How to Draw Faces: An Amateur's Guide to Proportions
How to Draw Faces: An Amateur's Guide to Proportions
It might look daunting for a beginner who is just trying to learn, but the proportions of the human face can all be the difference. Here in this guide, we break down the essential points of a face and give out tips to make you create more accurate, appealing portraits.
1. Understanding Face Structure
Basic Structure Before you draw in the face, let's get a feel for its basic structure. A standard adult face can be divided up into three major sections. Top Section (Hairline to Eyebrows): This is the point at which the hairline cuts off above the eyebrows, which is usually about one-third of the total height of the face in width. Middle Section (Eyebrows to Nose): The distance from the eyebrows to the bottom of the nose is roughly another third of the height of the face.
Bottom Segment: Bottom Section from Nose to Chin: The last portion is from the bottom of nose to chin.
These measurements could vary a little bit from person to person, but these are good references to work with.
.
2. Basic Rules
Start by lightly drawing a vertical line down the middle of your page. It will serve as a guide to keep your features symmetrical. Then draw a horizontal line for the hairline, and two more lines marking the locations of your eyebrows and nose.
3. Placing Facial Features
You can begin placing facial features with your guidelines.
Eyes: Eyes lie approximately in the middle of the head. The distance between the eyes is approximately equal to the size of one eye. This place tends to be balanced.
Nose: The nose tip should line approximately a third of the way from the eyebrows and the chin. The width of the nose can be aligned by the inner corners of the eyes.
Mouth: The mouth usually lies about one-third the distance from the nose to the chin. The mouths' corners often are vertically aligned with the pupils of the eyes.
4. Sharpening Features
Once you have the basic outlines of the face and features, it's time to refine them. You can add some details such as eyelashes and eyebrows with shading so it will have depth and dimension. Focus on the characteristics of the person you're drawing. Will the jawline be longer, more pointy, or less defined compared to others? Or will the curve of the lips?
5. Practice Makes Perfect
Draw faces only takes practice; thus, the first several will not be as you envisioned. Just keep learning different faces whether in photos or in living color and just keep recognizing the differences in these ratios and attributes. Practice a variety of angles and expressions to further hone your craft.
Conclusion
Proportion, therefore, is a very important operation that every would-be artist must learn to perform. But then, if these rules are followed carefully and systematically, it won't be long before you find that you can make pretty fair likenesses-a true likeness. And don't forget, after all, art has much to do with expression and growth, so enjoy all the process of the perfecting of your skill!
How to Draw Faces: An Amateur's Guide to Proportions
