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example of different head angles

The Basic Forms

To draw the head from any angle you must offset sympathize its basic structure. Await past all the distracting details and visualize the underlying forms. This ability to simplify can be applied to the features of the face, but when starting the drawing yous could look even farther. Ignore even the features and simplify to the about basic form of the head. I utilise a method taught past Andrew Loomis in his book, "Cartoon the Caput & Hands".

The head deconstructed into its bones forms, is a sphere as the cranium and a block as the jaw and cheek bones.

basic forms

A Sphere as the Cranium

The sides of the head are flat, so we tin can slice off a slice from both sides of the ball. From profile, this plane will be a perfect circle, but when drawing it from any other angle, it will appear to be an oval because of perspective. Divide this oval into quadrants. The vertical line represents the beginning of the jaw. The horizontal line represents the forehead line. The acme and bottom of the oval help y'all find the hair line and the bottom of the nose.

volume of the cranium

A Cake as the Jaw and Cheek Bones

Attach the shape of the jaw. The peak will start at the brow line and the back volition start at the center of the oval. This is a 3-D volume with a front plane, side planes, and bottom plane (bottom plane is seen from some angles).

volume of the jaw

Constructing From Any Angle

Step i – Determine the angle of the ball

The angle of the caput is established at the very beginning of the drawing with the ball. All three axes must exist addressed:

X Axis - The up and down tilt is established past the angles of the horizontal and vertical lines in the oval. Also, on extreme up tilts and downwardly tilts, the thirds will exist foreshortened because of perspective.

rotate x

Y Axis - The direction the caput is turning (left or correct) is established past the width of the oval. As the head turns towards you, you can see more of the front of the confront and less of the side, so the oval representing the side volition get narrower. Similarly, when the head turns abroad from you, more of the side aeroplane is revealed and the oval volition appear wider.

rotate y

Z Centrality - The twist is established by the bending of the center line, the angle of the oval and the placement of the oval on the ball.

rotate z

Step 2 – Find the thirds

Subsequently establishing the angle of the brawl, divide the face into thirds. The distance between the hairline and brow-line should be the same as the distance between the brow-line and lesser of the nose. Add that same altitude to notice the mentum. Notice how the hairline and nose-line marshal with the top and lesser bottom of the oval when wrapped around the face. Imagine the head equally a box. The thirds must exist wrapped effectually the side plane and front aeroplane.

find the thirds

Footstep 3 – Add the jaw

A mutual mistake at this indicate is to make the jaw besides long in comparing to the ball. Make sure to measure out your thirds correctly and that they relate correctly to the ball. Discover how the shape of the jaw changes from various angles.

add the jaw

Step 4 – Add the features

With this basic structure properly established, information technology becomes much easier to add the features in the right place. Check back for more than data about specific features in a later post.

add features

- How to Draw Optics
- How to Draw the Nose
- How to Draw Lips
- How to Depict Ears

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Practice inventing the head from all possible angles. Go a sketchbook and fill an entire page with footling heads. When drawing without reference photos, you quickly realize where your weaknesses are because y'all can't rely on copying. You lot can just piece of work with what you know.

UPDATE – 08-17-2012

Made a video version of this tutorial. Subscribe to my YouTube channel ProkoTV for more than videos.