Face Drawing: An Easy-to-Follow Guide (with Images and a Video)

28 Jan

Most artists find it difficult to master the art of drawing a realistic face.

The eyes of more than 95% of people who aren't artists tend to be drawn too high on the head.

One of the most difficult things to master when you first begin to draw is the human face.

In light of this, we commissioned BioWars artist Gonçalo Lopes to produce a video guidewalking you through the process of drawing a human face.

You can learn how to draw a realistic face from scratch by following his instructions.

The process of learning how to draw a face can be difficult, so Gonçalo made this helpful reference sheet for you. Feel free to grab the doc and use it to make it easier to implement Gónalo's recommendations in your own work.

A picture guide that will take you from initial sketch to finished portrait is also available on our site.

One thing to remember before we begin: perfecting the art of comic book drawing takes time and effort. But here are some pointers that will make the transition from novice to pro a lot less challenging:

Learn from the Biowars graphic novel.

Learn to draw a realistic face with these helpful resources.

Everything from designing a car to building a house requires the right tools, and drawing is no different.

The tools you'll need to draw a human face may seem obvious, but picking the right ones could make or break your work.

The following items are required to successfully complete a facial sketch:

• Use an H pencil for rough sketching and outlines.
• Detailed work calls for an HB pencil.
• Use a 4B pencil to draw realistic shadows.
• A kneaded eraser to bring out the best and correct the worst
• The precise measuring tool for drawing grid lines
• Micro-perforated sketch paper allows for more effortless erasure and redrafts.

Acquaint yourself with some inhabitants of the Bioverse!

An Introduction to Face Sketching in 3 Easy Steps

It can be intimidating to attempt to draw a human face if you have no prior experience doing so. It's understandable that depicting a human face can be challenging; we have 43 facial muscles, which allow us to express around 10,000 different emotions.

There are, however, approaches you can take to streamline and facilitate this procedure for yourself.

Drawing a person's face, for instance, can help you relax your muscles and get your creative juices flowing. In addition, because a sketch is not meant to be permanent, you are less likely to feel pressured and more likely to enjoy the drawing process.

Here, we'll look at how to draw a face.

Initially, sketch an oval for the head.

Drawing an oval for the head is the first step in sketching a face. Imagine an egg turned upside down, and then draw it.

For the time being, pretend you're looking straight at your character's face, and draw the shape from that perspective.

Step 2: Break Up The Sketch

Once you have this outline completed, you can add some guides for where to put the face features like the eyes and the nose.

Put a vertical line down the middle of your drawing to separate the upper and lower halves of your character's face.

Then draw a horizontal line from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin. This will serve to indicate where the character's eyes will be placed and bring some symmetry to their features.

Two additional vertical lines, one on each side of the central line, can be used to denote the lateral canthuses of the eyes and the dorsum of the nose.

The three spaces are usually divided equally between the eyes and the area in between them where the nose is located.

Third, expand the sketch's guidelines.

The next step is to use basic facial features like the eyebrows, ears, and lips as guides to draw in the rest of the face.

You've already indicated the placement of the eyes by drawing a horizontal line down the middle of the sketch. The place where the character's eyebrows will be can now be indicated by drawing a second line at this halfway point.

After that, draw another horizontal line halfway between the first one and the chin. In your comic, the outer nose will curve down to meet the ear lobes at this point.

Put in another horizontal line halfway between the first and the chin to indicate where the mouth will go.

Now you can see the general shape of the face taking shape; if you need further guidance on where to put everything, you can refer to the image provided below.

Your character's facial features will be symmetrical and appropriately placed thanks to every line you draw.

Figure out how to complete your character's illustration!

Five Easy Ways to Refine Your Face Drawing Skills

First, you'll want to sketch some eyes.

With your comic book character's outline in place, you can begin detailing his or her appearance.

For convenience, let's go in reverse order.

Generally speaking, a distance of about an eye's width apart between a person's eyes is considered to be the ideal ratio.

First, between the shorter vertical lines, draw an oval for your eye to rest on.

Make sure the width of the space between the eyes is proportional to the size of the eyes as you draw the second one. This provides a great location for the nose of your character to go.

