In this demonstration we will show step-by-step the procedure to doing a simple portrait in pencil.

Click on any image for a larger view.

As with any piece of artwork, we start with a sketch. The initial sketch composed of a simple lines representing the center of the face, the position of the eye, nose, mouth, and hairline.

The outlines of the nose, eyes and mouth is drawn afterwards. Before you start the shading, always remember to check that all the positioning is right. Remember that the shape of a feature is much easier to change than the position once you have started shading. Start by shading in the eyes.

Then continue by shading the sides of the face, the cheeks, and the rest of the skin on the face.
It will help to use your finger to blend in the pencil marks since skin is mostly smooth and will appear more natural when blended, but make sure that when you blend, do so in small areas so the image doesn't look flat all over.

Then work your way around, by layering shade over shade. Finally, a little more is added to the clothing to finish up the drawing.

In the next step, the nose and neck have been shaded, followed by the mouth and parts of the clothing. Notice how the shading is done all over instead of working from left to right or up and down, it gives visual balance as you are working.

The next step is the hair. First, start with the area with the most highlights, in this case, the bangs.