
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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Head study (1585)
Guy Denning
Fine Art Drawings - 21 x 21 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.3 x 8.3 inch
$733

The Wind
Kirill Postovit
Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$901


In Ralph Lauren in the Hamptons
Manuel Santelices
Fine Art Drawings - 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$800

Portrait 09
Barbara Kroll
Fine Art Drawings - 54.9 x 34.8 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 21.6 x 13.7 x 0.1 inch
$680

Manhattan
Clara Castagné
Fine Art Drawings - 45 x 35 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 17.7 x 13.8 x 0.8 inch
$902

Regard à droite
Jéko
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,353

Siiting Kids sur billet de 500 F
Jef Aérosol
Fine Art Drawings - 10 x 18 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 3.9 x 7.1 x 0 inch
$1,454


L’homme dans le paysage
Valerio Adami
Fine Art Drawings - 57 x 38 cm Fine Art Drawings - 22.4 x 15 inch
$20,858

01 janv. 88
Bernard Noël
Fine Art Drawings - 59 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.2 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$902

Accords Visuels
Hildegarde Handsaeme
Fine Art Drawings - 76 x 55 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 29.9 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch
$902


La petite fille et son grand pére
Muriel Deumie
Fine Art Drawings - 100 x 50 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.4 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
$902


Confusion
Marta Grassi
Fine Art Drawings - 66 x 46 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$676

Navajo on My Mind
Eter Merkviladze
Fine Art Drawings - 22 x 15 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.1 inch
$733

Le Livre-chapeau
Francine Van Hove
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 inch
$3,721

Untitled (Reflection)
David Shrigley
Fine Art Drawings - 27.94 x 20.95 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11 x 8.2 x 0.4 inch
$8,500

Mother with child / Ubermensch IV/
Alexander Valchev
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 35 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 13.8 x 0.1 inch
$925

Divinité I
Dasz Panda
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$902

El secreto
Teo Franco
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch
$620

Stanza metafisica
Dr. Love
Fine Art Drawings - 39 x 27 x 0.4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.4 x 10.6 x 0.2 inch
$56


Sans Repères
Hom Nguyen
Fine Art Drawings - 150 x 150 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 59.1 x 59.1 x 1.6 inch
$29,765

Études pour les passants
Michel Houssin
Fine Art Drawings - 38.5 x 31.5 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.2 x 12.4 x 0.1 inch
$620


Bastet
Corné Akkers
Fine Art Drawings - 21.1 x 28.2 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.3 x 11.1 x 0.1 inch
$1,598

Etude pour Desnos
Ernest Pignon-Ernest
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 27 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 10.6 x 0.4 inch
$15,784

Des araignées dans le grenier
Michaël Brack
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 inch
$789

Autoportrait
Frederic Weisz
Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 50 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$902

Série Paper cut : Les silences - paper cut IV
Evazesir (No Rules Corp)
Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
$316

La question
Albane de Saint Remy
Fine Art Drawings - 35 x 24 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13.8 x 9.4 x 0 inch
$789

La plage à Biarritz
Rosario Heins
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$2,480


Personnages
Serge Pahnke
Fine Art Drawings - 28.5 x 39.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.2 x 15.6 x 0.1 inch
$825

Les oreilles
AE2
Fine Art Drawings - 120 x 150 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 47.2 x 59.1 x 0.6 inch
$733

Dusk
Brian Calvin
Fine Art Drawings - 14.9 x 33.2 x 1.25 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.9 x 13.1 x 0.5 inch
$9,500


Spain, my love
Damien Berrard
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,015

9 mois
Jean-Louis Toutain
Fine Art Drawings - 33 x 25 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
$1,917

Mickey Mouse
Juliane Hundertmark
Fine Art Drawings - 75 x 57 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 29.5 x 22.4 x 0 inch
$2,593

02-Untitled
Aditi Lago
Fine Art Drawings - 29.5 x 39.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.6 x 15.6 x 0 inch
$1,353 $1,150

Épine de Vie
Inkanan Artist
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
$958

Demain après-midi
Erte Tirtoff
Fine Art Drawings - 35.5 x 26 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14 x 10.2 x 0 inch
$4,284



Sans titre
Bazooka Joe
Fine Art Drawings - 32 x 40 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,691

Untitled
Alexandre Taillandier
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$778

Political Demagogy III
José Luis Cuevas
Fine Art Drawings - 27.9 x 35.6 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11 x 14 inch
$4,500

