How to Draw a Face

Faces are the basic part of the human anatomy, and can display a wide variety of emotions. In a portrait or artwork of people, faces would be the main focal point, so each stroke has a significant effect on what mood is portrayed. Drawing a face correctly is a huge step towards becoming a great artist. In this article, you will see the technique for drawing particular face-shapes.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Adult Female Face

1
Make a light outline of a face. Heads are never circular, they are oval shaped, like an egg. So sketch an oval outline that tapers down at the bottom.^{[1]
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2
Add dividing lines. The easiest way to start is to use dividing lines to map out the proportions of the face. Firstly, draw a line down the center of the oval. Then cut the oval in half again, this time horizontally.^{[2]
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3
Add the nose. Divide the lower half again with another horizontal line. The point at which this crosses the vertical line is where you should begin to draw the base of the nose. Sketch out the base of the nose and a nostril either side.^{[3]
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4
Add the mouth. Divide the bottom quarter in half again. The bottom of the lips will rest on the dividing line you have just drawn. Draw a line for where the lips meet and then draw the top lip. Now fill in the bottom of the lip.^{[4]
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5
Add the eyes.^{[5]
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- Draw two big circular balls to make out the eyes across the central horizontal line. These will form the eye sockets. The top of this circle is where the eyebrow is and at the bottom is where the cheekbone sits.
- Draw the eyebrows along the top.
- You then need to work on the shape of the eyes. Eyes are almond shaped, so bear this in mind as you sketch them (eyes come in every size and shape, so feel it out). As a rule of thumb, the distance between the two eyes is the width of another eye.
- Inside the iris, the color inside the center of the eye, draw the pupil, which is the darkest bit of the eye. Fill most of it in black and leave a little white. With your pencil flat, use a bit of shading for the base. Shade variant from medium and light in the iris, using tightly spaced short lines from the edge of the pupil to the white of the eye. Draw lighter in some areas to give it a nice effect. Draw eyebrows above. Now rub out the guidelines below the eye.
- Next, draw the top of the eyelid over the top of the almond. The base of the eyelid comes down over the top of the iris and covers the top of it slightly.
6
Shading under the eyes. Now, add a little shading underneath the eye and where the eye meets the nose to define the socket. For a tired look, add shading and swooped lines at a more acute angle to the bottom eyelid.
7
Add the ears. The base of the ear should be drawn in line with the bottom of the nose and the top of the ear in line with the eyebrows. Remember, ears should be flat against the side of the head.^{[6]
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Add the hair. Make sure that you draw the hair from the parting outwards.^{[7]
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Draw the neck. Necks are thicker than you imagine. Draw two lines coming down from roughly where the bottom horizontal line meets the edges of the face.
10
Add the details. Add a bit of shading under the nose and accentuate the chin. Put expression lines around the mouth, and shading in the corners. Then outline the ridge of the nose. The more prominent you make these features, the "older" your face will look.^{[8]
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You may want to draw clothes using a style such as cross hatching.
12
Clean. Use an eraser to remove any guidelines.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Youth Female Face

1
Draw the shape of the head you have in mind.
2
Add lines to determine the center of the face and the position of the eyes.^{[9]
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3
Sketch lines to define how wide, tall, and the placement of the eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
4
Sketch the shape and appearance of the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and eyebrows.^{[10]
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5
Sketch the shape of the hair and neck.
6
Use a smaller tipped drawing tool to add the finer details of the face.
7
Draw the outline using the sketch as a guide.
8
Erase and remove the sketch marks to produce a clean outlined drawing.
9
Add color and shading to the drawing.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Male Face

1
Drawing lightly, sketch a circle.
2
Draw a line at the middle starting from the top and ending where the chin would be.https://www.easydrawingtips.com/how-to-draw-male-face-step-by-step-tutorial/ (This line determines that the face is facing towards you).
3
Sketch lines to define the shape of the cheeks, jaw and chin.
4
Sketch lines to define how wide, tall, and the placement of the eyes, nose, mouth and ears.^{[11]
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Sketch the shape and appearance of the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and eyebrows.^{[12]
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6
Sketch the shape of the hair and neck.^{[13]
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7
Use a smaller tipped drawing tool to add the finer details of the face.
8
Draw the outline using the sketch as a guide.
9
Erase and remove the sketch marks to produce a clean outlined drawing.
10
Add color to the drawing.
11
Optional: add shading to the drawing if needed.

Community Q&A

Question

What are some tricks to make my drawings look more realistic?

Renée Plevy
Portrait Artist & Educator
Renée Plevy is an Internationally Acclaimed Portrait Artist from New York/Palm Beach who has painted The Grand Dames of Palm Beach and various celebrities and community leaders. With over 50 years of experience, Renée specializes in painting realistically in oil and capturing the soul of the person. She has studied under internationally renowned portrait artists John Howard Sanden, David Leffel, Robert Beverly Hale, Clyde Smith, and Leonid Gervits. Renée is featured in over 68 shows and galleries including a one-woman museum show at the Paterson Museum. She has garnered numerous awards including “Artist of the Year” from The Bloomfield Art League and First Prize from the Boca Raton Museum Artist’s Guild. Renée has even painted a portrait of celebrity, Vanilla Ice. She also teaches at the Boca Raton Museum Art School - formerly at SVA in Manhattan.

Renée Plevy

Portrait Artist & Educator

Expert Answer

When a person starts to do a portrait or a drawing of a face, they tend to put the person in a very unrealistic position. Instead of putting the person at eye level, looking directly at you, try a variation of that pose. Draw the person as if they have bent their head down, or moved it to the right or the left, or tilted it.
Question

How can I get better at drawing faces?

Renée Plevy
Portrait Artist & Educator
Renée Plevy is an Internationally Acclaimed Portrait Artist from New York/Palm Beach who has painted The Grand Dames of Palm Beach and various celebrities and community leaders. With over 50 years of experience, Renée specializes in painting realistically in oil and capturing the soul of the person. She has studied under internationally renowned portrait artists John Howard Sanden, David Leffel, Robert Beverly Hale, Clyde Smith, and Leonid Gervits. Renée is featured in over 68 shows and galleries including a one-woman museum show at the Paterson Museum. She has garnered numerous awards including “Artist of the Year” from The Bloomfield Art League and First Prize from the Boca Raton Museum Artist’s Guild. Renée has even painted a portrait of celebrity, Vanilla Ice. She also teaches at the Boca Raton Museum Art School - formerly at SVA in Manhattan.

Renée Plevy

Portrait Artist & Educator

Expert Answer

You need to do a lot of reading, you need to do sketching, but primarily, you need to find a good teacher in your area who will help you to see what you're missing. We have a tendency not to actually see what's in front of us, and that's tough when you have to develop an artist's eye.
Question

Do the lines have to be strong?

Community Answer

Some lines should be stronger than others, like the locks of hair or the silhouette of the face. But always start with light lines so, if you make a mistake, you can erase it easily without too much trouble. When you are finished, you should outline it in pencil along with any other lines you want to stand out, like the outline of the eyes and strands of hair and the pupils of the eyes and the mouth.