This paper proposes a novel face recognition approach using a centralized gradient pattern image and image covariance-based facial feature extraction algorithms, i.e. a two-dimensional principal component analysis and an alternative two-dimensional principal component analysis. The centralized gradient pattern image is obtained by AND operation of a modified center-symmetric local binary pattern image and a modified local directional pattern image, and it is then utilized as input image for the facial feature extraction based on image covariance. To verify the proposed face recognition method, the performance evaluation was carried out using various recognition algorithms on the Yale B, the extended Yale B and the CMU-PIE illumination databases. From the experimental results, the proposed method showed the best recognition accuracy compared to different approaches, and we confirmed that the proposed approach is robust to illumination variation.