Tools Utilized: Procreate | Apple Pencil| iPad Pro
Have you ever thought to yourself, “How can artists draw the head so quickly and perfectly?” One piece of advice is to practice of course, and the other is a formula. Therefore, If you’re struggling, or want to improve your proportions, then you’ve come to the right place! In this tutorial, I will walk you step by step through the process, so you will know how to draw the head effortlessly!
Getting A Head Start
Drawing the human head may look difficult at first. However, it can be broken down into simple shapes. Grab a pencil and paper, or a Wacom stylus, and draw the line! Next, go to the middle of your paper and sketch an ovalinar shape that looks like an egg. Keep the size something you’re comfortable with. Generally, it can be small and up-to 4-5 inches. The smaller shape can also make it easier to judge proportions.
Crossing the Line!
After drawing the line, it’s time to cross it! Now that you have the oval shape drawn, we want to divide it evenly while starting to form a grid. Go to the middle of the head and sketch a straight horizontal line through it. Next, the same process for the next line,
but go in the opposition direction. Go to the middle of the top of the
head and draw a vertical line straight down the middle. The end result will
be a cross that evenly divides the head into four parts.
Here’s Looking at You!
Eyes can be one of toughest anatomy parts to tackle. However, no need to worry! We are just drawing the basic eye here. Additionally, in a later tutorial, we will cover the more detailed aspects. First, we will start with the pupils. Next, locate the horizon line of the cross. Right on top of the horizon line is where the eye placement will be. Begin to draw a circle between the vertical centerline and the edge of the head. Afterward, sketch an arch above the eye. This should be ⅓ the width of that half of the head. The third step is to add a second larger arc above the eye. This will be the eyebrow. The shape should be arched downward toward the center. Lastly, repeat the steps for the first again for the other side.
Who Nose Where It Goes?
There are so many various ways to draw the nose. For this tutorial, the one we will be using is a simple one, mainly for placement. Generally, we can always go back later and add the shape that’s desired. First, draw a dot for placement about halfway between the top of the eyes and the bottom of the chin. Then, draw a concave shape approximately 1 eye width on the centerline. Be sure the nostrils come close to aligning with the edges of the inner eye arch.
Let’s Get Mouthy
Again, for this tutorial, we will keep the mouth a simple shape. The shape of the mouth can be different depending on if the figure is male or female. For today’s exercise, we will use a thickened, straight line.
Halfway between the bottom of the chin and bottom of the nose, place a
dot on the horizon centerline. At this point, draw horizontally out on both
sides, so that ends of the lines align with the center of the pupils.
The Homestretch
We’re almost to the home plate! We just have to draw the ears and neck. First, we can create a C shape for the ear. Then, sketch a curved C shape, starting at the top of the eye, and turning inward near the bottom of the nose. Next, repeat the process for the other ear. As for the neck, we will draw two short parallel lines. Find the spot just below the centerline of the mouth, and sketch a slightly curved line downward from the jawline. The length of the line should be half the size of the head.
Drawing A Conclusion
Congratulations! You have successfully drawn the front view of the
human head! That wasn’t so bad, right? Once we break it down into simple
shapes and understand their relationships for placement, it’s not too difficult. Also,
feel free to go back and tinker with different shapes to perfect them how you would like. For me, it was the forehead shape. Drawing the head is one of my favorite parts of anatomy. Portraits are so much fun to draw! Future tutorials will be covering eyes, mouth, nose, side view, and three-quarter views. Keep checking the tutorial section of my blog for more lessons! Furthermore, a good book that I recommend is Figure Drawing for Dummies. This book helped me out alot, especially for drawing the head. Thanks for stopping by!
[This post features affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you]
