How To Draw A Face From Reference

The hardest function of nailing down a face is using the right proportions. In one case you get that function, drawing faces will exist easy peasy!

For me, the hardest part was ever drawing the optics in the right size and right place. We look at drawings or photos and it looks and so easy, merely then, when it's our turn, everything is 10x harder.

Like in everything, it all comes down to practice. Offset with shapes, learn the proportions.

Practice this a few times and, yous'll see that, presently, drawing just the head volition be as easy as tying your own shoes!

Of course, I'm going to help you lot out and give yous a step-by-stride procedure on how to draw a face. From Bones Shapes and each feature of the confront, similar the eyes, nose, mouth, etc. Calculation details, young and old faces and even drawing the face in unlike views!

Buckle upward and get your sketchbook ready. We're doing this!

What You lot Need To Know Almost Drawing Faces

Information technology's all virtually the shapes. Everything in a drawing is virtually shapes.

You look at a confront as its whole. But I'll look at information technology and I'll try to figure out into what shapes can I put it down, so I tin can hands describe it.

Circles, squares, rectangles and guidelines, a puzzle for me to figure out.

Like I said, we're going through a step past step guide for each characteristic of the confront.

I'one thousand going to show you the process I employ when learning to depict new things and hopefully, it will be well-nigh useful to you!

Yous tin can do this with any medium you'd prefer.

Either with a sketchbook along with some pencils or fifty-fifty pens or grab your drawing tablet and pc. Annihilation will work, y'all just demand to come along with your motivation and start.

Basic Face Proportions

By and large speaking, nosotros're dividing the face into iii equal parts.

Subsequently cartoon our main shapes of the caput, nosotros need to be sure that everything will be in the right places.

For this, at that place are iii principal spaces you might want to add:

• 1 goes from the hairline to our brow
• some other from the brow to the nose
• and finally, nose to chin

This might sound confusing, merely here's an example:

Now, all we are missing is where our eyes, ears, and oral fissure will be.

But nosotros'll get there in a second, so follow me and we'll build up our head and face up, one step at a time!

Complete Step past Step Guide on Drawing Faces

If you'd like to see all of this and much more on Figure Drawing in video format, check out my premium class on Gumroad!

Either manner, before we begin:

Do your hand stretches, organize your workspace, bring some h2o and snacks if you wish to. The form will begin shortly!

Draw The Basic Shapes

Alright, let's kickoff very elementary.

On your page, depict a circumvolve. If you notice it hard to draw a perfect circumvolve, here'southward a tip: draw a horizontal and vertical line, perpendicular to each other, crossing at the center.

If y'all prefer, use a ruler. Just I'd say to do this without it. Your lines don't need to be 100% perfect and as y'all practice, yous'll meet that they'll become better with time.

Now that yous have your lines, draw the circumvolve around them.

Alternatively, you can only practice a few circles on your page until you get the hang of it. Offset with smaller circles and increase their size as you go.

Now the adjacent footstep is to draw a square within our circle.

This might audio weird, but this foursquare will determine the width of our face.

We're doing a pretty default face at the moment, but after on, nosotros'll talk about how you can use your shapes, to draw unlike faces!

Alright, half of our caput is done, now nosotros demand to find our chin.

Draw a vertical line, following the i you lot did for the circle, going down, with the aforementioned distance as the upper half of the face.

Where the line ends, that's where our mentum will exist!

Now, all nosotros need is to connect the points and we have our head washed. Next all we need to add is our guidelines for all the features.

Pretty simple right?

Now you only demand to practice this shapes and, gradually, y'all'll commencement losing some guidelines, because you lot don't need them anymore. Intuitively you'll already know where everything is!

Draw The Optics and Eyebrows

It'due south time to start adding features to our face.

Let's start from top to bottom.

Our quest at present is to find where our eyes and eyebrows will be. Let's take a wait at what we take so far.

Now, for the eyebrows, our line is already there. Our brow line is where we'll depict the eyebrows.

For the eyes, there isn't much for united states of america to do hither either.

Go a bit below the eyebrows and make a new line, this is where the eyes volition be.

The Eyes

To assistance you lot on their location, we tin add some guidelines here as well.

Think that square we drew at the beginning? Let'due south separate each half of the square in two.

Two vertical lines, going down. These lines decide the center of each centre.

