Alyson Hannigan Source

This is the source photo I used for my first attempt at portraiture in about ten years. This is also my weak assed attempt at a very simple tutorial on how I go about prepping a photo to use as source material. I start by blocking or graphing the subjects face using standard anatomical norms. For instance eyes are halfway between the top of the head and the chin; the bottom of the nose is mid way between the eyes and the chin; the mid point of the mouth is half way between the bottom of the nose and the chin; the eyes are about one eye width apart; the nose is as wide as the tear ducts; and the mouth is about as wide as the pupils. Knowing these basic norms you can maximize the "likeness" of your work with your subject by paying close detail to where you subject face differs from the anatomic norms. Try it you'll see.