#057 Drawing People | The Face
DRAWING REFERENCE: A photograph of a face or look at your own face in a mirror!
YOU'LL NEED: drawing paper 9x12 inches or copy paper, pencil, eraser, mirror
Hi and Welcome!
Faces are one of the most interesting things artists draw. Every face is unique, but most faces are built using the same basic shapes and guidelines. In this lesson, you'll learn a simple method for drawing a face. In art, this is called a portrait.
Today You Will
Learn how to draw a face using an oval shape and a few simple guide lines. You'll discover how artists place the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hair in the correct locations.
What You'll Discover
1. Faces Begin with Simple Shapes
Artists can draw a quick sketch of a face starting with an oval, perhaps to put on their figure drawing or they can draw just the face along with the neck and shoulders.
2. Features Have a Place
The eyes, nose, mouth, and ears are not placed randomly. Learning where these features belong helps create a realistic and balanced face. We use guidelines to help place the features.
3. Small Changes Create Different Faces
By changing the size and shape of the eyes, nose, mouth, and hair, you can create many different people and expressions.
Why This Matters
Faces help us recognize people and show emotion. Learning how to draw a simple face gives you the foundation for drawing portraits, characters, and people in your artwork. Once you understand the basic structure of a face, you can continue adding more details and creating faces that are uniquely your own.
Enjoy this lesson and have fun drawing faces!
Happy Drawing!
— Brenda Ellis Abbey
If you want more great drawing, painting, and sculpture lessons, check out our art books for Preschool through High School ages.