At present, all we need to exercise is to add our eye shapes in their places.

Either an oval and almond shape will work. Run across what works best for you.

Our next pace is to make full upwards our eyes.

Add the pupil and iris, the upper eyelid and some eyelashes if y'all wish!

You can practice these as stylized as you want or keep information technology very uncomplicated.

More cartoonish or more realistic. Try out different things and experiment!

While you're learning and improving your faces, yous're also developing your own style and discovering what and how you like to draw!

The Eyebrows

The eyebrows can exist very uncomplicated or full of detail.

It all comes down to your gustatory modality and style. I tend to draw my eyebrows with a single line. But, if yous prefer, you can draw them, hair past hair.

Then, of grade, you can go with several styles, from very tiny to very thick and bushy eyebrows.

As their identify, we draw them correct above the eyes, the line resting at that place is our guideline.

They can go a bit farther than the eyes, only the starting point is the aforementioned.

Usually, I start from inside the confront, I feel that it's easier to become from there.

Nosotros depict an biconvex line, turn it around and we close our shape where we began. Remember that the eyebrows are thicker on the inside and become thinner on the ends of it.

Lovely, the face up is starting to look great!

Draw The Olfactory organ

Adjacent in the list is the nose.

We already know where it ends, our 2d guideline, after the brow. But where does information technology begin?

Don't worry, we don't demand to add more lines… however! Our olfactory organ starts at the same line as our eyebrows.

Every bit for its width, it volition get every bit far every bit the starting point of our eyes. Let'southward practice some base shapes first:

Now we just need to sketch out our olfactory organ.

There's a variety of styles you tin go nigh here. I embrace, in a video, the main ones yous tin do, so if you're interested, check out my Figure Cartoon form on Gumroad!

As for the size of the olfactory organ, these are only guidelines, feel free to exaggerate your noses or eyes as you wish. Specially if you're doing a more cartoonish style!

Draw The Mouth

We're almost done!

For the mouth, we don't accept any guideline notwithstanding, so let'southward starting time with that.

Find the middle indicate between the nose line and the chin. Now draw a horizontal line.

Nosotros plant our mouth!

Now above this line, we'll have our upper lip and beneath, the bottom lip.

Again, there are several types of lips, thinner or thicker, long lips or very small. Only the default shapes are an 1000 shape for the upper lip and an curvation for the bottom.

Like this:

Again, effort out different styles and shapes.

Experimenting is e'er the best office of drawing, and then have fun with it!

Describe The Ears

We've reached the concluding step of drawing the confront.

All nosotros are missing now is the ears!

I admit, cartoon ears in a front view isn't the most entertaining, but it is also very simple.

Equally for their location, very easy equally well: draw an oval shape, starting in our optics line, its highest point rests on the brow line and lowest point on the olfactory organ line.

And in that location it is, 90% of our ear is down. Now we just need to add some details, mostly curves here and there:

Well done! That's a good looking face.

Adding Details And Aging

Now that you lot know how to depict a complete face, we tin can add some details!

Depending on whether yous're cartoon a younger character or older, the face will wait unlike.

An crumbling face will have some wrinkles for case!

Apart from that, there are other details you tin can add to requite more personality to your graphic symbol: moles, birth signs, freckles, scars, amongst others.

If you're cartoon male characters, there's another improver for you lot: beards!

There are dozens of styles to become for: long, short, dissimilar designs, mustache simply, beards merely or a mix of both!

Details Tin Brand or Break Your Character

Don't overdo it though!

Details are prissy, but y'all can't hands use everything in ane character. It tin exist too messy and confusing. Besides, the bespeak of adding some details is so that people will recognize your grapheme through unique details.

If you're unsure on how to go almost your characters, try out different versions. Effort out several things and come across what you lot retrieve works best with their personality.

In one case you've chosen how your character will look, draw them in unlike poses, locations, actions and test them, so you're sure that's the wait you lot want!

Drawing Old Faces

As I said earlier, if y'all desire to draw someone older, you might want to add some wrinkles and even different colored spots and signs over the face.

As we age, our skin changes. Apply photograph references if needed!

The most common wrinkles will show on the eyes and effectually the oral fissure.

But, once more, feel free to exaggerate your lines! Even in real life, people historic period differently and will look dissimilar!

Cartoon Immature Faces

For immature people, well there are several stages and at that place'south a lot to play with!

