How to draw from a photo, step by step (without copying it line by line)

How to draw from a photo with a pencil: pick a good reference, block in big shapes, measure, squint for three values and save details for last.

Published October 28, 20263 min read

Here is how to draw from a photo: use it as a map, not a picture to copy line by line. Pick a sharp photo lit from one side, block in big shapes, measure with your pencil, squint for three values, and save eyes, fur and texture for last.

What makes a good reference photo?

Two printed photos of the same pear: on the left sharp, lit from one side with a clear cast shadow, on the right blurry, flat and cropped against a busy floral background — Same pear, two photos. The left one teaches form: one light, a clear shadow, the whole pear in frame.

One lightA bright side, a shadow side and a cast shadow.
SharpSkip blurry or dark photos.
Whole subjectNothing important cut off by the frame.
Not too closeClose-ups stretch whatever is nearest the lens.
Your ownYou know the subject, and the photo is yours.

Five checks before you start.

Selfies are the worst case: a 2018 model in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery found that at 30 cm (12 inches) the base of the nose looks about 30% wider than at 1.5 m (5 feet). Step back and zoom in a little instead.

How to draw from a photo in 6 steps

Put the photo beside the page, about the size of your drawing. Draw lightly with an HB until step 5.

Turn it gray. Use your phone's mono filter: color hides how light or dark things are.
Block in the big shapes. Two or three simple shapes for the whole subject. No eyes yet.
Measure. At arm's length, compare width with height on the photo, then check the same ratio on your page.
Place landmarks. Mark the eyes, nose and ears, and compare the angles between them with the photo.
Squint and block three values. Shade all the darks at once with a 2B, leave the lights as bare paper, add one mid tone.
Details last. Eyes, edges, fur and texture, only where the photo shows them clearly.

Width 4Height 5Ratio 4 : 5

Measure the photo, then your drawing. Fix any difference now, before shading.

Paper whiteDarkest dark

Squint until the photo turns into three shapes: light, middle, dark.

What does it look like, stage by stage?

The Labrador lesson follows this order: big shapes, landmarks, contours, then shading and fur.

The Labrador lesson in nine stages, from a light head shape to shaded fur.

Splitting a photo into stages helps. In a 2019 Microsoft Research study, novices following a photo split into steps, with live tips, drew better than with a grid, mostly in accuracy, shading and detail (on a pen tablet, not paper).

Sketchwise does that split for any photo you pick: a staged lesson with a guide image for every stage, drawn on your own paper with the phone propped beside the page.

How do you check your drawing against the photo?

Step back two meters
Turn both upside down
Squint at both
Name one fix

After every stage. Upside down, you see shapes instead of a dog.

Want an easier first subject than a pet? The shaded apple lesson is one object under one light. Once photos feel easy, try drawing without a reference.

Frequently asked questions

Is it cheating to draw from a photo?

No. A photo holds still, which makes it ideal practice. Draw real objects too, to learn how forms turn in space.

Should I trace or use a grid?

Both place lines for you but skip the seeing that drawing trains. Use them to check a stuck block-in, not to start.

Can I draw from someone else's photo?

Your own photos are simplest. Before you post or sell a drawing of someone else's photo, ask the photographer or use one whose license allows it.