Learn the Basics of Drawing Human Faces and Bodies

Understanding Basic Head Structure and Proportions

Learning to draw human faces begins with understanding the underlying structure. The human head is not a simple circle—it has a specific shape and proportions that artists use as a foundation. When you study anatomy, you'll discover that the adult human head can be divided into several equal parts that help with placement of features.

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The head is roughly oval-shaped, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom where the jaw sits. Many artists divide the face into thirds vertically: the forehead takes up approximately one-third, the distance from eyebrow to nose is another third, and the distance from nose to chin is the final third. This measurement system, called the rule of thirds, helps ensure facial features appear balanced and natural.

When viewed from the front, the eyes sit roughly halfway down the head—not higher up as many beginners assume. The distance between the two eyes equals approximately the width of one eye. This means if you draw an eye of normal width, you can fit another eye-width of space between them, and then another eye-width from the outer corner of that eye to the edge of the head.

The nose connects the eyes to the mouth, sitting in the middle of the lower face. The mouth is positioned approximately one-third of the way from the nose to the chin. The ears, when viewed from the side, typically extend from the level of the eyebrows to the bottom of the nose. These proportions apply to most adult faces, though individual variation always exists.

Understanding bone structure beneath the skin helps tremendously. The skull has distinct landmarks: cheekbones create definition, the jaw has shape and angle, and the temporal bones affect how the sides of the head appear. When you practice sketching these basic proportions repeatedly, your eye becomes trained to recognize them in real faces and reference photos.

Practical Takeaway: Draw 10 simple oval head shapes. On each one, lightly mark the vertical centerline and horizontal guideline at the halfway point. Practice dividing the lower half into thirds. This basic framework becomes your reference for all future face drawings.

Studying and Positioning the Eyes

The eyes are often called the most expressive feature of the face, and they deserve focused study. Human eyes are not simple circles—they are complex spheres sitting within sockets, covered by eyelids. Understanding this three-dimensional quality changes how you draw them.

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Each eye consists of several parts: the eyeball itself (a sphere), the upper eyelid, the lower eyelid, the iris (the colored part), the pupil (the dark center), and the sclera (the white part). When drawing, remember that the eyelids wrap around the sphere of the eye. The upper eyelid typically covers a portion of the iris, while the lower eyelid usually sits at or just below the iris's edge. This creates the characteristic almond shape we recognize in realistic eye drawings.

The iris and pupil deserve attention because they convey emotion and direction of gaze. The iris is a circle, but it appears elliptical when viewed at an angle—a crucial detail for drawing heads turned at different angles. The pupil sits in the center of the iris and should be perfectly dark in most lighting situations. A small white highlight or "catchlight" on the pupil, showing light reflection, makes eyes appear alive and dimensional.

Eyes are not identical on a single face. Subtle differences exist: one might sit slightly higher, one might be slightly larger, or they might have slightly different shapes. These asymmetries make faces appear more natural and human. When beginning, many artists create perfectly symmetrical eyes that actually look artificial.

The space around the eyes matters greatly. Upper eyelashes extend outward and upward from the upper lid. Lower lashes are typically shorter and less prominent. Eyebrows sit above the eye and follow the natural bone structure of the brow ridge. The skin around the eye area is thinner and more delicate, which affects how light and shadow appear. The tear duct in the inner corner and the slight roundness of the outer corner add dimension.

Eye color appears as the iris—the ring of colored tissue surrounding the pupil. Even when drawing in black and white, you show the iris as a distinct circle with slightly darker edges, distinguishing it from the surrounding white sclera. Different people have iris colors ranging from pale blue to very dark brown, and these colors affect the overall appearance of the face.

Practical Takeaway: Draw a series of 15 eyes from different angles: straight-on, looking left, looking right, looking up, and looking down. Include the iris, pupil, and catchlight in each. Compare your drawings to reference photos to check whether the eyelids properly wrap around the eye sphere.

Drawing the Nose, Mouth, and Other Facial Features

The nose presents a common challenge for beginners because it appears different from various angles and has less consistent structure than other features. Rather than a prominent shape, the nose is primarily defined by its planes—the angled surfaces created by bone and cartilage—and the shadows between these planes.

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The nasal bridge is the upper portion, running from between the eyebrows down to the tip. This area is mostly bone and creates a clear plane on each side. The nostrils are openings at the base, connected by the septum (the structure between them). The nose tip (or bulbous part) sits where the bridge ends. When drawing a nose from the front, focus on the triangular shadow beneath it and the small shadows beside the nostrils rather than trying to outline the entire nose shape.

The mouth involves the upper lip, lower lip, and the line where they meet. The upper lip is typically thinner and faces slightly upward, while the lower lip is fuller and faces downward. The line between the lips, called the mouth line or oral commissure, is a crucial feature—it's rarely a straight horizontal line but usually angles slightly. The corners of the mouth sit beneath the pupils of the eyes in most faces.

Lips have dimension and structure. The upper lip has a center peak called the philtrum (though this is subtle in some faces) and two smaller peaks at the sides. The lower lip is usually rounder and fuller. The mouth line itself can be sharp and defined or soft and subtle depending on the person and lighting. Shadows beneath the lower lip create the appearance of the chin receding behind it. Showing lips in a realistic way requires understanding that they are not flat—they have depth, curves, and dimension.

The ears sit on the sides of the head and vary tremendously between individuals. Each ear has an outer rim (helix), an inner curved area (concha), and a lobe at the bottom. The tragus is the small cartilage flap in front of the ear opening. Ears are complex enough to deserve their own study, but for basic face drawing, understanding that ears align with the eyebrows at the top and the nose base at the bottom provides good placement guidance.

The chin is the area below the mouth and above the neck. Its shape varies widely—some chins are pointed, others rounded, and others square. The chin is defined largely through shadow and the line of the jaw. Cheekbones are visible through the effect of light and shadow on the facial planes rather than being drawn as obvious lines. Highlighting the raised planes of the cheeks and shadowing the hollows beneath them creates dimension and structure.

Practical Takeaway: Create a reference sheet showing noses, mouths, and chins from various angles using reference photos. Include front views, three-quarter views, and side profiles. Note how features appear differently depending on angle and lighting. Practice drawing each feature in isolation 5-10 times before combining them into complete faces.

Mastering Head Angles and Perspective

Faces appear dramatically different depending on the viewing angle. A head viewed straight-on looks very different from the same head viewed from the side (profile) or turned at a three-quarter angle. Understanding perspective and how facial features appear at different angles is essential for creating varied and interesting portraits.

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The front view (facing directly forward) shows both eyes equally, the nose centered, and symmetrical facial structure. This is often the easiest view for beginners because facial proportions appear straightforward. The three-quarter view—where the head is turned approximately 45 degrees—shows three-quarters of the face from one side and one-quarter from the other. In this view, one eye is closer to the viewer and appears larger, the other is farther away and appears smaller. The nose is shifted to one side. This angle