Welcome! Today, we're going to look at just what makes the head of a person look correct~! Mathematically there are certain proportions to the face that make it pleasing to look at...however, I forget the exact numbers and I'm pretty sure not everyone's interested in the mathematical side to art..so..moving on..
The structure of this tutorial is as follows: I will go over several large topics, with illustrated aides. These illustrations have additional tips on the graphics themselves, so make sure you click on them so you don't miss anything! The basic categories are: General, Eyes, Nose, Mouth, and Expressions. Afterward, I will go through the entire procedure with a sample artwork, with an addendum on adding hair.
General Proportions: Start out on the right path
While everyone's face is different and any 'rules of thumb' can be easily proven wrong with exceptions, there are very general assumptions and estimations that can be made.
I like to use the 'Rule of Halves' ... one can divide the face (generally shaped as an oval) with three lines: the first line divides the oval into two halves, the top and bottom. the second line divides the bottom quadrant into two more equal sections, and the third line divides the new bottom quadrant yet again. So we have the face divided into 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8...click the thumbnail for a visual description and some additional notes.
Note that when seen from a 3/4 view, the head is made up of two ovals..one for the face, and one additional one for the top of the head. This is very useful as many people tend to draw the head too narrow. Remember, it has to fit our brain! And our brains are pretty huge...
The Eyes: A window into your soul
The eyes are quite possibly THE most important part of the face. When one looks at a picture, the eyes are what immediately draws the viewer's own eyes. In addition, the eyes are crucial in conveying the attitude, mood, emotions, etc. of your character, and consequently the entire piece. It's just the way we were built...one tends to focus on the eyes before anything else.
So, make sure you draw them correctly, but also feel free to stylize and customize them to your liking!! We're not always working in realism, so you can experiment, exaggerate, distort, and create your own style. But there are a few rules you should follow so your eyes still appear well-drawn.
- The eye should have a reflection in it. To omit that will make the eye look dull and dead.
- The eyes should be more or less symmetrical. True, they aren't symmetrical in real life, but they're pretty close...
- Try not to draw the eye with only a few lines of the same thickness. Eyelashes, skin folds, even varying the thickness of your line will help the eye look much brighter and livelier.
- Make sure the eyeballs are looking in the same direction!
- The eyeball is ROUND, so shade accordingly in the eye whites when coloring. Don't ever assume that white objects don't need any color, because that's nearly NEVER true! ^_^
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