A book published this month by the White House Historical Association, How to Draw the Presidents, offers step-by-step instructions for, yes, how to sketch every Prez. We asked the author, illustrator John Hutton, to walk us through the finer points of Chester A. Arthur’s visage.
Hutton suggests starting with the eyes, which are about halfway between the center and the top, then working your way down.
Now for the fuzz. Arthur’s chin is just a flat W, but the sideburns—which Hutton calls “amazing things”—need more care.
Arthur’s clothes perhaps require actual art skills. But fear not: If things get too hard, Hutton says just to trace.
This article appears in the September 2019 issue of Washingtonian.
Lilah is an summer editorial fellow at Washingtonian. She is originally from New York City and graduated from Georgetown University in 2018.
