Tutorial on How to Draw Faces
Each time you draw a new face, it will have unique features. Drawing a face is a matter of placing the features in the correct spots without awkward gaps. Doing this involves a lot of erasing, but by making precise measurements and splitting the face into halves the features will look realistic. Once you learn the basic steps and measurements of drawing a face you can draw ones that are male or female, young or old.
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Instructions
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1
Draw a circular oval for the basic head shape. It does not have to be perfect. Draw a dotted line vertically down the middle of the head (we will call this Line 1) and horizontally through the middle of the head (Line 2). Split the bottom half of the face in half with a dotted line (Line 3), and split that bottom in half again with another dotted line (Line 4). You will use these lines for feature placement.
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2
Draw the basic oval shape of the eyes lying exactly on Line 2, each about one inch away from Line 1. Curve the edges of the eyes to more of a curved point and erase the original line.
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3
Draw the eyeball inside the eye outline. Let it go outside the eye outline slightly and erase the lines that went outside the outline. Shade a small circle inside the eyeball to form the pupil.
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4
Draw light lines slightly under the eyes and smudge with your finger. This gives the face the natural bags under its eyes. Draw light lines above the eyes that attach to the corners of the eyes and smudge to form eyelids. Draw very small dark lines coming from the eyelids for eyelashes.
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5
Make up and down movements with your pencil about half an inch above where the eyes are. Start this motion wider on the inside and thinner as you move out with a slight arch. These are the eyebrows.
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6
Start drawing the nose on Line 3. Make a small U shape with half upside down U's coming off each side. Shade in the half upside down U's and smudge slightly with your finer to make nostrils. Draw the right side of the U's up the face stopping right before the eyes. Smudge this line with your fingers. This makes the nose look fuller.
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7
Draw the lips at Line 4. Draw the upper lip slightly above the line by drawing a line in a slight M shape. The corners of the lips should meet exactly on Line 4. Draw the lower lip below Line 4 wider than the upper lip. Connect at the corners and erase the dotted line. Redraw the line in between the two lips with more curve.
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8
Draw the ears on each side of the face in line with Line 2 and the eyes (unless covered by hair). Draw the ears by drawing skinny half ovals on each side with a smaller half oval inside. Shade the inside of the ears and smudge. Ears usually appear to be very shaded. Shape ears to desired look.
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9
Mark small curves near the nose on both sides facing up to enhance the cheekbones. Smudge these lines.
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10
Erase all the dotted lines you used for measurements. Add any other details you may want like shading on the sides for shadows, wrinkles, freckles, moles and hair. This is where you can really personalize you face to the person you want it to be.
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Tips & Warnings
Make very light pencil marks at first so they are easier to erase.
References
- Photo Credit face to face image by Melanie von Snarly from Fotolia.com
