How to Draw & Paint the Head
As anyone who has ever attempted to draw a person can attest, drawing a human head is not easy. But, with the proper technique, almost anyone can sketch out a rendering of a human head without much difficulty. Most human heads are very similar, and if you know where to put things and how big to make them, you should have little trouble turning out a close approximation of the human head.
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Instructions
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The Shape of the Head
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The human head is shaped like an oval but slightly more pointed at the bottom than a true oval, due to the jut of the jaw and the point of the chin. When you initially draw your oval, keep the lines of your pencil light, and rather than erasing if wrong, just draw lightly over to reshape the image.
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Once you are happy with the overall shape of the head, it's time to place the eyes, nose and mouth on the head. Draw a faint line through the middle of the head. You'll eventually erase this bisection -- it's just a guide. Slightly above that line, draw one line. Then, slightly below that line, draw another line.
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Erase your guide line. You're left with two fine lines. The top line is where you'll place the eyes. The bottom is the placement of the tip of the nose. Now, draw one more short line, halfway between the chin and the nose line. This is where you'll place the lips.
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Draw almond-shaped ovals in for eyes. The nose may start between the eyes, following the bridge that arises out of the center of the eye sockets. Draw a nice curve from there to end in a point at the end of the nose.
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After this, it's time to draw the lips. The lips will be placed directly on top of the line you drew for their placement. The top of the lips usually look like an elongated letter M. The bottom is usually fuller, with the widest part at the bottom middle section.
Detailing Your Drawing
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The almond eyes you drew earlier will need additional details. Draw in the iris and pupil. Don't forget to etch in the eyelid, and smudge a bit of color across the top to shadow in eyelashes. The eyebrows should be added here as well, mirroring the top line of the eyes.
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Shade one side of the nose, noting a shadow based on where the light is, and isn't, hitting the face. Similarly, shade a bit below the nose to accentuate the dimple most people have there. If drawing very full lips, you might consider lightly shading the bottom middle of the lips, the fullest part.
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Add any freckles or moles, and draw in a simple sketch of the subject's hair. Lightly sketch in the overall hair shape, and fill in a bit with light, short strokes. From the chin, draw the curve of the neck, and shade it. Add ears, if you'd like them to show. Don't attempt to draw every detail of the ears -- it will distract from the face.
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Tips & Warnings
Use light, short strokes to sketch the face. This hides mistakes and softens the images.
Use a picture of your subject to start. It's usually easier to draw a 2-D image.
Study the masters to improve your technique. Buy a book of sketches by your favorite artist and emulate their work.
Study anatomy. Knowing where the muscles of the face are, and how they lay over the bones, will help you tremendously.
Your first attempt will likely be clumsy and unattractive. Don't give up. As with most skills, practice will improve results.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