Check out these seven simple steps for drawing realistic eyes.

Draw a nose on your face for the second step.

While there is a wide variety of noses, we'll be discussing the fundamentals for the time being.

To begin, the endpoint of the nose on your character should be the second horizontal line you drew. Telling the length of your nose by this measurement

Fill the space between your character's eyes with the width of their nose, making sure the outer edges of their nostrils meet the point where their eyes start.

Your character's nose can be any shape you like. Nose shape is one way to convey a character's unique identity in a drawing, so choose wisely!

Our five-step guide, crafted by Gonçalo, will teach you how to draw a realistic nose in no time.

Find the best character design program if you're itching to design something a little more futuristic.

Third, give special attention to the brows.

Putting on the eyebrows should be a breeze if you took our advice and drew a second horizontal line between the crown of the head and the brow.

It's best to focus on the nose first, because the browbone, where the eyebrows are located, always follows the lines of the nose.

The 4B pencil will come in handy for sketching the eyebrows. Go for  You can give them a bushy appearance with short, soft strokes, or a more refined one with longer, firmer strokes.  

Don't forget to shade and blend the eyebrows, as they are one of the darkest parts of a face drawing.  

Drawing the Mouth is Step Four

Can you please recall the third horizontal line you drew earlier? Ideally, the mouth should be located there.

For the most part, the mouths of comic book characters begin on either side of the eyes, right around the pupils.

Lips are a blank canvas where you can express your creativity with any shape or size you like. It's up to you whether you want them plump, skinny, or somewhere in between.

Lips, like the nose, can be used to draw attention to a person's unique qualities.

For those interested in learning the ins and outs of drawing a mouth, we have a dedicated guide.

So, you want to make a hero or a villain? We'll show you how!

Fifth, complete your character by giving them ears, hair, and a mouth.

Though depicting ears may seem challenging at first, you've provided a fantastic visual guide here that should make your task much easier.

The horizontal line denoting the arch of the eyebrows should be at the same level as the tops of the ears.

Your character's earlobes should rest on the same horizontal line that you used for the bridge of their nose.

For now, just focus on the overall shape of the ears.

This drawing ears guide is for you if you want to learn how to draw realistic ears.

However, the hair could be more challenging and time-consuming to draw.

Starting at the forehead and working down the sides of the face, use the H pencil to lightly sketch an outline of the hairline, making sure to follow the direction of hair growth. To finish, work your way outward from the center of your head, adding volume and texture as you go.

It's up to you to decide how much work to put into the hair.

When deciding on a hairstyle for your character, keep their character traits in mind.

Is the comic book version of your character a dedicated employee? If so, try styling it in a sleek, backwards ponytail. The opposite is true if you're going for the look of a wild and unpredictable character; in that case, curls or other untamed hairstyles might be the way to go.

We went with a left-parting short cut for men to simulate a business meeting.

When you're done sketching the hair, it's almost done.

To complete, cross out the instructions as follows:

Finally, add some polish to your drawing by:

• Use the 4B pencil to add shadows where they belong.
• Try using an eraser to pull up a few starred phrases.
• Harmonize the primary contours and surfaces

In the following section, you will study human figure drawing.

The next step after learning how to draw a face (and a hand from our previous tutorial) is to draw a full human figure.

Getting the proportions, form, and volume correct can be difficult, but this guide will teach you everything you need to know to draw a human being from scratch, including the intricacies of their facial features, in just nine easy steps.

If you want to learn how to draw comics, this book is for you.

A Review of the Basics of Human Face Drawing

Keep things basic and concentrate on getting the proportions of the face correct when you first begin drawing people.

Drawing realistic proportions on the face is just the beginning; once you've mastered that, you can start playing around with your characters' features, adding in subtle details to convey feelings and give them unique appearances.

A realistic facial likeness can be drawn by experimenting with different color palettes and brush strokes. The key is to maintain a steady routine of practice until you have mastered drawing a wide variety of faces.

To what extent do you dabble in portraiture? Who is your favorite to draw from comic books? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments and feel free to send us your writing.