How to Draw a Face
FRONT VIEW
S
Leonardo Da Vinci
S Leonardo once wrote,
“Know the
proportions in human
beings and other
animals and learn the
forms of all things on
the earth. The more
you know, the better
you will paint.”
Leo’s Notebook
S Leonardo was constantly taking
notes about the world around
him. He filled many notebooks
with sketches of animals,
people, and nature.
S He took many measurements
and was always trying to find a
perfect balance so that his art
had proportion.
Another Drawing from Leo’s
Notebook:
What is Proportion?
S Simply…
S Proportion means that you make the parts fit
well with each other.
S More Specifically…
S Proportion in art is the relationship between two or
more elements.
S When we talk about proportion in art works we are
using comparing the size of one object in the artwork
to the size of another related object in the artwork.
You can also compare:
S
S
S
Good Proportion
height, width and depth of the objects
size of one area to the size of another area
amount of space between two or more elements
S Proportion is usually not even noticed until something
is out of proportion. For example, if a person has a
head larger than their entire body, then we would say
that they were out of proportion.
Out of Proportion
Other works with excellent
Proportion:
The Self-Portrait:
S Here’s a drawing
Leonardo drew of
himself as an old man.
S A picture that an artist
makes of him/herself is
called a self-portrait.
Face Mapping
S Face Mapping is a technique used to set up
the proportion of the features on a face.
S By drawing lines that act as
guides, you can figure out
where parts go and how large
they should be.
S This will help make your face
look more realistic.
S With some practice, maybe
you’ll be the next Leonardo
da Vinci!
Let’s Begin…
Draw an Oval in the center of your paper
Using a ruler, split the oval in
half horizontally and vertically
Make sure
to draw
lightly.
These lines
will get
erased.
These are called
lines of
symmetry
because your face
is symmetrical.
This means that
the features on
your right are the
same as your
features on the
left. The top and
bottom are a
different story.
Draw a line between the midline
and the top of the oval.
Draw a line
between the
midline and
bottom of
the oval
Draw a line between the bottom
line and the chin
Each of these lines
represents where
something on your
face will be drawn.
Watch carefully as
each section is
revealed.
Hair Line
Middle of the eyes
Bottom of the nose
Bottom of the bottom lip
Drawing your
Self-Portrait:
•Eyes
•What shape are eyes?
Drawing your
Self-Portrait:
•Parts of the eye
Pupil = Black part of your eye,
located in the center of your
iris, allows light into your eye
so you can see
Tear Duct =
Little pink bump
where your
tears come out
Eyeball = White part of your eye
Iris = Colored part of your eye
DRAWING THE EYES
Did you know that
the eyes are actually
located in the center
of the head,
contrary to popular
belief ?
You could also fit
five eyes in the
width of your head.
Don’t forget to
draw your
eyebrows right
above your eyes!
Your eyebrows
are more than
thin lines. Make
sure to take the
extra time to
draw the hairs.
Which direction
do they grow?
See what I mean?
Drawing your
Self-Portrait:
•Eyes
• Looking at your eyes in a mirror
draw your iris, pupil, eyelid, and
any other lines or qualities that
make your eye unique.
• Iris
• Colored Part
• Circle
• Usually hidden on the top
or bottom by the eyelid
• Pupil
• Black
• Circle
• Center of Iris
HOW DO WE DRAW A NOSE?
Drawing the Nose
Notice the
placement of the
nose. The bottom of
the nose rests on the
third line down
Drawing the lips
•Draw your top and bottom lips
to create your mouth.
•Think of your upper lip as two
small circles side by side.
•Think of your bottom lip as one
bigger oval.
How do the lip muscles
look? Think about how
they function together
and why it is the shape
that it is.
Drawing the Mouth
Notice that the
bottom of the
bottom lip
touches the
bottom line.
Also notice
that the mouth
stretches from
the middle of
one eye to the
middle of the
other eye.
Drawing the Ears
Notice that the
ears stretch from
the middle of the
eyes to the bottom
of the nose
Drawing the Hair
Notice that the
hairline starts at
the top green line
Drawing the Neck
Notice that the
neck stretches
from ear to ear.
Some neck widths
will vary
depending on
the person
Finishing Up
Erase all of your
mapping lines.
You can now add extra
details like strands of
hair, eye lashes or any
other unique marks.
You can also use value to
make facial features
appear three dimensional
Make sure that
your chin and
jaw lines don’t
remain a perfect
oval. “Flesh out”
the chin by
looking at your
own as an
example.