Drawing the human head is one of those art projects that many people seem to find particularly scary. Part of the reason perhaps is our innate sense that our eyes are at the top of the head. When we try to draw the head that way, we realize how misguided we are, and we often give up. There is a way to make it work. Follow along.
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Difficulty:
Moderate
Instructions
1
Take a pencil with which you feel comfortable and practice drawing very loose, very light circles and ovals on several sheets of scrap paper. Get comfortable with the idea of not putting down any hard and dark lines on the paper. Fill the paper with these shapes until you feel ready to tackle the next step.
2
Use a good sheet of paper for your new drawing. Draw an oval, narrow end down, with very light strokes. You should barely be able to see the lines you draw at this point. This is the basic generic shape of a human head.
3
Keep in mind the following proportions in order to get an accurate representation of a human head: the eyes are in the vertical center of the head; the bottom of the nose falls on a line roughly one-third the distance from the eyes to the chin; the opening of the mouth falls roughly on a line two-thirds the distance from the eyes to the chin; the ears fall roughly on the eye and nose lines. Draw guidelines very lightly to place these parts of the face.
4
Divide the eye line into five equal parts from one side of the face to the other. Place the eyes--almond-shaped ovals--into the second and fourth spaces. Draw a large circle in the center of each for the iris, and place a smaller circle in the center, for the pupil. Leave a small, identical area of white in each pupil to show natural highlights and avoid giving the eyes a dead look.
5
Add eyebrows and hair as you like. Don't let the ends of the mouth extend beyond the pupils on either side of the face. Don't let the nostrils extend beyond the inside corners of the eyes. Erase all guidelines and add individual features as needed.
Tips & Warnings
Once you've mastered these basic proportions, venture out to find people who will let you draw them for practice. See how these proportions work in general and how they must be slightly modified from person to person. Don't be afraid to practice and make all the mistakes you can. The more you practice, the better you become.
Learning proportionate anatomy is paramount to drawing an accurate portrayal of the human figure. According to the DeviantArt website, proportions do vary...
