Oberon and Puck
Romeo and Juliet
Falstaff
Henry V
Macbeth and Macduff Ophelia
11