How to Draw a Face at Different Angles

Once you learn how to draw a realistic face, you will next want to learn to draw a face a different angles. After all, people don’t walk around only showing you the front of their faces do they? To draw a face at different angles you need to alter the way basic reference that you use to draw a realistic face.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• pencil
• paper

1. 

   Draw an oval as if you are drawing a regular face. Then divide the oval into four quadrants by drawing a horizontal and a vertical line. These would be your guide lines if you were going to draw a face in the straight forward position. Draw these lines lightly

2. 

   Draw curved guide lines in order to change the direction of the face. In the photo you will notice a line that is curved upwards, with the same starting points as the straight line. Placing the face features according to this curved line will cause the face to also point upwards. Likewise, there is a curved line going to one side, this will cause the face to tilt in this direction.

3. 

   Draw your eyes on either side of the curved center line. Draw a chin line from the bottom of the oval, upward following the curve of the center eye line. Then draw guidelines for the nose making a line that is curved to the same degree as center line to make the nose. The nose is halfway between the eye and the chin line.

4. 

   Locate the ears on the head. With the head turned from to one side or the other, one ear will completely disappear and the second ear will be located within the oval. Determine how much the curved line is from the original straight line and use that same distance to draw the ear within the oval

5. 

   Add the lips on the line halfway between the nose and chin line. Line lines extend from the outside of one eye to the outside of the other. Remember, the far corner of the mouth will disappear when you draw the face at an angle.

6. 

   Draw the hair. The hairline is normally half way between the eyes and the top of the head. Remember to curve this line to the same degree that you curved the original guidelines.

7. 

   Note: Curving the lines in different directions will turn the face. If you draw a curved vertical line, you can turn the face to the left or right. If you draw a curved horizontal line, you can turn the face up or down. You can curve both lines, or just one depending on where you want to face to point.

Tips & Warnings

• If the head is lifted, you will have to draw the underside of the chin. If the head is lowered, you will be drawing he top of the head and hair.

• Curving the lines in different directions will turn the face. If you draw a curved vertical line, you can turn the face to the left or right. If you draw a curved horizontal line, you can turn the face up or down. You can curve both lines, or just one depending on where you want to face to point.

Resources

• How to draw a Realistic Face