Let's say you lot want to draw a baby or a child. Usually, we get for really round shapes, the youngest, the chubbiest!

Play with those shapes every bit much equally you want.

Again, look up some reference images and depict from them.

Every bit for moles or freckles, those tend to appear a fleck later on.

The same goes for wrinkles, except, if you lot're going for a very chubby baby, and then yous can add some lines on the forehead and very round cheeks.

Children are a mix of babies and teens.

At that place's less roundness to their faces, but it's still in that location.

When drawing both babies and children, we likewise tend to draw very big eyes, about too large. It makes them expect cuter and children's eyes wait always a bit bigger than when we're older and very vibrant.

Look for this kind of details on photographs from when you were a kid, for case. Take advantage of these piddling features and exaggerate them in your drawings!

As for scars, well information technology'south something y'all can showtime adding when drawing both children and teens.

If your character is the adventurer and energetic type, and so maybe a scar or other would fit. I for certain know some people where their scar's stories begin with "When I was a kid…" and end with "And that's how I got this one!"

Teens tin can exist really fun as well.

This is when the terrible acne starts to appear! You lot can add some pimples if you think information technology fits your character.

On another note: beards! At a certain age, boys start growing facial hair, so you can start playing with this idea as well by giving them small stubbles or random tiny hairs.

Experimenting With Shapes

Alright, and then like I said earlier, we drew our face in a very default way.

Those are the proportions you want to get when drawing a realistic portrait. But if you're interested and going for a more cartoonish arroyo, you can get beyond these proportions!

Exaggerate the sizes of each feature and try out different confront shapes. Basically, the only thing that normally doesn't change is the position of each characteristic. Unless y'all're going for a Picasso approach of course!

Effort different shapes, a triangle for example!

Instead of a circle and foursquare, effort to use a triangle. Either up or upside down. See the results that yous become! A triangle volition probably give you a more caricature manner and a more elongated face.

If you really desire to play with a very long face up, try a rectangle or a very long triangle!

What virtually a pentagon? Either upright or inverted.

This one tin can give us very interesting face shapes.

You already accept your bases and now how to practise a confront.

Now it'southward fourth dimension to experiment and try out different formats.

Is your graphic symbol a very sturdy man, perhaps a boxer? Then draw a very square face.

Are you cartoon someone with a very big belly? Then draw a very round face to lucifer!

There are thousands of options and yous are free to endeavor whatsoever you similar!

If you don't like the result, effort again or go with some other shape. Yous learn with these experiences and not only you lot're learning dissimilar approaches when drawing, y'all're also improving your cartoon skills.

So, keep practicing and have fun with your characters!

Cartoon Faces At Different Angles

We've done our confront in a front view, but you might want to depict your characters in other positions. Specially if you want to make a turn around canvass of your character!

Worry not, for I will non leave you hanging!

Let'due south go through a few more tutorials on how to depict faces in unlike angles.

Side View

Our kickoff shape here will exist the same every bit before. We start with a circle!

Again, if you wish, describe two lines, crossing each other in the center and and then connect everything together. Actually, I'd say to draw your circumvolve like this, because you lot'll need them after.

They are very of import guidelines!

Alright, and so we have half of our head done. Now, from the lesser of our vertical line, we depict an oblique line, like and then:

This is our chin and jawline!

Finally, we just need to close this shape. From the edge of our circle, on the right side, draw a vertical line until it touches the line nosotros simply did.

Our main shapes are done.

At present it's time to start finding where each characteristic of the face is!

This time, nosotros're starting from the lesser. But earlier that, remember how we divided the head into three equal parts before? Allow'south do the same here!

At present that'southward done, from the point where our jawline starts, let's describe a horizontal line.

This is where our rima oris will be! At the edge of our head.

Like final time, the upper lip should be above this line and the bottom lip, below.

Usually, the upper lip besides goes a scrap frontward than the lesser lip. Merely again, information technology all depends on how y'all want your character to exist!

Next, is the olfactory organ.

We already have our line here, where the cease of the nose will sit. To aid yous, before detailing and drawing a finished olfactory organ, describe a triangle, going out of the head.

This is where your nose should become.

Before cartoon the eyes, let'south do the ears beginning.

Since we're seeing the head from but one side, we tin only see one ear. Similar earlier, the lowest part of the ear will seat on the guideline nosotros did for the nose and the highest part touches the forehead line.

