There’s an old adage in art that the human face is the most interesting landscape of them all. If you want to explore your creative side plus improve your drawing skills, drawing a face is great way to go! In this article, we’ll break down the mechanics when it comes to drawing faces. We’ve even provided reference images so that you can practice along as you learn.
Things You Should Know
Draw an oval. Then, add vertical plus horizontal guidelines through the center to create guidelines for the features.
Make eyes realistic by making them almond-shaped. Place one eye’s width between each eye to keep them symmetrical.
Focus on the shape of the base of the nose plus shade under each eye to give definition to the nose’s bridge (instead of drawing a line in the middle).
Place the mouth halfway between the nose plus chin. Add 3 lines—1 for the mouth, 1 for the upper lip, plus 1 for the lower lip.
Method
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Adult Woman
Step 1 Make a light outline of a face.
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Make a light outline of a face. Heads aren’t actually circular; they’re oval-shaped, like an egg. Sketch an oval outline that tapers down at the bottom where the chin would be.[1]
Step 2 Divide the oval in half vertically plus horizontally.
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Divide the oval in half vertically plus horizontally. The easiest way to draw a face is to use dividing lines to map out the proportions of the features. First, draw a line down the center of the oval. Then cut the oval in half again, this time horizontally.
Step 3 Add another horizontal line to illustrate the nose.
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Add another horizontal line to illustrate the nose. Divide the lower half of the oval again with another horizontal line. The point where the vertical line meets the lower horizontal line is the base of the nose. Sketch out the tip of the nose plus add a nostril on each side.
Step 4 Sketch out the mouth with a third horizontal line.
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Sketch out the mouth with a third horizontal line. Divide the bottom of the oval in half again. Put the bottom of the lips on the dividing line you have just drawn. Draw a line for where the lips meet plus then draw the top plus bottom lips.[2]
Step 5 Add two symmetrical eyes along the top line.
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Add two symmetrical eyes along the top line. Draw two circular balls to make out the eyes across the central horizontal line. These are the eye sockets. The top of this circle is where the eyebrows go plus the bottom is where the cheekbone sits.[3]
Step 6 Develop the eyebrows along the top of each eye socket.
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Develop the eyebrows along the top of each eye socket. The eyebrows communicate a lot of expression. Craft the eyebrows evenly along the top line of each ball for a more neutral expression, angle the eyebrows inward for a more intense vibe, or raise them up a little to communicate surprise.
Use a series of short, thin strokes to add individual hairs if you’re going for a more realistic look.
Step 7 Finish the eyes by adding pupils plus eyelids.
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Finish the eyes by adding pupils plus eyelids. As a rule of thumb, the distance between the two eyes is the width of a third eye. A person’s eyes are almond-shaped, so bear this in mind as you sketch them out. Eyes come in every size plus shape, so experiment with the form a bit until you’ve got the right look.
Step 8 Color the irises plus develop the pupils.
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Color the irises plus develop the pupils. Draw the pupil, which is the darkest bit of the eye. Fill most of it in black plus leave a little white. With your pencil flat, use a bit of shading for the base. Shade variant from medium to light in each iris. Use tightly-spaced short lines from the edge of the pupil to the white of the eye.
Make some of the edges of each pupil lighter to give it a nice effect. Develop the eyebrows above. Then, rub out the guidelines below the eye.
Step 9 Draw the top of the eyelid over the top of each eye.
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Draw the top of the eyelid over the top of each eye. The base of the eyelid comes down over the top of the iris plus covers the top of it slightly. If you make the eyelids really big, the woman you’re drawing will look sleepy. Keep them even plus thin.
Step 10 Shade under the eyes to communicate depth.
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Shade under the eyes to communicate depth. Add a little shading underneath the eye plus where the eye meets the nose to define the socket. For a tired look, add shading plus swooped lines at a more acute angle to the bottom eyelid.
Step 11 Add an ear on each side of the head.
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Add an ear on each side of the head. The base of each ear should be drawn in line with the bottom of the nose plus the top of the ear in line with the eyebrows. Remember, the ears are flat against the side of the head.[4]
Step 12 Give your face some hair.
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Give your face some hair. Start where the hair parts plus develop it outwards. Put some strands in front plus other strands behind to communicate dimension.[5]
You can opt for whatever kind of hairstyle you’d like. There are no rules, so go for whatever look you want.
Step 13 Add the neck coming from the base of the head.
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Add the neck coming from the base of the head. Necks are thicker than you probably imagine. Draw two lines coming down from roughly where the bottom horizontal line meets the edges of the face.
You can include shoulders if you’d like, or let the neck be the end of the body.
Step 14 Include any details you feel you’re missing.
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Include any details you feel you’re missing. You can add a bit of shading under the nose plus accentuate the chin, or put expression lines around the mouth plus shade in the corners. Outline the ridge of the nose. The more prominent you make these features, the older your face will look.[6]
Step 15 Draw clothes…
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Draw clothes if you want a fuller portrait. Throw on a blouse, shirt, or jacket if you want to add a body. This is totally optional, so if you’re only interested in drawing the face, go ahead plus skip this.
Step 16 Erase any guidelines you no longer need.
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Erase any guidelines you no longer need. Now that you’re done, get rid of any pesky lines that don’t belong anymore. Clean up any marks you didn’t mean to erase plus you’re done!