Self-Portrait Steps Images taken from Andrew Loomis Drawing Head & Hands (there are many sites to download this out of print book for free)

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1 Self-Portrait Steps Images taken from Andrew Loomis Drawing Head & Hands (there are many sites to download this out of print book for free) First of all- put the idea of it doesn t look like me! out of your head. Getting likeness takes time. First you have to get the general shapes working. Likeness is about proportional relationships- (the angle of your eyes in relation to your nose, related to your chin, etc.) 1) Having said that- there is a basic shape to the head, which is an upside-down egg shape. You can draw this like an upside-down egg, or you can think of it as a sphere (3- dimensional circle) which equates to your skull + an additional lower extension to make the egg which equates to your jaw/chin. 2) Once you have this shape, you have to consider the AXIS of your face, much as we looked at the axis of a cylinder. Remember when we looked at compositions that had MAJOR and MINOR axis. This will be true here, where the major axis runs vertically through the middle of your face (middle of brow behind nose to chin), and the minor runs horizontally across your eye line. So first think about the tilt of your head. If you are looking straight ahead, your major and minor axis will create a cross-type shape. If you are looking to the side, your major axis will move to the side, if you are looking up or down your minor axis will move up or down. 1

2 3) Once you have those axis that establish your eye-line and nose line (really the line that goes from between your eyes, behind your nose, to middle of your chin), you want to place some basic facial proportions: 1) The eye-line is usually ½ way from chin to top of head (this is top of the head which is above your ears- NOT your hairline- a common mistake). 2) The bottom of your nose is ½ way from your eye-line to the chin 3) Your mouth is ½ way from your nose to your chin 4) The size of your eyes usually fits about 5 across your face (looking straight ahead) with an eye-width between the eyes. 5) The width of your mouth is usually from the middle of one eye to the next. 4) Now look at the basic shape of your face. Do you have an angular face? Turn some of the curves of the egg shape into straighter lines. Is your face thin? Narrow your face accordingly. The egg shape is just a start. Use some quick, short lines to establish some basic shapes: Draw in the shape of your neck- like a cylinder holding up your head. 2

3 5) Draw in the shape of your hair, as if it was one shape- like a helmet. Remember that hair sits on top of your skull- so it will be larger than your egg shape. Also draw in shapes for your eyebrow and any facial hair. By adding these shapes you create more positive/negative relationships that will help you measure those proportions. 6) Draw the wedge shape that is your nose. A nose has a front plane, side planes, and a plane underneath (from the tip back towards the upper lip) Keep it simple for now. 7) Draw shapes for your ears- they usually line up with your brow line and bottom of your nose. 8) Refine the shape of your eyes- The upper part of your eye usually has a different curve than the lower part. DRAW WHAT YOU SEE- a common problem is to draw an eye-like shape rather than really looking a 3

4 9) Refine the shape of your mouth. Similar to the eye, there is often a difference in size and shape between your upper and lower lip. 10) CHECK YOUR PROPORTIONS! Use the length of your nose as a basic unit, or the triangle formed from the edges of your eyes to the bottom of your nose. These are the proportions that create likeness. 4

5 11) CHECK YOUR PERPSECTIVE! YES! It s not a box, but your head curves like a cylinder, so your eyes follow that type of curve. This is also true for the bottom of your nose and mouth line. You have to think about whether you are looking up or down. 12) ADD VALUE This would be a good time to start establishing some basic values as well. Is there a good shadow that can help define the shape of the nose? Is your hair dark? Is there a clear value change from your upper to lower lip? What about a shadow on your neck or underneath your chin? 5