How to Draw Real-Life Faces

Learning to draw a realistic face takes practice.

Drawing realistic human faces can be one of the most difficult aspects of drawing. Problems with proportion are frequent and can be hard to master. An effective way to begin drawing realistic human faces is to use a real person or a photograph as a guide. Learning to draw realistic faces takes patience and practice, but with a little of both, you will soon be able to draw faces that look true to life.

Things You'll Need

• Drawing pencils
• Eraser
• Sketch pad

Instructions

1. Sketch an outline to get the basic shape you're looking for. Determine if the face you want to draw is predominantly oval, round or square. Study the hairline. Draw these elements first using a pencil with hard lead (H or 2H). These are hard lead pencils that appear lighter on paper. You can darken the lines after you've perfected the outline.

2. Sketch the facial features. In drawing these features, starting with the nose will give you a good reference point for the eyes, which you'll sketch next. Don't worry about details yet. Right now you want composition. Draw the mouth last, keeping your pencil strokes light as you work out the shape.

3. Add details with a softer pencil. A 3B or 4B will be acceptable. Sketch a few lines around the corners of the eyes, then use your finger or the corner of an eraser to smudge the pencil for a shadowing effect. Color the pupil, then remove some of the coloring at the center of the pupil with your eraser to create a light effect.

4. Color lightly around the lower outer edge of the nose and smudge with your finger to help give the nose dimension. The shadow you create will bring the nose away from the paper, helping you achieve a more real-life look.

5. Sketch the eyebrows over your subject's eyes. Don't make the sketch lines perfectly straight unless that is your intent. In real life, many people have eyebrows that are uneven or have wild hairs. Sketching these imperfections in can help add realism to your drawing. Sketch hair or a moustache on your subject the same way.

6. Highlight cheekbones or give the forehead wrinkle lines to help enhance the realistic appearance of your drawing. Light shading over these areas with a random smudge with your finger or eraser can add definition to your subject's features.

References

• How to Draw and Paint: Realistic Faces