This article was co-authored by Kelly Medford. Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.
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Do you like romantic comedies or love stories? A simple kiss can be a surprisingly challenging act to draw! This tutorial will help position characters in a light kiss, useful for comics, romantic illustrations, or your sketchbook.
Steps
Medium Shot Side View
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1Draw the outline sketches. Sketch two ovals slightly intersecting each other. These are the outline sketches for the foreheads. If you're drawing traditionally, do this in pencil, pressing lightly.
- If you don't have a lot of drawing experience, try copying or tracing a similar drawing or painting by an artist that you really like. This can help you learn how they make marks and approach their artwork.
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2Add the jawline profile view of the first character. This time the head outline of the first character looks like an acorn shape.Advertisement
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3Continue with the jawline of the second character. Make sure it's more on the side of the oval rather than the bottom, unlike the first character's jawline. It should form somewhat of a heart shape.
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4Draw the skeleton outline for the first character. The purpose of the skeleton outlines is to guide you in drawing the body pose and composition. You don't have to be an anatomy expert to do this, either. Use a line for the spine, which should be slightly curved. Add two lines for the arms. For the shoulders, elbows, and hands use simple circles. Try to anticipate how you want their bodies to look together.
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5Add the skeleton outline for the second character. Using the same techniques, add the skeleton outlines for the second character.
- Make sure the characters aren't just standing there kissing. Put one character's arms on the other's lower back, under their jaw, or on the back of their head. You could also have them holding hands.
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6Draw the facial feature outlines. Draw a vertical line slightly curved into the direction the face is going, then add a horizontal line across the middle of the head facing the same direction. The horizontal line will be where the eyes are, and where the two lines meet will be roughly where the nose bridge starts.
- Use a mirror every so often to examine your drawing. This technique can help you see your drawing in a new way while also pointing out any obvious mistakes.
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7Erase some of the outline sketches and start drawing the actual lines for the faces based on the outlines. If you're drawing digitally, lower the opacity of the sketch layer and create a new layer for the outlines.
- If the drawing program you're using doesn't have layers, you can use the paint bucket tool to make the sketch lines grey, then bucket fill them white when the outline is finished.
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8Draw the line art for the bodies. The black lines, or the lines not in the sketch that you're going to keep, are called the line art. When lining, make sure to give them different body shapes. Maybe one has broader shoulders, a narrower waist, etc.
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9Draw the actual lines of the clothes of the first character. Clothes can be drawn conforming to the shape of the body, effects of gravity, movement, friction, layers, and wind. Add small folds where the fabric would be stretched against something (most likely the joints) or where a lot of fabric bunches up. Generally, the more folds, the tighter the clothing.
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10Draw the actual lines for the clothes of the second character. Follow the same guidelines you used for the first character.
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11Add the line art for the hair of the first character. Make sure the bangs are in the same direction as the face and don't continue all along with the head. The character should have longer pieces of hair or sideburns on the sides instead of the bangs continuing. ch
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12Line the hair for the second character.
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13Erase the sketch or any unnecessary lines.
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14Color the characters. You can also add shading if you'd like.
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15Add the background. You can draw a complicated background, or just use a solid color or pattern.
Method Two: Eye Level Profile View
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1Begin with the outline sketch of the heads. Draw two oval shapes that slightly overlap for the forehead outlines.
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2Add the jawline sketches
- Notice the heart shape on the head outlines. Always remember that whenever you draw two people kissing on profile angles or side views, the outline sketches for the characters’ heads look like a heart shape.
- Notice the heart shape on the head outlines. Always remember that whenever you draw two people kissing on profile angles or side views, the outline sketches for the characters’ heads look like a heart shape.
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3Draw the facial feature outlines. Add curved four vertical lines and a horizontal line for each of the character’s head. The vertical lines show what direction the face is in and is an outline for the eyes. Since this is a side view, the horizontal line is the outline for the ears. If it is a frontal view of the face, where the two lines meet becomes roughly where the nose bridge starts.
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4D the line art for the faces. Always begin drawing kissing people on the forehead through the nose. It is easier starting that way.
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5Draw the line art for the lips, jawlines, and the ear. Make sure the lips aren't just pressed against each other; they should be somewhat linked together, with the first character's top lip under the second character's top lip and such. You could also tilt their heads further and make their lips diagonal to each other.
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6Line the necks.
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7Draw the hair of the first character.
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8Add the hair of the second character.
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9Draw the line art for the clothes. Add folds where the joints are or where the excess fabric would bunch up.
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10Erase the sketch. If you're drawing digitally, delete the sketch layer. If the program you're using doesn't have layers, you can use the paint bucket to make the grey sketch white, though this is a bit messy and tedious.
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11Color the characters. You can add an effect on the color digitally. Since this view shows a closer look at the characters, you can add blush on their cheeks.
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12Add the background.
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I draw a kiss on the cheek?Community AnswerIt depends on how you want your picture to look. If it's someone leaning in, I'd practice by drawing the sides of faces first, then draw the person kissing, and then behind them, the person being kissed. You can have different reactions like surprise or embarrassment! If you can, have someone re-enact it in real life and possibly draw the basics from that and then edit it to suit your characters.
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QuestionHow do I draw them kissing while dancing?Community AnswerSimply readjust the position of their hands and bodies to show them dancing. If you need extra help, reference pictures work great.
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QuestionHow do you draw them kissing while hugging?Community AnswerFind a reference picture and draw from that.
Things You'll Need
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Traditional:
- Paper
- Pencil
- Pencil sharpener (optional)
- Eraser
- Colored pencils, crayons, markers or watercolors
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Digital:
- Drawing program or website
- Drawing tablet or stylus (optional)
About This Article
Drawing people kissing is relatively easy if you take your time. To draw people kissing up close, start by drawing the outline of their heads, which should be just touching. Add their facial features in profile perspective. You’ll probably want to make their eyes closed since they’re kissing. After adding their features, draw their necks, shoulders, and hair. Then, add color and whatever you’d like to add in the background! To learn how to draw a medium shot side view of people kissing, read on!