Tutorial: Create a One Line Drawing portrait

Here you have a 4-step tutorial to learn how to draw a One Line Drawing portrait, this technique consists of creating the entire drawing with just one line, without your pen leaving the page.

Tutorial level: Beginner / Advanced / Expert 

For this drawing, you will need: 

• 1 0.3mm Uni Pin felt-tip pen
  

• 1 SHALAKU mechanical pencil
  

• 1 portrait photo

• 1 sketchbook or a sheet of paper

Our step by step guide:

1^st step: Look through image banks, magazines or among your own photos, for an inspiring face which you can use a model. 

Gather your materials: for the sketch, we recommend our Shalaku mechanical pencil.

Then, for the final lines, our super precise Uni Pin felt-tip pens with their different tip sizes will be perfect! For this tutorial we have chosen the 0.3mm tip size.

2^nd step: With your Shalaku mechanical pencil, start by drawing the main lines of the face, using your reference portrait to help. It’s easier to start by drawing the eyes and the nose.

For beginners or people who aren't confident with freehand sketching, feel free to use tracing paper.

3^rd step: With your Uni Pin felt-tip pen, you can now go over all the pencil lines of your sketch... without lifting the pen off the paper, even to go from one part of the drawing to another! This is the special feature of the One Line Drawing technique.

Choose your felt-tip size depending on the thickness you want to give your drawing. We’ve chosen the 0.3mm Uni Pin felt-tip pen for a fairly thin finish.

Let your hand move using your sketch as a guide. Keep your hand off of the table, you’re movements will be more fluid. 

Here we’ve started by drawing the eyebrow, then a first eye, an ear, the chin, going up to the mouth, the nose... before starting the second eye and completing the portrait little by little in this way.

4^th step: Now that the base lines of the face have been drawn, let your imagination take over. You can make your portrait more abstract with floral decorations for example, or more realistic with a more sensible haircut, a hat, a bun... You’re free to give it your own style.

So, it’s your turn now!

...And remember, even if it’s not perfect on the first try, with a little practice you’ll improve quickly!