The human head and face are often found to be among the hardest things for an artist to draw. They are complex, and contain many different facets that can confuse the artist. Here are some simple principles that can guide you in drawing a face properly. We'll take a closer look at them now.
Step 1: Look at the shape.
A human head comes in many shapes and sizes. The first thing you want to do when drawing a head is to identify what shape the head is. To do this, look at the jaw line and hairline. What do they suggest?
For example, Mel Gibson's head could be described as a square shape, whereas Angelina Jolie's head could be described as a rounded triangle.
Step 2: Make the proportions right.
The face itself contains specific proportions that are found on every human's head. Sometimes they vary slightly, but they are always close to being the same. (You'll notice that the proportions of a baby's head are quite different from those of an adult, by the way.)
Take a look at the example drawing:
- Eyes: The eyes are always halfway down, between the top of the head and the bottom of the chin. They are also an eye-length apart. This means that, however long you decide to make the eyes, there will be that much space between the eyes as well.
- Nose: The rest of the face underneath the eyes is divided into thirds. At the one-third line will be the bottom of the nose.
- Mouth: The next third, or two-thirds of the way from the eyes to the chin, should be the mouth. The mouth's edges should be in line with the middle of each eye. To check this, put your pencil on the middle of one of the eyes. If the lower part of the pencil touches the outer corner of the mouth, it is aligned correctly.
Now that you know the basics, the individual uniqueness of a person's face should jump out at you. You should notice more easily if someone's eyes are unusually far apart, or if their nose is a little longer than normal. This will help you to draw more realistic portraits.