This time we can also see more details of the ear.

I usually get for a very simple ear, but feel free to add all the curves that you see on your ear!

As for the eyes, we can too come across only one of them and its shape will likewise be very different than before. Its placement is the same equally earlier, the primal horizontal line on our circle!

For its shape, instead of a circle or almond shape, we draw a cone.

Now nosotros just demand to add details similar the educatee, iris, eyelashes and a bit of the upper eyelid.

Nosotros're almost done and this last part is rather simple!

Nosotros only need to add together our eyebrow.

Nosotros already have a identify for information technology and at present we just need to draw an arched line, a bit more tilted in the front and we're done!

3/iv View

This one is ordinarily the ane that most people have difficulty with. This is why I did a whole section with x videos on my effigy cartoon grade, just for cartoon a consummate head in a three/iv view!

A part of the face is hidden, simply not completely, so getting the proportions right can be hard.

Allow'southward start with our circle!

So far, we've e'er been drawing straight lines, this time we need a curved one. From the top of the circle, going all the way downward.

Now, to make things a bit easier, let'southward draw a rectangle, starting from the hairline, downward to the olfactory organ.

This way nosotros have almost a complete shape of our head, plus two of our main guidelines!

Now, we need to add our chin line, so from the nose line, go down the same distance as you take from the brow to the nose.

Finally, nosotros just need to connect the dots!

Time to fill everything upwardly!

Starting with the eyebrows, everything has a bit of a 3D feel right now, and so it'south like we take biconvex guidelines. One of the eyebrows is completely seen, while the other is cut.

The shapes are the same equally earlier though!

Let's describe the ear at present, and then we can discover the line for our eyes.

This time, we tin simply come across i ear equally well. Describe an oval shape, where its higher point touches the brow line and the everyman, the nose line. Merely like nosotros practiced before!

Now just add the details.

The ear hither is done very similarly to when we drew it on a side view.

Next is the eyes, probably the 1 people have the most bug with.

Its line goes right below the brow line, same altitude, and place as we did earlier.

Like in a forepart view, nosotros draw almond shapes for the optics.

The centre that is farthest from us is usually a bit subconscious from the nose, so take that into consideration!

At present it's time to draw the nose.

We can only see one of the nostrils, so the shape hither will be a triangle, like to the 1 we drew in a side view.

Like I mentioned before, the olfactory organ is in forepart of ane of the eyes, then be certain to describe that line on top, connecting to the eyebrow.

Finally, we draw the mouth, like to the one in the front view.

An "G" shape for the upper lip and an curvation for the bottom lip.

The only departure here is that one of the sides of your lips will appear smaller since a part of the face is turned away from u.s.a..

Looking Upwardly

Every shape is mostly the aforementioned when looking upwardly, the only difference hither is that nosotros describe more than biconvex guidelines, particularly for the eyes.

I'm going to get out here an example, then it's easier to understand!

Looking Down

Same as before, except that this time, our lines arch in the opposite direction.

Over again, permit'southward see what I mean by this with an example:

Different Expressions, Different Confront Shapes

Depending on what kind of expression you're going for, the face up will have different shapes.

For example, if y'all're drawing a surprised character, eyes growing big and a long "O" for the oral cavity, then the face will wait more elongated.

On the other manus, if you lot're drawing someone angry, where the eyes and eyebrows grow close together and a closed oral cavity, maybe showing some teeth. Then we accept the reverse upshot.

Put yourself in front end of a mirror and practice your expressions.

Take photos if you need to! Then, you'll have tons of references for you to use in your drawings. If you adopt, you tin even trace on top of your photos, so y'all can see clearly the differences in proportions and shapes, depending on the expression you're making!

Summing It Up

Uff, that was a lot of learning!

But, as you can see, the important parts you need to retain when cartoon faces are proportions and shapes.

One time yous smash those downwardly, everything else comes easily.

As always, practice a lot. In the beginning, exercise only the shapes and guidelines if needed. After a few tries, y'all'll run across that everything will come up more intuitively.

If y'all prefer to run into these steps in video format, check my form on Figure Drawing over on Gumroad. Together, we can become over drawing a face, different types of ears, mouths, noses, etc, in different views!

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Source: https://doncorgi.com/blog/how-to-draw-faces/

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