LEARNING TO DRAW FACIAL FEARURES

Now, before you can draw an entire face, you must first learn to draw each of the facial
features individually. Only by taking one feature at a time can you learn the anatomy
well and understand what to look for and what to capture in your drawing.

Drawing Noses Two Ways

The nose is the least complicated feature and most closely resembles the sphere, as
noted. The five elements of shading are easy to see. It is important to learn to draw the
facial features in different poses.

These straight-on and profile views of the nose will give you ample practice. Follow the
steps to draw a nose in both views.

Straight-on View

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to create a line drawing of a nose in a
straight-on view.
2. Develop the Lights and Darks

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Develop the patterns of light and dark with a pencil. Be sure to refer to the
sphere.

Add reflected light along the edges of the nose and the rim of the nostril. Add a shadow
edge under the tip of the nose to makes it look rounded. Place cast shadows under the
bottom edge of the nose.
3. Blend

Blend the tones smooth with a stump or tortillion. Very little of the drawing should be left
white. Many artists will leave skin tones too light, but only the highlights should be as
white as the paper.

Be sure to blend out from the dark areas into the lighter face area, just like you did in
the sphere exercise. This makes it appear real.
Profile View

1. Create a Line Drawing

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Develop the patterns of light and dark with a pencil. Be sure to refer to the
sphere.
3. Blend
Blend the tones smooth with a stump or tortillion. Use the dark tones behind the nose to
make the edges stand out.

Lighting is crucial. The dark background makes this example look very different from the
previous one.
Drawing Male and Female Mouths / Lips

Drawing a mouth can be a challenge. Many beginning artists outline them too much. But
it is only when the lips are defined by makeup that the edges are very distinct.

When studying the mouth, you will notice the upper lip is usually smaller and will appear
darker than the bottom lip. It creates an M shape.

There are differences between male and female lips. Female mouths are much more
defined and seem fuller and shinier. The edges of male lips are more subtle and are
described by the shadows around them more than the edges themselves.

Drawing Lips | Female

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to create a line drawing of female lips.
2. Apply the Dark Patterns

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Apply the dark patterns of the lips with a pencil.

Make the upper lip darker than the bottom one. This is because the upper lip angles in,
and the bottom lip angles out.

3. Blend Tones and Light Highlights

Blend the tones smooth with a tortillion. Be sure to create the tones of the skin around
the lips to make them look realistic. Use a kneaded eraser to lift the bright highlights of
the lower lip to make them look moist and shiny.
Drawing Lips | Male

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to create a line drawing of male lips.

2. Add Dark Tones

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Add the darkest tones first with a pencil.
3. Blend and Lift

Blend the drawing with a stump or tortillion to remove the white of the paper. Deepen
the dark areas with your pencil and then lift light areas out with a kneaded eraser.

Drawing Smiles

Mouths become much more difficult to draw when the teeth are showing. When drawing
teeth, never draw a hard line between each tooth. Because the teeth touch, a hard line
would make them look too separate by representing a dark space.

They should also have some shading applied. Teeth are dimensional, so leaving them
white would make them look flat. As the teeth recede into the mouth, the shadows get
darker. The bottom teeth are always a bit darker too since they do not protrude as
much.

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to create a line drawing of a mouth and
teeth. Each tooth must be perfect to create a good likeness.

Do not draw hard lines between each tooth. For accuracy, draw the shapes of the gum
line and the edges of the teeth.

2. Apply Dark Tones

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Apply the darkest tones with a pencil. It is darkest inside the mouth. The upper
lip is darker than the bottom lip and does not have bright highlights.
3. Blend, Add Shading and Lift

Blend the tons smooth with a tortillion. Apply some shading to each tooth to make sure
they look dimensional. Lift the highlights of the bottom lip to make them look full and
shiny.

Keep the lines between the teeth subtle. Use a kneaded eraser to soften where the
touch.

Drawing Eyes
There are many components to the eye and all of them are important. Here are a few
hints to help you:

 The iris and the pupil are perfect circles when the eye is looking straight at
you. If turning away or looking up and down, they become ellipses.

 The pupil is always perfectly centered within the iris.

 The pupil is the darkest part of the eye. Fill it in as dark and smooth as
possible. Leave an area for a catch light.

 The catch light should be half in the pupil and half in the iris. If the photo
shows it blocking the pupil, move it over.

 The lower lid thickness below the iris is very important. Never just draw a
line under the eye. This small detail gives the eye dimension.

 Patterns within the iris will vary depending on the color of the eye and
resemble a starburst.

 The white of the eye needs to be blended to resemble a sphere shape.

 The lashes on the upper lid come together to make a dark edge called the
lash line.

 The upper eyelid recesses, making the eyeball take on a sphere shape.

Now let’s move on to drawing an eye.

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to crate a line drawing of an eye.
2. Lay in the Patterns and Blend

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Lay in the patterns of the iris with a pencil. Use pencil lines that resemble a
starburst pattern or wagon wheel spokes.

Leave an area open for the catch light (half in the pupil and half in the iris). Blend things
smooth with a tortillion. Use a kneaded eraser to lift the catch light and increase the
patterns in the iris.

3. Continue Blending and Shading, Add Eyelashes

Blend the skin areas of the drawing to create the form and contours. Shade the white of
the eye to make it look rounded like a sphere.
Add the eyelashes with very quick strokes that taper at the ends. They grow in layers
and clumps, so do not make them go all along in a row.

Notice how the lashes on the bottom grow from the lower edge of the lower lid
thickness. You can see how much dimension the lower lid thickness gives to the look of
the eye.

Drawing Noses and Eyes Together

Once you learn the anatomy of the eye and how to draw it realistically, it is important to
understand how to put two of them together along with other facial features like the
nose. Here are some guidelines to remember:

 The space between the eyes is one eye width.

