Choosing Your Image

Size 

The size of your original image should be large enough to see small details.  A minimum size should be three inches by five inches.  This will assure the quality of your drawing.

Position

When drawing a face for the first time, it is important to find a face that is looking forward; straight at the camera.  This will make drawing more simplified.

Other Concerns

If the person in the photograph is smiling, or has ears showing, the artist will need additional skills to draw this properly.  This can be viewed as a challenge, yet very rewarding when the task has been accomplished.

How to Start

Shapes

On a vertical 81/2" x 11" paper, draw a large oval shape.  This will allow the artist to plan and position the face on the paper.

Lines

Draw a horizontal Line through the center of the oval.  This will be the location of the eyes.

Measuring

Measure the length of the horizontal line, from edge to edge.  Then divide that space into five equal spaces.  The second and fourth section will be where the eyes will be drawn.  The middle section is the bridge of the nose, and the outer sections will be the location of the temples of the face.

What to Know

Eyes  

Look closely at your reference to notice the directions and shape of the lines.  The top lid will slop down on both sides, make sure the slop is the same in your drawing as it is in the photograph.

The width of the eye can be used to measure the length of the nose, the spacing of the mouth and chin.

Eyes are wet and glossy; make sure to leave a white spot on the pupil to make the eye look glossy.  

The pupil is the black portion of the eye, which is really not black but instead a window for your brain receptors.  This is why when a person in a dark setting (pupils large) has a picture taken with a flash, will have red eye in the picture.  The red is the back wall of the eye.  The iris is the color area of the eye.

Nose and Ears

The nose and ears are made of cartilage.  This cartilage continues to grow throughout a persons life, so adjustments need to be made when drawing babies and the elderly.  The average nose is one and a half eyes long.  The average ear length is usually the length located between the eyes and the mouth.

Mouth

If the mouth is closed, the bottom lip is usually located one eye down from the tip of the nose.  The width of the mouth usually is as wide as the space located between the two pupils.  

Chin

Some chins are flat across the bottom, and some are curved, so look closely at your photograph to find the correct shape.  From the bottom lip to the chin is usually one eye length.  

Contour

The best way to draw the edges outlining the face, would be to plot points where the line changes direction.  An important point to remember is that the skin is stretched tight over the bones and muscles of the face.  This means you should be thinking about the cheek and jaw bone shapes. 

Final Touches

Skin

When shading the skin, look for the bones and muscle structures.  Where the bones stick out, the light will make the skin the  white of the paper.  Where the skin sinks in shade dark with a pencil.  Since skin is a continuous membrane, there should not be any sharp lines.  All dark areas should be blended gradually into the light areas.

Hair

It is important to remove outlines around the hairline to avoid the appearance of a wig.  When drawing hair, it is important to remember that hair is thicker at the root, and thins out  at the ends.  Make sure to put more pressure on the pencil when starting to draw the root, then lift up pressure to make the line thinner.  Also make sure the direction of the lines follows the photograph.  Normally, the hair on the top of the head will grow up, then curve down to lay against the skull.  Some hair styles may change the appearance. 

Eye Brows and  Lashes

The same technique used to make hair can be used to make eye brows and lashes.  The only difference is shorter strokes.  The direction of the lines changes as the brows and lashes are being drawn

 The eye brow hairs are drawn vertically near the bridge of the nose. Next the hairs begin to fall toward the outer edges of the face until they reach the end of the socket.  Then the hairs are drawn in a downward position.

The eye lashes are most prominent at the outer edge of the eye.  In the very corner of the eye the line will begin then add a little upward curve.  Two to four hair lines are plenty.  As the hair lines are added each one should be a little straighter than the line before it.

Neck 

The neck lines will always overlap the shoulder lines.  A female neck will usually be thinner than a males neck. The neck length will determine the age of a child.  The longer the neck the older the child.

Shoulders

The width of the shoulders is equivalent to the length of two heads.  The shoulders should be drawn on an downward angle, not straight across.

Shirt

To give the illusion that the shirt is three dimensional, a small curve is placed next to the neck line. 

For Continued Learning

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