Beginner Guide to Drawing Faces
Basic Head Construction
Start with a Sphere
To draw a realistic head, you first need to stop thinking of it as a flat shape. A head is a three-dimensional object, and the best way to start capturing that is to draw a sphere, not a circle. Think of it as the main part of the skull, the cranium, which holds the brain.
Don't worry about making it perfect. Just sketch a light, loose sphere. This sphere is the foundation of the entire head.
Slice the Sides
Now for the key step that makes this method work. The sides of a human head aren't perfectly round. They're flatter, where your temples are. To represent this, we're going to slice a piece off each side of our sphere.
Imagine your sphere is an apple. Take a knife and slice a small, flat section off the left and right sides. In your drawing, you can do this by drawing a slightly flattened oval on each side of the sphere. This creates the side planes of the head.
These side planes are crucial. They give the head structure and provide a landmark for attaching the jaw and ears later.
Establish Your Guidelines
With the basic form established, we need to add guidelines to help us place the facial features correctly. Think of these as a map wrapped around the 3D shape of the head.
First, draw a line that wraps around the very centre of the sphere, like the equator on a globe. This is the brow line, and it's where the eyebrows will sit.
Next, draw a line from the top of the head to the bottom, splitting the face in half. This is the centre line. It must follow the curve of the sphere. This line ensures that the features on both sides of the face are symmetrical.
Finally, we need to mark the hairline. From the brow line, go about one-third of the way to the top of the sphere and draw another curved line. This is a general guide, as hairlines vary from person to person.
Sketch the Jaw
The cranium is done, but we're missing the jaw. The jaw is a separate form that attaches to our sphere.
Start your line where the brow line meets the side plane. Draw a line downwards, following the edge of the side plane. Then, curve it forward and around to meet the centre line. This point is the bottom of the chin. Do the same on the other side to complete the basic shape of the jaw and chin.
Keep your lines light and loose. You are building a framework, not carving stone. This structure gives you a solid, three-dimensional foundation for placing the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Start by breaking down the process into basic steps like understanding fundamental shapes, practicing anatomy with simple figures, and experimenting with different expressions and poses.
Now you have a solid foundation. Let's test what you've learned.
What is the first and most fundamental shape you should draw when starting a realistic head, to ensure you think of it in three dimensions?
Why do you need to 'slice a piece off' each side of the initial sphere?
Practice this construction method until it feels comfortable. In the next section, we'll use this framework to place the facial features.