Lisboa
Alexandre Monteiro (Hopare)
Fine Art Drawings - 18 x 13 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7.1 x 5.1 inch
$3,382

Serenity II
Karim Benchebra
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 20 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0 inch
$1,150

Festival of Fire
Ofobuike Okudoh
Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 49.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.5 inch
$3,382

Studio di un bacio
Rossella Mercedes
Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 10 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.9 x 3.9 x 0.1 inch
$124

Medusa 2
Lucio Forte
Fine Art Drawings - 18 x 17 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7.1 x 6.7 x 0.1 inch
$135

Portraits 3
Ivan Afronskiy
Fine Art Drawings - 31 x 24 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.2 x 9.4 x 0.4 inch
$1,003

The Cash Machine
Otto Schade
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 21 x 0.01 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$1,015


Untitled (PEN 04)
Atom Hovhanesyan
Fine Art Drawings - 45.7 x 40.6 x 0.05 cm Fine Art Drawings - 18 x 16 x 0 inch
$80,000

Sans titre
Edouard Emeliyantsev
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.4 inch
$733

Ecoute II
Bze Bzeland
Fine Art Drawings - 48.3 x 32.9 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19 x 13 x 0 inch
$225

Dancing Girl
July Kinart (Prykina)
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$1,466

Silhouettes. Tarifa 1
Elena Done
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$590

Sans titre
Adam Nidzgorski
Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 20 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch
$733


Stairway to heaven
Albena Vatcheva
Fine Art Drawings - 77 x 57 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 30.3 x 22.4 x 0 inch
$902

Aquarelles graphiques 3
Agathe Wagner
Fine Art Drawings - 36 x 46 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14.2 x 18.1 x 0.4 inch
$902

Sans titre #6
Zahra Zeinali
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 inch
$2,819

Lovegun
Dani André Skogfelt
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 59 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 23.2 x 0 inch
$1,917

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
$1,127

Should we love again or not ?
Natalya Mougenot
Fine Art Drawings - 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$395

Untitled
José María Mijares
Fine Art Drawings - 21.75 x 47.625 x 2.54 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.6 x 18.8 x 1 inch
$6,000

Jeune femme sur le sable
Gustave Francois
Fine Art Drawings - 15.5 x 17.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 6.1 x 6.9 x 0.1 inch
$1,096

Untitled
Duván López
Fine Art Drawings - 32 x 24 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.6 x 9.4 x 0 inch
$676

Healing Greenland, Chunja And Animal Friends
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
$1,127

Après l'expo
Laurent Anastay-Ponsolle
Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 50 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
$846

D'autres destinées
Danielle Desplan
Fine Art Drawings - 57 x 38 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 22.4 x 15 x 0.1 inch
$676

Untitled 2
Wang Fei
Fine Art Drawings - 97 x 235 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 38.2 x 92.5 x 0.4 inch
$38,334

Hampstead Head
Fernando Alday
Fine Art Drawings - 100 x 100 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.4 x 39.4 inch
$4,735

Salpetrière, portrait #1
Gwendoline Hausermann
Fine Art Drawings - 27.5 x 21.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.8 x 8.5 inch
$676

Woman
Charles Guerin
Fine Art Drawings - 20.5 x 22 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.1 x 8.7 x 0 inch
$891

Untitled
Julieta Intergalactica
Fine Art Drawings - 21 x 14.8 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.1 inch
$400

Pierrot et Colombine
Ivan Messac
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0 inch
$2,706

Ma clé de sol
Béa Bealaff-Girotto
Fine Art Drawings - 20 x 20 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$755

Costume
Eugene Berman
Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.8 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 6.5 x 4.6 x 0 inch
$676

Paradis perdu, âme dévorée
Blu_451
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 29 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 11.4 x 0.4 inch
$507

Sans titre
Menachem Gueffen
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 28 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11 x 0.4 inch
$654


Untitled
Sasho Violetov
Fine Art Drawings - 31 x 21.5 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.2 x 8.5 x 0.1 inch
$496

Roboïde dessin original Rose
PRAB'Z
Fine Art Drawings - 59.4 x 42 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 23.4 x 16.5 x 0.1 inch
$169

Women
Guelfo Bianchini
Fine Art Drawings - 50.5 x 36 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.9 x 14.2 x 0.1 inch
$902

La Loge, série Opéra
Joanna Flatau
Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 32 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.4 x 12.6 inch
$2,480
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
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.
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.
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.