 Both eyes should be directly across from each other.

 If you draw a vertical line down from the corner of the eye, it will line up
with the edge of the nose. (This can change according to different
ethnicities.)

 Both eyes must be looking in the same direction. The pupil and iris must be
the same in both.
  Place the catch light in the same place on both eyes (half in the pupil, half
in the iris).

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to create a line drawing of a nose and
eyes together. Notice how the vertical line drawn down from the corner of the eyes lines
up with the edge of the nose. Place the eyes directly from one another.

2. Apply Dark Tones, Fill in the Shadow Areas and Eyebrows

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Apply the darkest tones with a pencil.

The pupils of the eyes are the darkest areas. Fill in the tones of the shadow areas and
the eyebrows. The eyebrows should be shaded in as a shape first, before the hairs are
applied.
3. Blend and Apply Highlights

Blend with a stump or tortillion. Very little of the paper should be left white, even in the
whites of the eyes. Use a kneaded eraser for the small highlights seen in the brows and
patterns within the pupils.

Eyes from an Angle

This project will help you see things from a different vantage point. When you draw
facial features of a person who is at an angle, the rules change.
The features look distorted due to the perspective. In this view, the profile of the nose is
blocking one of the eyes and only a small portion of the face is showing on that side.

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to create a line drawing of eyes in a
slightly angled pose. Notice how this angle blocks the view of part of the face.

The irises and pupils now are vertical ellipses, since the eye is not looking straight at
you. The perfect circle is now changed due to the perspective.

2. Apply Darks, Add Shadows and Blend the Eyebrows

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Apply the darkest tones with your pencil to create the shadows. The pupils of the
eyes are the darkest areas. Blend the shapes of the eyebrows to a gray tone.
3. Blend and Lift

Blend the skin areas with a stump or tortillion. Use a kneaded eraser for the small
highlights seen in the brows. Create the patterns within the pupils and lift the catch
lights.

Ears

Ears are one of the most difficult features to draw. They are made up of strange shapes.
We don’t particularly pay much attention to ears unless they have earrings or are larger
than normal. Either way, they are not shapes that we often think about.
To draw a good portrait, you must learn their anatomy to make them look convincing. It
is a good idea to practice drawing ears in a variety of angles and poses, too. Practicing
all views is important if you want to be proficient in portrait drawing.

Ear, Front View

This is a typical front view of an ear seen on a portrait. Much of the anatomy is blocked
by the hair. Only the protruding part of the earlobe is visible.

Ear, Side-Angle View

This side-angle view shows the complexities of the ear. It is certainly not a typical pose,
but you never know when you may have to draw a person in an unusual pose.
Drawing Ears

This exercise will help you learn the anatomy of ears. They are made up of many
intricate shapes that all nestle together. The grid method helps to make them appear
more like a puzzle.

Here are some things to keep in mind when drawing ears:

 The outer ear overlaps the inner ear.

 The skin of the ear is different. It is more oily, so highlights can appear very
bright.

 There is a protruding area of the inner ear that acts like a cup.

 The earlobe often resembles a sphere.

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to create a line drawing of an ear. Look at
it like a puzzle of interlocking shapes.
2. Apply the Darks

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Apply the darkest areas with a pencil.

Create shadows underneath where the outer ear overlaps the inner ears. Resist the
urge to outline too much. Let shading create your edges.
3. Blend and Lift

Blend the drawing with a stump or tortillion. To make it look realistic, lift out highlights
with a kneaded eraser.

The ear is a bit shinier than other skin, so the highlights should be bright. Remember
the five elements of shading and the sphere when focusing on the earlobe.
Putting it All Together | Drawing a Portrait

Now that you’ve learned how to draw facial features from the eyes to the mouth, it’s
time to put everything together into a portrait. Do not do this project before you have
done the proper practice work. Go back and practice all of the facial features first.

And, before moving on to this demo, be sure to practice drawing hair. I covered this
topic in another post, which you can find here.
Here are some tips for drawing portraits:

 When you want to draw facial features, start with the eyes. This helps
create a connection with the viewer and starts to capture the personality of
your subject.

 When you finish the eyes, move down and finish the nose, then the mouth.
This is called the triangle of features.

 Allow the darkness of the hair to help create the lighter edge of the face.
Placing tone behind the face reduces the chance of things looking outlined.

 When drawing hair, apply your pencil strokes going in the same direction
as the hair growth.

 Always remember the five elements of shading with everything you draw.

1. Create a Line Drawing

Use the grid method and a mechanical pencil to create a line drawing of a female face.
Go one box at a time and be very careful with the shapes.
2. Apply the Darks and Start Building up the Hair

When you are sure of your accuracy, carefully remove the grid lines with a kneaded
eraser. Apply the darkest tones.

Start with the eyes and then move down to the nose and mouth to create the triangle of
features. Apply some dark tone next to the face to help create the light edge of the face.
Start to build the hair using long pencil strokes.
3. Blend and Lift

Take your time finishing. The face must be blended very smooth with a stump or
tortillion. Little of the drawing should be left pure white; only the highlights in the eyes
and on the nose appear white. As you complete the face, refer to the previous exercises
on individual facial features and keep the five elements of shading in mind.

The hair in this portrait takes a lot of time. Use very long pencil strokes to create the
length. Blend everything out smooth and then lift bands of light out of the hair with a
kneaded eraser.
Keep Practicing

Now that you have learned how to draw facial features, keep practicing. Lee
Hammond’s All New Big Book of Drawing includes tons of quick step-by-step
drawing demos geared toward beginners in both graphite and colored pencil (including
how to draw facial features in colored pencil). From drawing realistic faces to creating
lifelike animals, this resource has it all. Enjoy!