Learning Objectives:
• To learn how faces are usually proportioned
• To improve your ability to identify distances, angles and shapes when drawing
• To make appropriate changes to improve your work as it develops
• To improve your ability to identify distances, angles and shapes when drawing
• To make appropriate changes to improve your work as it develops
Your task:
Practice drawing an accurately proportioned face (outlines only). You may draw anyone you like, real or imaginary, so long as you follow the rules/guidelines set out below.
Stretch & Challenge: Have a go at drawing a head from a different angle, following the diagram below.
What you will need:
Sketching paper (or your sketchbook), a soft pencil (preferably 2B or 4B), an eraser, a blending stump (or cotton bud), and a pencil sharpener.
Mr Lax's demo:
Try to keep your guidelines lighter than these so that you can erase them easily...
The rules:
Initial head shape:
• Start by drawing a simple oval that is taller than it is wide. You will alter it later on (see below).
The eyes:
• The eyes lie halfway between the top of the head and the bottom of the chin (assuming the person is bald, so ignoring hair that sticks above the top of the scalp)
• The distance between the left and right eye is approximately the same as the width of one eye
The nose:
• The bottom of the nose lies halfway between the middle of the eyes and the bottom of the chin
• The width of the nose is approximately the same as the distance between the eyes
The mouth:
• The bottom of the mouth lies halfway between the bottom of the nose and the bottom of the chin
• The width of the mouth is approximately the same as the distance between the middle of one eye and the middle of the other eye. However, this changes depending on the person's facial expression
The cheeks and jaw:
• Everyone's face is a different shape, but generally it is a bit more pointed at the chin and around the cheeks
• Look closely at the person you are drawing to see how their face shape differs from the basic oval you will have started with
• Check the distance between the eyes and the ears to make sure it is not too wide or too narrow
The ears:
• The top of the ears lie level with the top of the eyes
• The bottom of the ears lie level with the bottom of the nose
• Both of these rules change when the person looks up (the ears move down) or down (the ears move up)
The hair:
• The hairline changes position depending on the person, as does the top of the hair
• After you have drawn the outlines, the top of the scalp will no longer be visibel, so you can erase part of your original head outline
• Start by drawing a simple oval that is taller than it is wide. You will alter it later on (see below).
The eyes:
• The eyes lie halfway between the top of the head and the bottom of the chin (assuming the person is bald, so ignoring hair that sticks above the top of the scalp)
• The distance between the left and right eye is approximately the same as the width of one eye
The nose:
• The bottom of the nose lies halfway between the middle of the eyes and the bottom of the chin
• The width of the nose is approximately the same as the distance between the eyes
The mouth:
• The bottom of the mouth lies halfway between the bottom of the nose and the bottom of the chin
• The width of the mouth is approximately the same as the distance between the middle of one eye and the middle of the other eye. However, this changes depending on the person's facial expression
The cheeks and jaw:
• Everyone's face is a different shape, but generally it is a bit more pointed at the chin and around the cheeks
• Look closely at the person you are drawing to see how their face shape differs from the basic oval you will have started with
• Check the distance between the eyes and the ears to make sure it is not too wide or too narrow
The ears:
• The top of the ears lie level with the top of the eyes
• The bottom of the ears lie level with the bottom of the nose
• Both of these rules change when the person looks up (the ears move down) or down (the ears move up)
The hair:
• The hairline changes position depending on the person, as does the top of the hair
• After you have drawn the outlines, the top of the scalp will no longer be visibel, so you can erase part of your original head outline
Advanced Proportions:
When you look at a face straight-on, rules above apply (most of the time). However, as soon as the person you are looking at tilts their head up, down or from side-to-side, the vertical and horizontal guidelines we draw begin to curve and move. In addition, the facial features change shape. For example, drawing a nose from the front is very different to drawing it from the side.
